A hunger for education has been ignited at an Addo primary school following a R6m upgrade in March – which has also sparked new passion in the teachers.
Vusumzi Primary School was a pivotal pillar in the establishment of US-based nonprofit organisation Universal Promise and, according to principal Gloria Masisi, the school continues to benefit from the relationship through its NPO-funded state-of-the-art Academic Centre.
Masisi said the facility boasts a science lab, music and drama room, arts room, computer lab and undercover assembly area, and will soon have a fully stocked library.
The school has seen a drastic improvement in both the marks and attitudes of pupils, particularly towards science, while teachers have become more passionate following the upgrade, she said.
Universal Promise director Martha Cummings said the organisation had employed three teachers – two foundation phase teachers and a maths teacher.
Together with other roleplayers, the retired Rhode Island teacher built the facility over seven years after being touched by the life story of waiter Moses Nqanthsa, 43, who served her at River Bend Lodge in Addo in 2008.
Cummings was celebrating her 50th birthday at the time.
She was so moved by Nqanthsa’s story that following her 2008 visit she established the NPO.
Since then, Universal Promise has established the Academic Centre, a clean-water system and outside play area, and provided sports equipment for three soccer teams.
Speaking from the US last week, Cummings said: “Our goal with this project has always been to deliver the best for this community, because we believe if it is not good enough for your kids, then it’s not good enough for them.
“So the facility is equipped with all of the best equipment found in the best schools, and then some.
“We are so glad that the project continues to give not just academically but also [through its] impact on the community.”
Cummings said the intention was for the school to be self-sufficient in making optimum use of the facility, with more appointments, of a librarian and computer and music teachers, on the cards.
“By the end of the year, we will be completely done as we are in the process of raising funds to stock the library with 1,000 books per grade.
“We always intended for the school to handle all of its affairs,” she said.
“But we don’t want to make the mistake so many other NPOs and corporates do by providing fancy facilities and then leaving – and it dies because they were not properly equipped and staffed.
“Hence we visit two to three times a year.
“We continue with the volunteer programme with the college students to provide hands-on training for teachers and whatever else they need.”
Masisi said the continued support had transformed the pupils’ attitude towards their work and allowed them to experience aspects of education they would otherwise not have been exposed too.
“Pupils learn when they can see and touch the work they are being taught,” she said.
“Being able to perform the experiments and seeing the results, the pupils are now understanding the material and it is showing in their marks.
“The additional teacher support has allowed for more individualised attention for pupils and assisted in bringing back that passion for teaching which was hard to maintain during the difficult times we had before,” she said.
“These pupils are being trained in computers and engaging with art – things we would never have experienced had it not been for the support of Martha and her team.”
Grade 6 pupil Lwandile Mabece, 12, said the weekly science period captures both the mind and imagination.
“I love science class because when we do the experiments and even clean up the class afterwards, I always think I can be anything I want to be if I do well in this subject.
“And it won’t matter where I come from if I excel in science,” Lwandile said.