Coega Primary School restored

Front Minister Angie Motshekga flanked by elated pupils of Coega Primary School BACK Mr Xolile Mpati Principal of Coega Primary School and Danie du Toit Shoprite Checkers Eastern Cape Divisional Manager

L – R Mr Xolile Mpati / Minister Angie Motshekga / Danie du Toit with the’ before and after’ photographs of Coega Primary School

Minister Angie Motshekga with pupils of Coega Primary school enjoying the experience of running water

Coega Primary School restored

BRAND ACTIVITY

Mar 25th, 09:37

The Minister of Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, today (Tuesday, 19 March 2013) praised the responsiveness of business in helping to provide in the needs of society and specifically children while attending a handover ceremony of the Coega Primary School in Wells Estate in Port Elizabeth.

The Shoprite Group has repaired the Coega Primary School after it was sighted in media reports in August 2012 as an example of how schools in the Eastern Cape have deteriorated without support staff.

Mrs Motshekga thanked the Shoprite Group and its partners for being so responsive to cover the overall costs of repairs to Coega Primary restoring the school’s functionality and by doing so help enhance learner attainment. “This timely intervention shows that working together we can do more to improve education quality,” Mrs Motshekga said.

The Shoprite Checkers Development Trust stepped in and invested R1 282 951 with some supplier companies contributing R177 539 to cover the overall costs of R1 459 490 for the repairs.

The school had no electricity or running water, the 15 classrooms were littered with broken desks and windows while the ablution facilities were not functional. It could not operate properly and learners were left without basic education.

The repairs included painting, paving, electricity, windows, galvanized window guards & plumbing installations, a new library facility, new verandas, grass planting and a brand new kitchen.

All has now been completed and Shoprite and it’s partners has asked the community to take over the guarding and safety of the school to ensure that the 1300 primary school pupils are motivated to achieve maximum results in a friendly, warm and efficient learning environment.

Danie du Toit, divisional manager of the Shoprite Group in the Eastern Cape, thanked the community who have worked with Shoprite to make this school an example of how the community, business and Government can work together to secure the future of education for all in the country. He said that the future of the school is now in the hands of the community and the Shoprite Group looks forward to see how they build on this example.

Mr Xolile Mpati, the principal of the school said he is very grateful to the Shoprite Group who he sees to be very active in the community and takes community issues seriously. “I feel that Shoprite is not only interested in having customers in stores they are interested in education as well as upliftment in the community and they have made a meaningful contribution at our school.

He also thanked the community, the governing body of the school and local councilor who have all worked together and got very involved in the repairs of the school.

The Chairperson of the Coega Primary School Governing Body,
Ms Nokaya Tyweni, said that previously people did not see Coega Primary School as a school, but now they admire the school because of all the renovations and improvements Shoprite did. “I am very proud of the school,” she said.

Ms Nondikho Gana, local counselor, said that it is a great thing that Shoprite has done to assist the school. She said in the past the school was vandalised and was not a pleasant place to be at but now that Shoprite has done the renovations it has made a big difference.

The school has 39 teachers and 13 non- teaching staff, which includes a groundsman, 2 secretaries (of which one is a volunteer) and 10 kitchen staff who cooks meals for the pupils.