A donation of two brand new mobile classrooms, together valued at some R435 000, has transformed foundational education at a school in Umzinto, providing its Grade R learners the opportunity to thrive and unlock their full potential.
St Patrick’s Primary School, located on a farm outside the KwaZulu-Natal south coast town, had long lacked the quality Grade R classrooms necessary for effective foundational education… until now. The South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT) recently came to the school’s rescue, donating the new facilities.
St Patrick’s Primary School, established in 1948, serves more than 1,000 predominantly orphaned and vulnerable learners from 10 informal setlements. The majority of the school’s learners are exempted from paying school fees as their parents are unemployed and depend on State grants as their only source of income.
Making the classrooms donation, SAMCT representative, Mr. Gaff Osman, said: “Enrolment of Grade RR and R learners at this school has increased massively, whilst existing infrastructure has proved inadequate.”
“These very young learners come from severely disadvantaged and destitute backgrounds and would roam the streets unsupervised, if not accommodated within the school’s early childhood development structure. Education is a right, not a privilege, and providing young people with fit and proper early childhood development activities will afford them the prospect of a beter life going forward,” said Mr Gaff Osman.
He added: “Having access to a solid foundation in education is critical; it assists learners to develop the skills necessary to succeed in both school and life.”
St Patrick’s Primary School has long recognised the importance of the foundation phase, but lacked the financial resources to provide quality classroom facilities conducive to the delivery of early childhood development.
“Despite its resource constraints, St Patrick’s Primary School has made exceptional progress in fostering holistic development and nurturing the young minds in its charge. We, of the SAMCT, were accordingly very pleased to be in a position to assist with the provision of classrooms to enable the school to optimise its early childhood education endeavours, so beter shaping the futures of its young learners,” Mr Gaff Osman said.
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds.
The organisation provides funding, services and other resources for the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged.
It has been singularly successful in delivering sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work to support needy organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation and education.
“Foundation phase learning in literacy, numeracy and transferable skills forms the very basis for a lifetime of learning, assisting learners to thrive and unlock their true potential, whilst opening the door to a life-long love of learning,” Mr. Gaff Osman stressed.
He added: “The foundation phase of education is a very necessary start in life, enabling learners to develop vital life skills; skills which will assist them in the real world. We are pleased to be a part of providing both a physical space for learning at St Patrick’s and investing in the future generations of learners, equipping young minds with the tools to succeed in life, while helping to create a more equitable society.
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For more information about the SAMCT and its St Patrick’s Primary School Classrooms donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za