Early childhood development and education
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The delivery of quality education in South Africa is challenged by many obstacles. Acknowledging this fact, and that business within the public enterprises and private sector has a role to play in assisting with the delivery of education, the Eskom Foundation is involved in promoting education through projects that begin in early childhood and continue to tertiary level. Projects are selected across the nation, with the location of Eskom power stations and other facilities being considered in the process.
Early childhood development:
Little Flower educare
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This is an early childhood development centre, which operates from a shack in the Northern Cape and meets the needs of about 167 children aged between three and six years. An Eskom Foundation donation was used to lay a cement floor and supply office equipment and mattresses so that the children no longer sleep on the dirt floor.
Retswelletse day care centre
At Retswelletse day care centre in the Northern Cape teaching literacy, numeracy and life skills are central activities. A donation of indoor educational toys from the Eskom Foundation will help the day care staff reach their objective of helping to develop children, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Kgatelopele day care centre
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Established in a private home in 1997, the centre concentrates on preparing children for their pre-primary education. The task is made that much easier by an Eskom Foundation donation which furnishes the daily necessities required by the centre.
Support for schools:
Ingula schools projects
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Eskom’s Ingula pumped storage scheme in the rural area of Kwazulu-Natal is currently under construction. This provided an opportunity for the Eskom Foundation to play an active part in helping improve educational facilities in the area.
The beneficiaries were five schools which had their needs assessed and met. Buildings were repaired and replaced, and new equipment, ranging from furniture through to science laboratory equipment, computers and software was supplied to them.
This grant, a beacon of hope will help 2 000 learners meet the challenges of the future.
Computer laboratories get schools going
Realising the importance of computers for education, especially in Eastern Cape where state-of-the-art facilities are often not available, the Eskom Foundation does what it can to provide technology in areas where it can present the most benefit.
The Eskom Foundation equipped three schools with 20 computers, these were;
- The Vukani primary school near Hankey
- Pellsrus primary school in Jeffrey’s Bay
- The Inkqubela primary school in KwaZakhele near Port Elizabeth
Children promoting energy conservation
About 70 learners from the Eastdene combined school in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, using an opportunity from the Eskom energy and sustainability programme , started an energy club at the school. Their objective is to reduce the school’s electricity consumption, expand their knowledge of renewable energies and climate change and to have some fun.
Aimed at educating fellow pupils about energy use, energy saving and related issues such as climate change, the pupils also conducted an energy audit to identify how electricity could be saved at the school.
Komati power station’s young leaders programme
Launched by the Komati power station’s CED and Generation departments, the young leaders programme has seen staff adopt the Blinkpan primary school, located less than 2km from Komati power station, as a community project. The Komati staff contribute their free time, energy and skills to make a major difference to the lives of young learners in the area by undertaking construction and refurbishment projects to improve their school environment.
The objective is to leave something behind for the community long after Eskom’s work on the Komati power station has been completed.
Permaculture blooms at Eikeboom primary school
With the assistance of the Eskom energy and sustainability programme, the Eikeboom School in Middelburg found a way to tackle one of its greatest worries and needs, namely feeding its 900 learners, of whom 200 are orphans.
Initially, five teachers, the school’s groundsman and two local community members undertook a short course on permaculture in Johannesburg. On their return the learners became involved in their own permaculture project which produces fresh produce for the school throughout the year.
Additional classrooms for Tokoloho primary school
Tokoloho primary school, near the Grootvlei power station, had 12 classrooms for its 600 learners and 18 educators. After management at the power station was approached for assistance, the Eskom Foundation approved a donation for a park home to be used as an additional classroom.
KwaZulu-Natal school receives R 25 000 science kit
The Dundee high school in northern KwaZulu-Natal was awarded a mobile science kit valued at R25 000 from the Eskom Foundation after being named the “Best rural high school” at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists national finals competition in 2009.
After an exhaustive selection process involving hundreds of schools, 553 entries and 801 individual finalists; 96 young scientists emerged victorious from the finals held in Pretoria, during which Dundee high school also won the prize for “Best female project”.
Emergency learning assistance for Grade 12 learners
Following an educators’ strike in 2010, which resulted in learners losing valuable revision time, the Eskom Foundation joined the national Lead SA campaign to assist grade 12 learners with learning material for self-study revision purposes. Two hundred DVD sets containing vital material in key subjects were distributed by the Eskom Foundation as part of the national campaign which involved major South African companies.
Support for tertiary education:
State of the art equipment at further education and training colleges ensures quality training
The crucial role that further education and training (FET) colleges play in providing business and engineering skills to students was recognised by the Eskom Foundation which funded electrical workshop equipment at the Iqhayiya and East Cape Midlands FET colleges.
The Iqhayiya FET college, situated in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, provides tuition to more than 1 000 learners enrolled in NI-N3 electrical (heavy current), academic courses and 500 learners in skills training.
The East Cape Midlands FET college is situated in Uitenhage near Port Elizabeth and provides tuition to learners from the area.
