Welcome to our first newsletter for the year. We are proud and excited to share with you all the activities from the last few months to date, encompassing our 20-year milestone celebrations and our matric results. It has been a busy time for the Foundation. We closed our 20-year celebrations at the beginning of this year, handing over school shoes to hundreds of learners. We have had multiple infrastructure handovers and have been delivering spectacles, hearing aids and ICT equipment to schools. Further, we were thrilled to host the Thari Biennial Conference for the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation and two fundraising initiatives, the Back to School Party and a fundraising dinner in London.
We were also delighted to showcase our work, highlights and achievements from the past 20 years, depicting the road travelled by the Foundation. It has been a wonderful experience to reflect on 20 years of changing schools and changing lives. Twenty years of purposeful partnerships and collaborative campaigns. Together through our stakeholders, we have built a holistic, sustainable and replicable education development model. Further, we have had 20 years of proving that, together with stakeholders, we can positively impact the lives of young South Africans by investing in their education.
The model has demonstrated its success through matric results year after year. The Foundation’s matric classes have been on a positive trajectory, performing at 80% and above for the past eight years. Despite the pandemic, the Adopt-a-School Foundation Matric Class of 2022 has achieved an 82% pass rate. We have also been proud of many of our learners who have furthered their higher education studies and are among the working class of South Africa.
It is an honourable moment for the Foundation. I would like to applaud our donors and partners for their continuous commitment and investment towards education. Our work would not be possible without your support. Further, I would like to thank the Adopt-a-School Foundation board and team for their hard work and passion in delivering Whole School Development in marginalised schools.
Tribute to Dr Tate Makgoe
We are deeply saddened by the passing of the Free State Department of Education MEC, Dr Tate Makgoe, on the 5th of March, 2023. The MEC embodied his passion for education and was the driver for crucial improvement in the education sector, especially in the Free State. Under his leadership, the Free State Education Department continued to lead the country with excellent outputs in matric performance.
Dr Makgoe played a critical role in ensuring schools in the Free State are conducive to teaching and learning. He supported the formation of the KST partnership. This District Whole School Development model implemented in the Motheo and Fezile Dabi districts is a multi-stakeholder partnership led by Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation and Kagiso Trust. The model benefitted educators and learners, upgraded and newly built school infrastructure, developed instructional leadership, educator development, visual and optometry support and learner leadership programmes. The strength of this partnership has contributed to Free State achieving top honours as number one in terms of matric performance.
Further to the KST partnership, Dr Makgoe contributed to implementing the Thari Programme to support Women and Children. This pilot project, funded by Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, supports vulnerable women and children in the Botshabelo township, Free State. The programme benefits eight schools of Botshabelo through psychosocial support, facilitation of forums within the schools and a safe park that offers a secure space for children to go to after school to learn.
The MEC was a great supporter of the Foundation. His passion, hard work and commitment towards education will be missed. His passing is a significant loss to this country’s education sector and future leaders.
Condolences to the family, colleagues and partners.
I hope you enjoy our latest news and see how we are changing South Africa’s education landscape together.
Yours in education,
Steven Lebere
Chief Executive Officer
