Learner Support

The Telkom Foundation continued to partner with a number of organisations that provide additional support to learners at schools in disadvantaged areas.

 

Rally to Read

The Telkom Foundation has worked with Rally to Read since the inception of the Foundation. Rally to Read, which was initiated by the READ Educational Trust, addresses low literacy levels in rural schools. The Telkom Foundation supports READ in providing resources that help improve learners’ literacy, language and comprehension skills.

 

Make a Difference Leadership Foundation

The Telkom Foundation has a five-year partnership with Make a Difference Leadership Foundation. In the second year, the Foundation continued to provide financial support to 20 academically talented scholars in Grade 10 and 11 in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.

 

The Future of the African Daughter Project (FOTAD)

 

The Telkom Foundation in partnership with FOTAD is supporting learners and educators in STEM subjects. The Foundation supports 40 of 60 girls in the programme, aged 12 to 19 years, from two schools in Umtata in the Eastern Cape. The project provides the girls with weekly extra lessons in Maths and science, computer lessons and a holiday programme that includes work experience, career guidance and leadership camps.

During the year under review, the Telkom Foundation, extended its support of FOTAD with a R489 150 donation towards addressing two major problems affecting the female learners at these schools: gender violence and menstruation management. FOTAD in partnership with Masimanyane, M-CUPS and UN Women held a 3 day workshop for 600 learners. The first day focused on menstrual management for the girls and the following two days included gender violence intervention for the boys and girls at the schools. Each girl received three months’ supply of sanitary pads and a M-Cup menstrual cup that lasts five years. Research has shown that it is essential to address psychosocial problems that interfere with leaners education, for success in academic programmes.

 

Ikateleng:

Ikateleng is an initiative driven by the North West University who is undeniably at the forefront of supplementary teaching to help high school learners overcome their educational challenges.

Ikateleng’s (empower yourself) mission is to empower young women and create a new generation of educated women leaders in South Africa. Telkom supported more than 1 800 learners in 2016 in Grade 11 and 12. Ikateleng aim to improve the overall Grade 12 examinations results by focusing on Maths, science and English. Others subjects are also offered e.g. accounting, life science, economics or business studies. Telkom’s investment for the 2016/17 financial year was R3 500 000.

For more information on this project, please visit http://www.nwu.ac.za/content/ikateleng-project/

 

Student Sponsorship Programme:

The Student Sponsorship Programme (SSP) is well into its second decade of identifying high potential young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and circumstances and affording them the opportunity to realise that potential in educational centres of excellence during their senior school years. Telkom is funding eight beneficiaries for five years of high school who are in Grade 11 in 2017. One of the learners previously supported by Telkom, Anand Hadebe, is now employed by Telkom’s subsidiary, BCX. For more information on this project you can visit http://ssp.org.za/

 

National Education Collaboration Trust

The NECT was formed in July 2013 as a response to the call by the National Development Plan (NDP) for increased collaboration among stakeholders to improve educational outcomes. The work of the NECT is informed by the six themes presented in the Education Collaboration Framework (ECF) which guide its programme design and interventions. Telkom Foundation has been a generous contributor for the past 3 years and an amount of R1 138 017 was contributed to the fund during the year under discussion.

 

Primestar – Primedia’s flagship CSI initiative

Primestars are utilising cinemas nationally as "Educational Theatres of Learning". This medium offers learners the opportunity to be taught in a fun and experiential manner. Topics include Career Guidance, Financial Literacy, Matric Math & Science Revision, Leadership Development and Entrepreneurship amongst others. Telkom Foundation supported the Grade 12 Math and Science Revision programme during 2016 in the sum of R1 000 000.

 

Mindset Telkom Amajuba Project

In response to the National Department of Education’s efforts in addressing poor learner performance in Grades 8 and 9 Mathematics as evidence by the Grade 9 Annual Assessment Results of 2014, Mindset rolled out a technology based solution in 30 high schools in the Amajuba District, Kwazulu-Natal. In partnership with the Telkom Foundation and other stakeholders, this intervention included the installation of television sets and decoders, the broadcast of video lessons, and the training of teachers on the use of the technology. In 2016, this partnership was extended to include the development of the Mindset Learn Application and the training of teachers on the use of their devices to access the content available on the application.

This intervention has had success in achieving set indicators. Firstly, there was a 10% or more performance improvement shown by over 50% of the learners in both grades. Secondly, the teachers showed an appreciation of the intervention and the tools provided to assist them in learning and teaching. To ensure the sustainability of this project, there is a great need for ongoing support for the learners and teachers.

 

NMMU

The aim of the Telkom Foundation Support Programme is to establish modern and innovative offline teaching and learning support platforms for Mathematics (primarily) and Science (secondarily) in a cluster of ten schools in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. A holistic approach was taken to develop the professional capacity amongst in-service mathematics teachers and to support mathematics and science learners in a sustainable way in these project schools.

A unique offline techno-blended teaching and learning model that was developed by the Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) over the past five years was utilized. This model, as it applies to the Telkom project schools, involves the integrated implementation of the following projects:

The implementation of the above projects was supported by a comprehensive digital support package called TouchTutor™ which was pre-installed on each project Tablet, Desktop PC and Laptop. The Integrated TouchTutor™ School Programme (ITSP) for mathematics and science is summarized in the diagram below:

 

 

Alexandra Education Committee

The Alexandra Education Committee identified the need for learners in Alexandra to be afforded opportunities to access well-resources and high performing schools to improve their access into tertiary studies. The Telkom Foundation contracted to fund a project for Saturday and holiday classed for grade 8 to 12 science, maths and natural sciences excellence and life skills training for high school learners from the beginning of the 2017 academic year for five years, until the end of the 2021 academic year, in the sum of R4 251 490.00. The 2017 intake consists of 175 high school learners and 51 grade 7 learners that are presently attending the classes “on trial”.

 

The St Mary’s Waverley Foundation

The St Mary’s Foundation identified the need for learners in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg and surrounding areas to be afforded opportunities to improve their access into tertiary studies. The aim of the Project is to provide supplementary educational teaching for high ability pupils from Alexandra and the surrounding communities to enable them to qualify for acceptance to tertiary study and access to the workplace. Telkom Foundation is contracted to fund this programme for three years from the beginning of the 2017 academic year until the end of the 2019 academic year at a rate of R1 500 000.00 per year.