16 May 2022
After 35 years of following traditional ‘chalk-and-talk’ teaching methods, a disadvantaged Phoenix,
Durban, primary school has finally been able to transform its information technology dream into
reality, with a R430 000 fully functional computer lab provided by the South African Muslim
Charitable Trust (SAMCT).
Speaking at the official hand-over of the new facility recently, SAMCT representative, Mr Gaff
Osman, said: “The SAMCT was delighted to have been in a position to make the donation of a
computer lab to the school Wembley Primary School in Phoenix, especially in view of the vital need
for computer literacy within today’s society and, especially, its youth. There can be no question that,
globally, the fourth industrial revolution has become an integral part of all our lives – South Africa
included.”
He added: “Technology is all around us and is used extensively in every aspect of our daily lives. Our
country’s people – and particularly today’s learners – cannot afford not to embrace this
phenomenon. To be excluded from access to information technology means being left behind and to
be left behind, negates the prospect of a prosperous future in an age of rapid technological
advancement; advancement which is completely changing the way we live our lives in future.”
“South Africa must move with global advancements in this regard. However, we live in a country
beset by massive socio-economic challenges, not least of which centres around education and the
fact that many of our schools are infrastructurally unfit for purpose and are totally under-resourced
as regards the necessary equipment and tools to ensure an effective and relevant education – an
education which would assist millions escape the cycle of poverty which permeates our society.”
This situation has the effect of further disadvantaging already disadvantaged youngsters, struggling
to learn in conditions and surroundings which are not ideal.
“They run the risk of growing up in a technological age, but lacking the ability to effectively
participate in a life driven by computers and a host of other electronic devices, unless they are
exposed to information technology education from an early age,” said Mr Gaff Osman.
“Opened in 1987, Wembley Primary School has come to recognise this vital need. This is a school
which has for many years relied on traditional ‘chalk-and-talk’ teaching methods and, to its credit
has consistently delivered foundation level learners who have gone on to enjoy successful careers in
the medical, financial and other sectors,” he indicated.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the school to acknowledge the need to review teaching and learning
for a radically changed environment.
“Management and educators realised that the school was not producing learners who were
technologically exposed and further understood that it needed to adapt in order to afford learners
the ability to develop in such a way as to meet the needs and challenges of the fourth industrial
revolution.”
“This is a school whose humble beginnings have never dented its vision of educational excellence
and, in spite of its current financial circumstances, has a Principal and staff totally dedicated to its
more than 800 learners who hail from Phoenix and the historically disadvantaged surrounding areas
of KwaMashu, Inanada, Ntuzuma and Amaoti. Such is the commitment to the delivery of a fit and
proper education in spite of the challenges it faces, that Wembley Primary School is regarded as a
leading educational facility in Phoenix and one which has achieved a 99% pass for the past five
consecutive years. This, coupled with the school’s technology vision for its learners has led to an
extremely high demand for admissions by parents,” Mr Gaff Osman added.
The school’s vision for the future prompted the SAMCT’s donation intervention, a move which was
designed to assist the school transform its technology dream into reality, by providing a fully
functional computer lab, worth some R430 000.
The SAMCT, created in 2008, was established to provide funding, services and other resources for
the improvement of the lives of the vulnerable, deprived and disadvantaged. In this regard, it has
successfully delivered significant assistance solutions throughout the country, irrespective of race or
religion and works to support needy organisations in the fields of health, social development,
poverty alleviation and education.
“In closing, I would take this opportunity to wish Wembley Primary School and its dedicated
members of staff every success in introducing coding and robotics as subjects to be included in the
curriculum and to exposing learners today and in future to a new world of information technology,
preparing them for a life in which they will be well-equipped to succeed,” Mr Gaff Osman said.
For more information about SAMCT or its Wembley Primary School computer lab donation, please
contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za