Education minister graces OR Tambo donation on Mandela Day
Motshekga marked Mandela Day with a visit to Gahlanso Primary School.
The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga has thanked the country at large for their contributions to education as the nation commemorated the centenary of the late former president Nelson Mandela on July 18.
Motshekga marked Mandela Day with a visit to Gahlanso Primary School. Employees of OR Tambo International Airport donated and handed over a fully furnished container library equipped with educational and interactive packs to foundation phase learners at the school.
This handover by the airport also included four Hewlett-Packard (HP) laptops which are to be utilised in the mobile library by learners.
“We are grateful to the airport for the provision of the school library to ensure that the learners and teachers of Gahlanso Primary School have access to reading and information resources. The department is humbled by the many corporates, NGOs, sister government departments and individual South Africans that commemorated Mandela Day by giving not only of their time but resources to benefiting schools across the country,” said Motshekga.
Motshekga has urged the recipients of all the contributions to continue to take good care of it for the benefit of the future users.
OR Tambo International Airport has once again extended its heart and hands to the community of Tembisa when they reached out to Gahlanso Primary School with the fully functional library.
Some of the airport’s employee volunteers read to the children, whilst others put on their overalls and rolled up their sleeves to clean the school grounds and classrooms. They also donated cleaning equipment for the maintenance of the school’s cleanliness.
Speaking at the handover event, general manager of OR Tambo International Airport, Bongiwe Pityi, said, “As a proudly South African corporate citizen, Airports Company South Africa is driven by a passionate, value-based commitment to improving the well-being of the company, society and the environment.
“The impact of our decisions and actions on people and society is to promote regional integration and localisation of our airports and in the case of OR Tambo International Airport, we do this by conducting an environmental scan of the support required by the communities located within the jurisdiction of our operation.”
Pityi encouraged the learners and teachers to always strive for excellence, despite their circumstances and that learning is a lifelong process which should be taken seriously.
She also encouraged community members to work together in taking care of the school and its facilities.
The principal of the school, Lerato Mhetjie, said, “We feel blessed that the day of Tata Madiba has tremendously benefited our school. We express our gratitude to the Airports Company South Africa.
