Educational support initiative launched at Steve Tshwete Boarding School
This initiative has an investment of R160m by Thungela behind it. Many learners from some of the local schools in the province will benefit from it.
The Thungela Education Initiative was launched at Steve Tshwete Boarding School on Thursday January 25 by the Mpumalanga Department of Education (DoE), in collaboration with Thungela.
The initiative is aimed at improving access to quality education for learners in the foundation and intermediate phases, from grades R to four, in 45 no-fee schools, and to provide support to educators. This dynamic five-year initiative with an investment of R160m will be implemented in two of the four district municipalities in Mpumalanga where Thungela’s operations are active.
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According to the DoE, the formative years are the most fundamental stages in children’s cognitive, emotional, social and physical development. This initiative follows baseline assessments conducted to understand the challenges faced by learners in this phase, and the findings of these assessments informed the model of this education initiative.
The CEO of Thungela, July Ndlovu, said, “We are proud to launch an initiative that seeks to deliver solutions to one of the three national imperatives: access to quality education. Joining forces with a partner whose mandate it is to provide an education of progressively high quality for all learners is an honour for us. Our purpose, ‘to responsibly create value together for a shared future’, compels us to be intentional about bringing change in the communities in which we operate.”
Ndlovu said he is deeply passionate about education and believes the foundation will position the children for success.
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“Together with the DoE, we aim to augment the traditional approach to education, addressing multiple facets that contribute to the development of children, ensuring that they are well-rounded young individuals.”
The MEC for education, Bonakele Majuba, said, “Our focus going forward will be to strengthen primary schooling as well as early childhood development in the province. We will continue to support all our schools and learners while we intensify collaboration with private institutions, community-based organisations and NGOs. This year we will partner with several institutions and organisations to build a solid foundation for the growth of our system, and through this collaboration with Thungela, we aim to improve learning and teaching in some of the primary schools in Nkangala and Gert Sibande districts.
“The roll-out of this initiative will commence in the first quarter of 2024, and this will include among other components improving school readiness, enhancing literacy and numeracy, elevating the skills of educators and school management teams, and refurbishing infrastructure to support optimal teaching and learning.”
