Forty teachers from Cloetesville High School received a welcome boost before the start of the 2019 academic year.
Mediclinic Southern Africa delivered 40 laptops to the school to support the teaching staff with their preparations and to facilitate effective learning in the classrooms.
Mediclinic and Cloetesville High School’s relationship blossomed last year, when the corporate was brought on board through Partners for Possibility – an NGO that links schools in economically challenged areas with local businesses.
Deon Myburgh, Mediclinic business partner to the school, explains the rationale for the focus on Information and Communication Technology.
“When we assessed the infrastructure, it was identified that none of the classrooms had E-Learning facilities. Since this time, two of our suppliers, Avicom and Mustek, have each donated and installed a classroom system.” Further systems will be installed.
“Our learners come from underprivileged backgrounds and do not have finances to see the world out there, but with E-Learning you can bring the world to them,” says Dorian Meyer, principal of Cloetesville High School.
“We also understand that teachers need access to computers outside the direct classroom scenario – preparing lessons, setting exam papers and even doing research to keep their subjects relevant. Mediclinic was able to recondition a number of computers to be used in the educational setting with dramatic results,” says Myburgh.
In the last year, the benefits of the partnership have already become obvious as immediate needs around the school were identified and either Mediclinic or their associated suppliers stepped in to assist. A career day was hosted for scholars to highlight the importance of correct subject choices, but also broadening the scope of career ambitions for hundreds of students.
“While Cloetesville High School has much to be proud of in terms of their scholar potential, it is often simple solutions such as these that can have an impact on the learning environment.
“We have lobbied with provincial education to get their fibre internet access connected – we have also worked to strengthen their ICT infrastructure. All relatively unimportant in their own right, but when added together, this all helps the teachers and students move on with the academic year with better structure and resources. We are very proud of how this partnership is bearing fruit,” says Myburgh.
Myburgh goes on to explain the partnership. “The Partners for Possibility programme is focused on nation-building by pairing business leaders and principals of under-resourced schools on a year-long, structured and supported immersive leadership development journey. The ultimate aim of the programme is to enable active citizenship around one of the key crises faced by South Africa, namely education, in order to create a better future for all of South Africa’s children.
“Dorian has been really open about the school’s requirements and where external assistance is required – and it is only right that the businesses around them step in to help where possible,” Myburgh concludes.
