ACSA supports top performing Western Cape schools

From L-R: Dr Heini Brand Metro North Director WCED, Mario Jansen Principal of Hindle High, Mark Maclean AGM CTIA, Engelbrecht Teacher at Hindle High and Deidre Davids Communications and Brand Manager CTIA.

The grant will provide the schools with interactive whiteboards, devices that have largely replaced traditional whiteboards in many modern schools. An interactive white board acts as a large display that projects a computer desktop onto the board's surface, so users control the computer using a pen, finger or stylus.

Schools benefitting

The eight performing schools (ranked by Grade 12 pass rate percentages for 2015) that will benefit from the donation are:

1. Hindle Secondary - Principal Jansen (from 95% in 2014 to 98.5% in 2015)
   
2. Elsies River Secondary - Principal Brydon (from 88.8% in 2014 to 96.6% in 2015)
   
3. Perseverance Secondary - Principal Talemarkes (93.3%)
   
4. Beauvallon Secondary - Principal Lawn (93%)
   
5. Florida Secondary - Principal Evertse (from 85.6% in 2014 to 90.9% in 2015)
   
6. Cravenby Secondary - Principal Singh (from 75.4.8% in 2014 to 83.5% in 2015)
   
7. John Ramsey Secondary - Principal Ramawoothar (76.4%)
   
8. Bishop Lavis Secondary - Principal Sonn (69.5%)
   

Over the past 10 years, Cape Town International Airport has donated R18.1 million towards such community projects near the airport. Through this initiative, the schools receive interactive white boards, educational software and training for teachers. In the past four years, 31 interactive white boards have been donated valued at close to R1 million.

Speaking at the 2016 handover event at Hindle Secondary, Mark Maclean, the assistant GM of Cape Town International Airport said, “Business at Cape Town International Airport is not only about airports and operations – it is also about giving back to our communities. The upliftment of the airport’s immediate surrounding communities is important to us and in achieving this, we have to ensure that whatever support we give leads to self-reliance and sustainable projects which benefit the people living in these communities.”

He added that the other educational support contributions from the Cape Town International Airport include the Hoofweg Learning and Resource Centre, a partnership with the Western Cape Education Department and AfriSam.

“This e-learning Centre at the Hoofweg Primary School in Wesbank (Delft) was a first of its kind in the Western Cape, made possible by an initial donation of R1.6 million towards this project. The centre includes a library, computer lab and training facility, accessible to three other schools in the vicinity too.

“As a company we see the potential that education brings and by investing in it, we not only set individuals up for success, but we strengthen communities to become relevant and sustainable,” he concluded.