Ex-pupil helps Gwaba students

One of the Eastern Cape’s lowest-performing schools, Gwaba Combined School, in Kwelera near Chintsa has promised an improved matric pass rate this year

This comes after three nonprofit organisations teamed up and donated about 80 brand new calculators, pens and sanitary towels for pupils to gear them up for the upcoming matric examinations.

Gwaba Combined, which caters for pupils from grades R to 12 only obtained a 22% matric pass rate last year.

This drew the attention of NPOs You lead twenty6, Shaping New Minds and clothing brand Snezz Clothing.

On Wednesday last week, the NPOs brought smiles to 102 further education and training (FET) phase pupils’ faces with stationery, mathematics equipment, and sanitary towels.

Speaking to the Dispatch, the school’s FET life orientation teacher Bongani Mayeza said they were very happy and privileged.

“Some of these pupils come from a disadvantaged background and such initiatives will also lessen the weight on our shoulders,” said Mayeza.

He said the school used to purchase calculators and lend them to pupils for a certain period of time.

“You would find that some pupils did not receive them. But now things will change.”

Former pupil Sinebhongo Puwani, who now runs Snezz Clothing, which is based in Cape Town, said he did not mind travelling when he was told about being part of the initiative.

“I could not resist. I was a pupil there five years ago, so for me it was like saying thank you by giving back.

“Our partnership with You lead twenty6 and Shaping New Minds was a success. We could see from their eyes that they needed it,” said Puwani.

He said the poor matric pass rate was one of the motivating factors that led him to be part of the donation initiative.

Mayeza promised the pass rate would improve this year.

“It will certainly improve. It will go up much higher this time around,” he said.

You lead twenty6 and Shaping New Minds also had a career expo for the pupils at Gwaba and other schools in Kwelera last month where residents, who have computers, were invited to help pupils apply online at tertiary institutions.