Page 19 - IDC

10 CITY PRESS, 31 JANUARY, 2016

news

Money invested

by the IDC in

partnership with A

Adopt-a-School PROJECT IN

PARTNERSHIP
Total expenditure
2012 to 2016: WITH THE
R70 million IDC

R9.46 million
2012/13

2013/14 R19.97 million

2014/15 R25.93 million

2015/16 R15.1 million
DOWN TO A SCIENCE Pupils at Ngwathe Secondary School conduct an experiment in their new science lab PHOTOS: ELIZABETH SEJAKE
Number of
schools adopted: The schools that

20

mean business
high schools

9 feeder
primary schools

The Whole School programme is boosting the pass rate, sending more
1 new school built
(Willowvale, Eastern Cape)
children to university and helping teachers to deliver quality education

SIPHO MASONDO
Improvements made sipho.masondo@citypress.co.za
t face value, Ngwathe Secondary School in
6 new physics labs Edenville, Free State, is a typical township school
situated in an area that is suffocating under a
devastating economic depression. The school’s
windows are broken and the furniture is falling
A apart.
A stone’s throw away, unemployed youngsters sit in front of a
bottle store, downing quarts of beer and smoking dagga.
2 new ablution facilities But inside the classrooms, it is a completely different story. The
school has barely opened for this academic year, but in every
class, teachers and pupils are hard at work. In the school’s new
science laboratory, pupils are reciting the periodic table. Others
are experimenting with chemicals, dissolving metals and distilling
water. Everybody is supercharged and bustling with energy – they
2 new administration facilities for management are on to something.
Things are looking upbeat and, at this rate, says principal
Motshidisi Tumisi, there is a strong likelihood that this year’s matric
class will outdo last year’s, which hauled in a 94.8% pass rate.
“I don’t see why we should not get 98% this year. Even a 100%
pass rate is possible. We mean business here. And I am very
excited to be part of this winning team,” she says.
26 new classrooms But the situation has not always been this rosy. The school,
located in a small neighbourhood about 120km southeast of
Vereeniging, stumbled on to its road to Damascus in 2013, thanks ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW Ngwathe Secondary School in Edenville, Free State, is one of 30 schools
to the Whole School Development Programme run by the the IDC has helped
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). Through the
programme, the IDC selects and injects resources and human
capital into poor and underperforming rural schools, with the aim
2 feeding-scheme kitchens of putting them on the straight and narrow.
Ngwathe Secondary is one of 30 schools – located in rural areas
across the country from Lusikisiki to Pampierstad, and from
Bushbuckridge to Vhufuli Village – the IDC has helped.
While Tumisi is grateful to the IDC for the school’s new fully
equipped laboratory, and for replacing the ceilings and lights, and
11 school renovations painting all the classrooms, she says she is eternally indebted to
the organisation for the “strategic planning sessions” it conducted,
during which it applied business principles to the business of
running a school. It was during one of these sessions that she had
her “aha moment”.
“They took us to Kroonstad for a strategic planning session,
where we analysed our strengths, weaknesses, threats and
opportunities. Our major weaknesses were that we had a school WINNING WAYS Motshidisi Tumisi is the principal of EXPERIMENTAL The IDC built this science lab for the
3 clean-water installations
governing body that wasn’t sure about the difference between Ngwathe Secondary School school. The pupils are flourishing
governance and management. We also didn’t know how to
manage our resources, and we had no asset register,” she says.
“Not having clear guidelines as to who was responsible for what Giving rural kids a shot at a good future
was the biggest shortcoming.”
But after the workshops, things changed.
Investment in team have developed their strategic plans, and we all know which Over the past four years, the Industrial Development to 33%, from 29% in 2014. You can see that the intervention is
“Both the school governing body and the school’s management
human capital decisions to implement and when. Before, teachers and pupils Corporation (IDC) has, through its Whole School Development working. More and more kids are passing,” says Qhena.
Programme, spent R70 million on building six new science
were always late for school. They would take between 15 and 20
Investing in education is an imperative, not simply a nice
Development programmes: minutes to get back to class after break. But it is all different now. laboratories, two sets of ablution facilities, two administration thing to have, he says, adding that everyone who is concerned
about the future of the country has to play a role.
blocks, 26 classrooms and two kitchens, and it has renovated
I don’t even have to go out of my office to tell people to get back
to class after break. Within a few seconds, the schoolyard is 11 schools. “If we want to become a competitive country, the only way
empty and lessons resume.” According to IDC CEO Geoffrey Qhena, what sets the IDC’s is through education. As the IDC, we invest in companies and
40 mathematics teachers Most importantly, the IDC has contracted a company to help initiatives apart is that “we don’t just throw money at those companies need a workforce. By investing in
teachers improve their delivery of maths and science lessons. The the problem and run off”. education, you are creating that workforce. With
results, says Tumisi, show that the course was long overdue. The “We are very concerned about the academic education, you can’t go wrong.”
matric class of 2013 achieved a 55% pass rate in maths. In 2014, performance of the schools. The ultimate goal is Qhena says the IDC targets rural schools
the pass rate climbed to 60%. It hit 89% last year. to see the results improve and have the kids go because he wants pupils from poor communities
A similar trend was also observed in physical science. In 2013, off to university to become whatever they want.” to be able to compete with their counterparts in,
60 science teachers the pass rate was 77.8%. In 2014, it was 90%. But last year, it fell He says the IDC’s intervention at a school is say, Sandton and Bryanston.
to 55%, Tumisi says, after the matric science teacher suffered a preceded by an intensive strategic planning “When you go and look for a job, they don’t
stroke and was not replaced. session, which aims to get to the bottom of the look at your CV and say, ‘oh poor thing, he is
“Had it not been for that, we would have achieved well above school’s poor academic performance and from Malamulele, let’s employ him’. That is why we
90%,” she says. management problems. Geoffrey Qhena invest in rural schools.”
4 accounting teachers The IDC, she says, “came to our school, sat in classes and “We go there and identify the needs of the Qhena says he was inspired by his personal
observed how our teachers delivered the content. They assessed teachers and the school governing body, and we finance circumstances to get involved in education.
their gaps and shortcomings. This was followed by private laboratories, halls and media centres. It is a holistic approach. “My dad had a Standard 2, and I think my mum ended at
Leadership camps: sessions with the teacher. After school, they would also meet with We work with an organisation called Adopt-a-School Standard 5. I come from a very poor background, but they
the pupils and teachers for more classes between 2.30pm and Foundation. They give us a list of poor schools and we look for helped me get an education, which really is the reason I am
5pm.” the poorest with the most difficult problems.” where I am at today.”
185 The school’s bachelor passes are also showing an upward trend. After the workshops, Qhena says, the IDC doesn’t just leave Nothing makes Qhena happier than stories from principals
pupils The pass rate has gone up from 29% in 2013 to 45.5% last year. the school to fend for itself. telling him how the programme has improved their schools.
sent This year, Tumisi says, the IDC plans to build a computer and “This is solutions driven. We put pressure on the schools “Recently, I heard from a principal in Pampierstad in the
media centre, as well as a new kitchen for the school nutrition and teachers to perform. We monitor them periodically. And Northern Cape. He thanked us endlessly for our intervention.
programme. the results are encouraging. In 2014, the average pass rate was He tells us that the absentee rate has fallen for both teachers
Graphics24 Reporting by City Press and sponsorship by the IDC 79%. Last year, it had increased to 83%. Bachelor passes are up and pupils. Everyone is motivated.” – Sipho Masondo