SPARK Soweto gets to the top three finalist
The school believes that it takes a village to raise tomorrow's leaders and is committed to investing in the community that supports the school.
SPARK Soweto has made it as a top three finalist for the $250,000 World’s Best School Prizes 2023.
The five World’s Best School Prizes, founded last year by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, Yayasan Hasanah, and the Lemann Foundation, are the world’s most prestigious education prizes.
SPARK Soweto, an independent, partially government-funded kindergarten and primary school in Protea Glen has become a catalyst for change in the community.
The school was announced as one of the top three finalists for the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration 2023.
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The competition celebrates schools everywhere for the pivotal role they play in developing the next generation of learners and for their enormous contribution to society’s progress, especially in the wake of COVID. The Prizes were established to share the best practices of schools that are transforming the lives of their students and making a real difference to their communities.
“Congratulations to SPARK Soweto on being named a top three finalist for the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration 2023.
You and your fellow finalists have inspired me with the leadership, vision and culture you have fostered and for the exceptional teaching and learning environment you have built,” Vikas Pota, Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes said.
“As the world seeks to tackle a deepening education crisis, this outstanding South African school lights the path to a better future. It’s time for governments everywhere to listen to your voice and learn from your expertise.”
By prioritising affordability, community engagement, and environmental stewardship, SPARK Soweto has become a catalyst for change for the community of Soweto.
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With initiatives that tackle social and economic challenges head-on, such as curbing local unemployment and addressing gender-based violence, the impact this school has made in such a short time is the result of listening and responding to the community.
SPARK Soweto’s model is rooted in the five core values of Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, and Kindness.
The school’s community is further enshrined in the sixth core value of Ubuntu.
As such, the school prioritised community engagement from its very inception which involved interacting with and surveying the community to understand their educational and social needs.
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Based on that understanding, the school launched a number of community initiatives to help address the challenges of its surrounding area, such as its Environmental Stewardship programme, which involved cleaning the surrounding areas and erecting permanent concrete bins to curb waste pollution.
If SPARK Soweto wins the World’s Best School Prize for Community Collaboration, the school intends to continue to build on the community initiatives that have already shown significant impact.
The school believes that it takes a village to raise tomorrow’s leaders and is committed to investing in the community that supports the school.
