Over-crowded classes and the need to share computer equipment at a severely under-resourced
high school at Hammarsdale, near Durban, is a thing of the past, following a R510 000 intervention
by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT).
The organisation has made available to the disadvantaged Amatshezulu High School two new mobile
classrooms and 30 fully refurbished desktop computers in a move designed to make both teaching
and learning more effective. The SAMCT also provided the school’s teaching body with a new i5
Desktop.
Commenting on its donation, SAMCT representative, Mr Gaff Osman said: “A fit and proper
education is the right of every child and forms the foundation for success in life. Unfortunately, so
many of our province’s learners do not enjoy the fair and equal educational opportunities they
deserve. Amatshezulu High School, with almost 1 000 learners, is just such an educational
institution, where over-crowded and, therefore, unmanageable classes and shared computers have
had to become the norm, the consequence of being under-resourced and unable to raise the funds
necessary to make a telling infrastructural difference.”
Children need a comfortable, functional learning environment, equipped with the necessary tools
and equipment in order to get the most out of their education.
“This school’s infrastructure and equipment resources are simply too inadequate to enable
excellence in education and that is a tragic reality. We need to ensure the best possible learning
environment in order for our children to become appropriately equipped to take on and overcome
the challenges life casts before us on a daily basis. Knowledge gained through education unlocks
entrepreneurial and employment opportunities, which provide the financial wherewithal to enjoy an
improved quality of life. A sound education is, therefore, the key to escaping poverty and yet it is
denied to so many of our young people,” he said.
Technology in South African schools is also regarded as being vitally important and is a critical
component of both the curriculum and school administration.
“In this day and age, computer literacy is as important as maths and science in terms of the value it
adds to the future of our learners. Reliance on technology will continue increasing as we move into
an ever-more digital future. Sadly, however, many schools here lack the number of computers
necessary, meaning learners are forced to share available desktop equipment, thus limiting their
operational time and leading to a situation which effectively stunts their IT development. If our
present and future learners are not to be left floundering, greater computer support at schools is
going to be a hugely challenging obstacle to overcome. We, of the South African Muslim Charitable
Trust, recognise the vital role education plays and acknowledge that computer literacy is the only
way forward for the learners of both today and tomorrow,” Mr Osman stressed.
The SAMCT was extremely pleased to be in the position to assist Amatshezulu High School, providing
two new mobile classrooms, so as to enable over-crowded classes to be split into more manageable
numbers, and 30 fully refurbished and functional desktop computers, to complement the school’s
existing computer lab equipment.
“This, we trust, will reduce the need for sharing computers and allow learners the full benefits of
learning the world of IT. In addition, we are pleased to also provide a laptop for the benefit of the
school’s teaching body.
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. This has
ensured that the South African Muslim Charitable Trust is the beneficiary of this Shariah suite of
funds, enabling it to provide 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 social development, poverty alleviation, healthcare
and education.
Mr Osman concluded: “It is our hope, therefore, that our intervention at Amatshezulu High School
will make a telling difference to both teaching and learning here, affording the school’s learners
every opportunity to develop to their full potential.