Change the world

01/02/2013

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) has pledged its support to Imizamo Yethu Secondary School, one of the George Campus’ top partner schools, in a more tangible form to strengthen the school’s excellent initiatives to enhance the quality of education to learners.

This will be done in the form of a sponsorship (to the value of R10 000) to assist the school with its project to appoint tutors (former learners of the school) to present extra classes to learners in subjects such as Maths, Physical Science , Accounting and English.

“Imizamo Yethu being one of NMMU’s top partner schools, we already decided last year to support the schools’s proven efforts to assist learners to grow academically. In this way we are also investing in growing potential for the tertiary sector, and NMMU in particular” says Martin Loubser, Acting Campus Principal at NMMU’s George Campus at Saasveld.

“From the excellent results that the principal, Mr Petersen, has already achieved as part of the school’s turnaround strategy, it is clear that we have identified a most worthy recipient for this sponsorship – a partnership which will certainly continue to render positive returns for NMMU and the tertiary sector in general. The positive response that Mr Petersen’s exemplary leadership has elicited from various sources speaks for itself. We take pride in the excellent outcomes that the school has achieved in the 2012 matric examinations and hope to welcome many more learners from this school to our campus in the future”, he concluded.

Mr Petersen accepted the sponsorship and thanked NMMU on behalf of Imizamo Yethu and the community for the financial support for the tutor programme, and for taking interest in the well-being of the school and the community. He confirmed that the partnership is of great strategic and academic significance in the community. He reiterated that Imizamo Yethu now is a school that focuses on quality education.

He stated that the mutual benefits of the partnership and the school are evident in the fact that Mr Meashane Holmes, a ‘product’ of the NMMU George BEd (FET) programme, has now taken up a permanent teaching position at the school as a fully qualified teacher. He also mentioned that three other NMMU George student teachers – Mss Verda Goliath and Lauren Jacobs, fourth year students, and Michelle Bruce (second year) - are currently at the school for experiential training and/or observation. In conclusion, he expressed the hope that the partnership between Imizamo Yethu and NMMU would continue to grow in the future.

Martin Loubser and Derick Petersen

Mrs Rosy Christoffels who, amongst others, is responsible for Life Orientation at Imizamo Yethu Secondary School, is no newcomer to NMMU’s George Campus. She visited the campus during the registration of new students together with the principal, Mr Petersen. Mr Martin Loubser, NMMU George Acting Campus Principal, utilised the opportunity to congratulate Mr Petersen on the accolades he had attracted on the successes of the school and presented NMMU’s sponsorship to him.

Pieter Botha, Martin Loubser, Derick Petersen and Rosy Christoffels

Pictured (from left to right) during the handover of the sponsorship were: Messrs Pieter Botha (NMMU George marketer), Martin Loubser (Acting Campus Principal, NMMU George), Derick Petersen (Principal, Imizamo Yethu) and Mrs Rosy Christoffels (Teacher).

The university is currently busy with the process of registering students for the 2013 Academic Year. Lectures for all NMMU students commence on 11 February.

Contact information
Ms Alet van Tonder
Manager: Marketing & Corporate Relations
Tel: 27 44 801 5098
alet.vantonder@mandela.ac.za