Equal Education reaches KwaThema
Given the platform to articulate their school challenges
Five of the seven high schools in KwaThema were part of an introductory youth group organised by Equal Education (EE) on March 13.
Learners from Nkumbulo Comprehensive, Lifa-Ifa High, Kenneth Masekela Secondary, Zimisele Secondary and Tlakula High School met at the Lifa-Ifa school hall.
The section 27 rights organisation campaigns for quality education and good infrastructure in township and rural schools.
KwaThema is the third township to open an EE office in Ekurhuleni following Tembisa and Daveyton.
Kholwani Simelani leads five other facilitators working for the organisation, they are currently doing school visits during break time.
Their aim is to educate learners about the different programmes and campaigns run by EE.
He said, “Since starting at the beginning of the year, we have been working towards empowering and gaining the learners’ trust as well as establishing challenges facing them.”
The group consisted of learners from Grade Eight to Grade 11, including RCL members.
Kholwani says they were looking particularly at learners who are “community orientated” when they were selecting.
Borrowing from EE’s success in Tembisa, Kholwani explains issues of textbooks, libraries, sanitation and alleviating vandalism in schools are on their agenda.
Tshepo Motsepe is the head of EE in Gauteng, he said the organisation also includes parents and the community at large.
According to Tshepo, they want Gauteng to take the lead in, “implementing policies set out in the ‘minimum norms and standards’ released by the minister of basic education last year”.
