Learning made easy with donation of stationery packs to these pupils

THE Vodacom Foundation, in partnership with the department of basic education has started the new year by launching a national stationery drive worth over R6 million, in which Vodacom will provide stationery to 180 000 learners from quintile one and two primary and high schools.

Through this initiative, a total of 60 000 primary school learners and 120 000 high school learners across the country will each receive a stationery pack. Each pack comprises a pencil case, pencils, a sharpener, an eraser, ball point pens and a ruler. A scientific calculator will also be included in the pack for high school learners.

According to Imran Khan, Vodacom Limpopo executive head of sales and marketing, the key objective of the stationery drive is to support the department in its mandate by providing support to disadvantaged schools in South Africa. “Our goal is to ensure learners throughout the country have access to some basic tools to start off the new school year,” he said.

Vodacom employees across the country volunteered their time to distribute the stationery packs to the 210 schools nationwide.

Sekitla Secondary School in Segopye village in Ga-Mamabolo is one of the schools in the province that received stationery from Vodacom. The school was chosen because it was one of the poor performing schools in 2013, with a 26% pass rate.

The principal, Joseph Moeng made a promise that the school would achieve better results this year. “We thank Vodacom for choosing our school.”

Makgoshi Mologadi Dikgale pledged that learners who obtained seven distinctions this year would each receive laptops personally bought by her, and she would also assist them in qualifying for bursaries.

Nduna Jackson Ramushai also thanked Vodacom, as well as education MEC Dikeledi Magadzi

Magadzi thanked Vodacom for caring for Limpopo’s learners. “Thank you for connecting children to the world through a lifeline of education. The private sector plays a critical role in the provision of much-needed resources. The stationery packs that you have so generously given to learners will certainly help them. With limited resources, government cannot do it alone. Education is a societal issue and we thank Vodacom for the contribution.”