After being denied access to educational excursions and external sporting and cultural events fo
three years following the demise of the school’s 25-year-old vehicle, the school’s historically
disadvantaged learners are on the road again, thanks to the donation of a brand new 14-seater minibus.
The school has faced enormous financial challenges and the repair of its aged vehicle was simply a
step too far for this 130-year-old educational institution until a recent intervention by the South
African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT). The organization stepped into the breach to ensure the
school’s ability to provide vital transport for learners to once again participate in external events and
activities.
Speaking at the official hand-over of the new vehicle recently, SAMCT Trustee Mr. Shabir Chohan,
said: “Vehicles, and especially those of the size required by schools, are an expensive proposition in
anyone’s book. For a financially-challenged school, such as Greytown Junior School, the barrier must
seem insurmountable. And yet, a school’s transport infrastructure is vital for learner connectivity
with the world outside the classroom… attending sporting and cultural events and undertaking
educational excursions in the wider environment forms a vital component of the overall educational
mix today.”
He said it was for this reason that the SAMCT had been pleased to come to the aid of Greytown
Junior School, providing the funding required to once again put the educational institution on the
road.
“We regard school transport to be an indispensable necessity. This is something learners here have
missed for the past three years, ever since the breakdown of the school’s previous 25-year- old
vehicle in 2019, and the severe lack of funds to put it on the road again,” Mr. Chohan added.
He said the SAMCT had been ‘greatly impressed by the extraordinary work done at the school, which
opened in 1892 with just 30 learners, in providing outstanding education for some 600 learners from
Grade R through to Grade 7, under exceptionally trying financial circumstances.
More than 75% of the school’s learners are from the historically disadvantaged and deeply rural
Umzinyathi District.
Mr. Chohan said: “We all realize and readily accept that every South African child has the right to a
fit and proper education. However, we tend to pay little heed to the monumental effort required by
schools serving primarily historically disadvantaged young learners to actually provide their charges
with a basic education… let alone achieve excellence. And yet, this school does just that. It provides
its learners with the best possible education and manages to bring out the very best in its learners,
in spite of its and their enormous financial challenges.”
“This is a school that has achieved excellent pass rates and has been ranked within the top primary
schools in the Umzinyathi District. This is a school that embraces competition, excelling at Spelling
Bee, Junior Maths, and Science competitions, and even progressing to the National Finals of the
Astronomy Quiz in Johannesburg two years ago. The school has turned out wonderful stars in a
range of sporting disciplines at a junior level. It is testimony to the absolute dedication to and
passion for education displayed by the Principal and staff of this modest school that it has – on
numerous occasions – rise up and overcome challenge after challenge, never faltering in the quest to
provide quality education, quality sporting facilities and the opportunity for each and every one of
its learners to receive a well-balanced education.”
He indicated, however, that it was clear that the school had unsuccessfully battled for a considerable
time to overcome its transport hurdle.
“In our opinion, and given that finding the cost of a new vehicle was outside the school’s capacity,
our provision of this vehicle will successfully resolve for Greytown Junior School just one more
challenge, enabling the institution to focus on and provide 100% attention to its core
responsibility…. educating those in its care.”
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. Such
partnership has ensured that the SAMCT is the beneficiary of this Shariah suite of funds so enabling
it to provide funding, services, and other resources for the improvement of the lives of the
vulnerable, deprived, and disadvantaged. The organization has been singularly successful in
delivering sizeable assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion –
and continues to work to support needy organizations in the fields of health, social development,
poverty alleviation, and education.
Mr. Chohan said: “The SAMCT is here to help make a difference in the lives of the needy. We were,
accordingly, very pleased to provide a helping hand to a school whose personnel are so obviously
committed to the ultimate development of its learners. I would hope that our humble contribution
will make a significant difference to all those at Greytown Junior School – staff and learners alike –
and in presenting you with this vehicle, we wish you well and trust that it will assist in your reaching
new educational horizons.”
For more information about SAMCT or its Greytown Junior School mini-bus donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za