INTERNATIONAL Trade and Marketing Group (ITMG) owner Nelisa Noholoza Sobukhwe from Cacadu has donated 10 computers to her former school, Lamplough Senior Secondary, in Machibini.
Sobukhwe said her company was involved in mining and led a social programme of contri- buting computers to disadvan- taged schools. She said there were great initiatives taking place in big cities and she wanted to see similar projects in the Eastern Cape.
“It is my greatest desire for the next generation to have the chance of working with computers from an early age. Some pupils struggle to do assignments because there are no libraries, but if they have a computer they can Google the information.”
The first stop of the programme was in Gauteng, where she also donated sanitary towels and toiletries with the assistance of private companies.
To qualify for the donation, the schools made requests to her company which were brought to the attention of private companies.
“This is not the only school I am targeting in the Eastern Cape – there are a number of others we plan to assist.”
Sobukhwe said teachers did not have to wait for Wi-Fi in order to start using the equipment, but should begin by teaching the basics of end-user computing.
She advised school staff who were computer illiterate, to make use of youths living in their communities to help transfer skills to pupils.
Cacadu education development officer Bonga Mkhabile said Sobukhwe demonstrated the department of education’s slogan which stated that education was a societal matter.
Mkhabile said the donation also adhered to education MEC Mandla Makupula’s mandate of moving towards a paperless education.
Principal Bangisa Yapi said it was positive to have people such as Sobukhwe in communities, as her initiative motivated teachers to remain in the profession amid times of discouragement.
