Back to School in honour of Madiba

THE National Youth Development Agency will this week embark on an intensive Back to School programme as part of the reopening of schools across the country. The NYDA executive will visit various schools across the country to speak to pupils about the value of education. NYDA executive chairman Yershen Pillay will officially launch the Back to School programme in Baleni Senior Secondary School in Bizana in the Eastern Cape in honour of late former President Nelson Mandela who also hailed from the province.

During the visits the executive will donate mobile science laboratories, equipped with all the necessary apparatus to carry out experiments in an effort to promote and encourage the enrolment of pupils in mathematics and physical science. The NYDA will also donate mobile libraries, school shoes and uniforms to hundreds of disadvantaged pupils. The visits will prioritise schools in rural areas as they often encounter challenges with resources and infrastructure which often impacts on performance. Locally, Nomakhanzana Primary in Umzumbe will be visited today (January 28).

This year’s NYDA Back to School programme will be done in honour of late former president Nelson Mandela. “In line with Madiba’s message on education, we must reiterate that education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. Beyond that we must actively provide pupils and schools with all the necessary support and equipment to ensure that their learning experience is enhanced and that they are encouraged to stay in school until they achieve their matric certificate,” says Mr Pillay.

Last year the NYDA shifted its core business away from enterprise finance towards education and skills development. The new focus includes the increase of second chance opportunities for matriculants, the intensification of the NYDA’s highly successful career guidance programme and the provision of scholarships through the NYDA’s Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund, targeted at assisting particularly rural youth. The NYDA recently announced the success of its 2013 National Senior Certificate 2nd Chance Project which saw pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds get an opportunity to rewrite their matric and obtaining high marks in critical subjects like maths and science.