Two donated mobile classrooms, valued at R500 000, are set to transform the educational lives of disadvantaged learners at Indlovana Primary School in Greytown, thanks to the recent intervention by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT).
Severely dilapidated infrastructure, leaking roofs, damaged ceilings, and non-functional electrical points have critically compromised teaching and learning at the more than 100-year-old school, which serves some 1,150 learners in only 23 classrooms. The poor state of the school has created unsustainable classroom overcrowding and given rise to critical safety issues.
Commenting on the school’s plight and its new classrooms, SAMCT representative, Mr Gaff Osman, said: “Poor school infrastructure severely hinders education by lowering academic performance, reducing teacher motivation and increasing dropout rates. Dilapidated buildings, poor levels of sanitation and overcrowded classrooms create an unsafe, uninspiring environment, making it extremely difficult for teachers to teach and learners to learn effectively.”
Although the school buildings are more than 100 years old and in a decrepit condition, Indlovana Primary School, continues achieving remarkable academic, cultural and sporting success, with learners excelling provincially and nationally. Fees are minimal, as most families live below the poverty line, making external support critical.
Mr Osman stressed: “An urgent need existed for the provision of two additional classrooms to relieve overcrowding and replace unsafe prefabs. It is our view that funding this project will contribute directly towards uplifting disadvantaged learners here and influence the breaking of the poverty cycle through fit and proper education in an environment more conducive to learning.”
“Accordingly and upon learning of the school’s decaying infrastructure issues, the SAMCT was more than willing to step in, providing the financial muscle the school itself lacked. The vast majority of its learners are drawn from low-income households and parents or caregivers lack the capacity to pay viable school fees. This financial strain has rendered the school unable to address critical infrastructural issues, which – until the SAMCT’s donation – looked to seriously threaten the integrity of the school’s already compromised learning environment,” Mr 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 to improve the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. It has successfully delivered 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. The organisation has long served as a pivotal conduit for the channelling of funding, vital services, and resources to approved public benefit organisations, and remains committed to catalysing positive change and creating a lasting impact on the development and upliftment of, especially, disadvantaged individuals
and communities. Its funds are distributed to help improve the health and development of deserving people and organisations, irrespective of race or religion.
Mr Osman said: “The critical lack of funding has long rendered this school unable to undertake essential repairs and maintenance, a situation which has severely jeopardised the safety and well-being of both learners and teachers. Despite the appalling operating conditions here, the teaching staff continues to go above and beyond in the quest to provide learners in their charge with a holistic education, enabling them to shine, affording them opportunities they would not otherwise enjoy.”
“Clearly, a lack of proper maintenance leads to, or worsens, existing infrastructure degradation, a situation which often stems from severe budget constraints, as is the case with Greytown’s Indlovana Primary School. Poor school infrastructure is not just a logistical problem, but a barrier to achieving equitable and quality education and we are, therefore, pleased to have partnered with the school as a means of contributing towards the achievement of this most laudable goal.”
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For media enquiries, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za
www.samct.co.za