A Verulam, Durban, Secondary School in need of additional classroom space to accommodate
learners from underprivileged social and economic backgrounds, has received a vital lifeline; the
donation of two mobile classrooms, together valued at some R460 000, by the South African Muslim
Charitable Trust (SAMCT).
Masakhane Girls Secondary School, established in 2002 and widely acclaimed for its quality of
education, provides education for girls from across South Africa and beyond its borders. The school,
whose 153 learners live on campus, has achieved consecutive 100% matric pass rates from 2019 to
2023, with a single learner failure recorded in 2022.
Discussing the SAMCT’s classrooms donation, organisational representative, Mr Gaff Osman, said:
“This is a school which deserves, acknowledgement, appreciation and support. Its disadvantaged
learners are all singularly intent on significantly improving their lives, while management is
committed to providing a curriculum which integrates education and training, without a rigid
division between academic and applied knowledge, between theory and practice, and between
knowledge and skills.”
The school’s primary objective is to provide for learners a well-balanced school education which
embraces secular education, encompassing the general, social, secular, educational and cultural
needs of its learners.
“Although adequate classroom space has long been a major concern for the school, its learners
constantly strive for excellence, in spite of their humble backgrounds. They are go-getters, excelling
in academics and sports and are dedicated to learning, valuing their education and remaining
hungry for success in spite of the space challenges they face on a daily basis,” said Mr Osman.
Accordingly, learning of the school’s need for additional classrooms to expand on its current five
facilities, the SAMCT was quick to lend its financial assistance.
“We, of the SAMCT, were pleased to be able to inject R460 000 towards expanding the school’s
classroom facilities, so easing the pressure on both learners and teachers,” Mr Osman stressed.
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.
Mr Osman said he hoped the two additional classrooms would enable the school to further build on
the academic successes of the past, giving momentum to learners’ determination to excel.
“In spite of their socio-economic backgrounds, learners attending Masakhane Girls Secondary School
show resilience in the face of adversity and hunger for success. It is our hope that our classrooms
donation will contribute towards the effective education of future learners at the school, unlocking
the determination to excel and empowering their career development and affording them the tools
to realized their full life potential,” said Mr Osman.
For more information about the SAMCT or it’s Masakhane Girls Secondary School classrooms
donation, please contact:
Rasheeda Motala
Social Responsibility Officer
Tel: 084 506 2280
Email: samct@samct.co.za