Lap desks help learners improve in school
Over 2 000 pupils in the Nkomazi area will now be able to do their schoolwork with ease, thanks to a donation of brand-new portable desks.
NKOMAZI – As part of their commitment to education and community upliftment, Nkomazi Plaza handed over TutuDesks to learners from Magewu, Mphoti and Maqhekeza primary schools on 26 May.
The portable desks fit on the learners’ laps, allowing them to use it both inside and outside the classroom, and even at home.
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“We make sure that all of the lap desks are educational by printing information such as the South African map, multiplication timetables, seasons of the year, Childline numbers and the alphabet on their surfaces,” said Jacob Ramaru, the director of the Bishop Tutu Campaign Centre which produces the desks.
The centre works in collaboration with Capital Land, a property-asset management company, and identifies schools around the company’s areas of operation that need desks. This includes areas in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Besides giving back to the community, the project aims to raise awareness of the importance of education.
“We are assisting schools with desk shortages so they can have something to write on while they wait for proper ones from the Department of Education,” Ramaru added.
The Nkomazi Plaza Lap Desk Project was launched in 2015 and a total of 2 678 lap desks were donated to Magewu and Mphoti primary schools.
This year’s donation included a 150 top-up donation to new pupils at Magewu Primary and 450 to Mphoti. Maqhekeza Primary received a first-time donation of 1 443.
Every year the company goes back to the schools to provide new learners with desks.
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Since the implementation of the project, the pupils’ handwriting has improved. Previously they had to use their laps to write on, or struggled while trying to do their schoolwork on broken desks. Their concentration and school attendance have also improved.
“The lap desks also help them because some of them don’t have something to do their homework on at home,” Abednego Mazibuko, a teacher from Mphoti said.
