Vusa Digibus drives change in schools

THE Vusa Rugby and Learning Academy’s new Atlas Digibus, a high-tech mobile classroom, will assist five schools in Langa.

More than 1 000 pupils will benefit from the 42-seater Scania bus which includes 40 laptops, two teaching stations and an online tracking system.

The project, due to launch in 2022, is Vusa Academy’s latest initiative to make a difference in the lives of children at Mokone, Siyabulela, Moshesh, Thembani and Zimasa primary schools and support their development with an online literacy programme.

Founder and director of the Vusa Academy, Brendan Fogarty, said the project is in partnership with Coronation Fund Managers who will partially fund the programme.

“The Atlas Digibus will offer children access to excellent academic support, utilising the expertise and materials of leading school, Bishops Diocesan College. We will have teachers on board and the bus will visit various schools in Langa.

“The Bishops community has supported Vusa since its inception 20 years ago, and earlier this year, raised more than R270 000 through a 24-hour cyclethon for the organisation, to mark Youth Day,” said Fogarty.

Head of marketing at Coronation Fund Managers, Wendy Bergsteedt, said the project will employ up to five new staff including a qualified teacher.

“The Atlas Digibus is such a creative solution to bring the best technology and resources directly and safely to primary school learners in Langa.

“With education being at the heart of how we at Coronation work to uplift our communities, supporting this mobile classroom is an innovative way for us to give the learners the boost they need in reaching their full potential.

“These children are our next generation of leaders and we can’t wait to see how they progress. We are because of them,” said Bergsteedt.

Zimasa Primary School teacher Nosipho Phoswa said the Digibus will help improve many learners’ performance at school.

“The bus will help the learners, especially those from Grade 3, because they used to learn in Xhosa, now they will be able to learn in English.

“It’s going to help them to do their homework, especially in maths, because some of the learners struggle in the subject.

“It’s not only our school that will benefit from this but the whole community of Langa at large will benefit,” said Phoswa.

| AYANDA NDAMANE African News Agency (ANA) VUSA Rugby and Learning Academy, which runs an after-school programme offering rugby and academic support in Langa, yesterday received an Atlas Digibus mobile classroom from Coronation Fund Managers with the support of Bishops Diocesan College. The mobile classroom is equipped with 40 laptops and two teaching stations.