Trust suppor ts key areas to help neediest

THE Department of Education has continued to seek out partnerships to sustain its steady upward trajectory and has reaffirmed its commitment through its essential collaboration with the nonprofit organisation Eastern Cape Education Development Trust (ECEDT).

The ECEDT was established in 1998 to create a pool of resources and funding to be used to advance education and educational institutions in the province.

The ECEDT partners with the Eastern Cape Department of Education, businesses and other stakeholders to implement catalytic projects that make educational excellence a reality for Eastern Cape pupils.

ECEDT chairwoman Theresa Moila said the trust had been largely dormant for several years since the early 2000s and had been re-ignited in 2015 to manage partnerships and ensure resources were allocated where needed most.

Speaking at the recently held Partners in Education Business Breakfast, Moila said: “We have established a database to avoid a situation where three companies are assisting one school. Now we are able to ensure that the resources are spread equally, benefiting more schools.

“We need to, as corporate business, government and NGOs, come together to find the spirit of uBuntu and ensure we invest that energy in our children because it truly does take a village.

“By working together through the Trust and the department, we are able to ensure that resources are allocated as needed to make it possible for the most needy in our province to receive access to quality education,” she said.

The Trust has six key focus areas that support the strategic objectives of the department.

These include teacher professional development, mathematics and science education, literacy, management and leadership development and early childhood and infrastructure development.