Blogs

I am very pleased to be writing this, my first blog, in celebration of the Matric Class of 2020. For me there really is no more fitting occasion to celebrate triumph over adversity than South Africa’s 2020 Grade 12 learners. Many learners, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, overcame tremendous odds to not only write the final exams, but in some cases, to achieve exceptional results.

It is also my great pleasure to announce that our adopted schools Hlahlindlela Secondary School achieved, 72.1%, Modilati Secondary School achieved 95.3%, Kwazamokuhle achieved 80,3% and Lodirile Secondary School achieved 68,5%.

I am honoured that Adapt IT played a positive role in making these results possible. Through our partnership with these schools via the Adopt-a-School Foundation (AASF), we were able to use our resources to the benefit of learners and educators at both schools to ensure the future advancement of our communities by building a strong foundation block based on improved education.

With our support, Hlahlindlela Secondary School in Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal, implemented a year-long ICT based catch up programme to make up for the interruption in teaching and learning due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. The programme focused on both the educators and the Grade 12 learners, and also provided training to the school’s leadership team, including the School Governing Body (SGB).

The programme provided tablets that were preloaded with offline learning material for all 130 Grade 12 learners to assist them as they prepared for the exams, as well as laptops for educators who lacked access to computers. Adapt IT further assisted with the appointment of a fully trained Desktop Support Technician to offer technical support to the entire school. The sponsored tablets included first rate teaching software that students could work through on their own after school hours, as well as be incorporated in the classroom. This particularly helped learners with comorbidities by enabling them to work from home for the duration without being excluded from the academic year.

More importantly, perhaps, is that this project has reach and sustainability beyond being a Covid-19 intervention. It provided much needed resources to the school and empowered learners with technological skills that are important for future learning and employability. The programme’s Desktop Support Technicians, who are trained by AASF in various communities, have also been able to become self-employed, providing support in their respective communities.

At Modilati Secondary School in Hammanskraal in Gauteng, the pandemic highlighted the importance of technology and its ability to facilitate and enable communication and information sharing. Some of the educators had no means to access online teaching. To address this, we provided laptops to ensure that all educators had access to computers and were able to teach more effectively, both remotely and in class.

Through initiatives like these, Adapt IT, working with AASF, continues to help improve learning environments for underprivileged learners in various parts of the country. We believe that providing improvements to schooling facilities and resources is an impactful approach to ensuring that South African learners have access to a strong educational foundation that could impact their lives in the long term, and will help create generations of educated young people who are employable and so are able to contribute meaningfully to our economy in the future.

In closing, I salute each and every Matriculant for their hard work and determination – congratulations on your results, and on behalf of all of us at Adapt IT, I wish you well for your future.

For information on Adapt IT's corporate social investment, please contact: sustainability@adaptit.com.