Ikateleng Project goes from strength to strength
Vanderbijlpark – More than two decades after the start of the Ikateleng Project on the Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University (NWU), the project is still going from strength to strength.
This project – which can be freely translated as "empowerment" – offers supplemental education for selected grade 12 learners and aims to increase the number of learners with university exemption. The official opening of the 2009 Ikateleng Project was attended by more than 400 learners and their parents, and more than 250 learners have already been registered for this year’s project.
In 2008, the Ikateleng Winter School initiative reached more than 5 000 learners in the Vaal Triangle and contributed to the region’s improved pass rate. The Winter School was a joint initiative by the School of Educational Sciences on the campus and the Department of Education (D8 District). Supplemental education was offered in subjects such as mathematics, science, biology, accountancy and economics. The learners who participate in this project are representative of all the townships in the Vaal Triangle as well as several other provinces throughout South Africa.
The NWU offers this project in four provinces and participating regions include: Mafikeng (14 schools), Mooinooi (7 schools), Potchefstroom (19 schools), Upington (9 schools) and the Vaal Triangle (27 schools). Learners from a total of 71 schools benefit from this project.
|
Funds for the Ikateleng Project are raised from the corporate sector and enable the University to make provision for expenses such as transport, meals, honoraria to teachers and even textbooks. According to Prof Piet Prinsloo, Campus Rector, the success of the project is largely a result of corporate investment. He also believes it to be a sign of businesspeople’s commitment to their respective communities. According to Prinsloo, this involvement represents the “building blocks of progress” with which a sustainable and successful future is built for South Africa. The official opening of the 2009 Ikateleng Project was attended by more than 400 learners and their parents. |
More than 5 000 learners from all over the Vaal Triangle benefited from the Ikateleng Winter School initiative in 2008. |
