ENGEN – DURBAN EAST
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Engen donates nine mobile libraries to Durban East Primary School – “We want all our children to read and write”
For children to have any chance at improving their literacy, furthering their education and essentially advancing their place in this world, access to books is paramount.
This is something that Engen – an oil Company that has a richer history than most other Companies in South Africa – understands wholeheartedly.
Although the staff at Durban East Primary School work hard to educate the children, the school’s lack of library facilities has proved a huge impediment in improving the children’s literacy rates. The school is currently using every square metre of the building making the option of constructing a library impossible and with this in mind they approached Engen for assistance.
Engen then approached Ahmed Motala of New Africa Education Foundation for a viable solution.
The NPO recently completed several mobile library projects for 20 schools in Kwa Mashu and is currently working on a further 20 school rollout in Pietermaritzburg and a further 20 in Umlazi and this was considered a viable option for Durban East Primary School.
Under the management of Engen’s Corporate Social Investment committee an amount of R252 000.00 was provided to fund this project. A good education is founded on the premise that the environment be conducive to the practice of learning. It should be able to make available to learners the infrastructure, facilities and resources necessary for learning. Sadly, in South Africa the legacy of our past does not always render this basic fundamental a reality. All too often we find that our country’s schools – especially those serving the historically disadvantaged or today’s lower income groups – do not measure-up. Many fall short in terms of both infrastructure and the provision of the tools necessary to give effect to efficient teaching and effective learning and we hope that our contribution is a small step to making an improvement said Pumeza Ntisana Csi Coordinator Inland at Engen.
The project was officially launched at the school in September 2015, and it is Engen’s fervent hope that learners read to learn, read for enjoyment and enrichment and that this is just the start of a small step towards combatting illiteracy in South Africa.