New school uniforms for the underprivileged

New school uniforms to start off the new school year – just what every child needs.

Two West Rand schools recently received school uniforms and dignity packs as part of the Gauteng Provincial Government’s school readiness programme.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) and the Member of the Executive Council, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, accompanied by Gauteng government officials, community leaders and parents handed out 200 school uniforms and 150 dignity packs at Kwaggafontein and Tarlton Primary Schools to benefit learners at each school. These learners come from disadvantaged families.

The school uniforms project is part of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) school opening programme that makes education an apex priority for the provincial government. The project will continue until the end of the month.

“I am happy and proud to be in the primary school of which the learners obtained an above 60 per cent pass rate in all their subjects. I will also address the problems the school is facing with by consulting with the relevant stakeholders,” Nandi said.

She added that some learners are not able to attend school because they do not have all the necessary documents to be registered at a school. Some children are foreigners. She said they will liaise with different departments to assist them because they feel that every child needs to be educated.

“This is a great initiative because we grew up in the family of four children that is being raised by a single parent,” Kagiso Maseko said.

Some of the parents only earn R500, sometimes less, each month and cannot afford school uniforms.

Nandi together with her team later went to Tarlton Primary School where learners sang to show their appreciation to the dignitaries.

During 2016 the department has distributed 130 000 school uniform and plans to continue with the initiative to help children in need.

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