Pupils at Heideveld Primary School no longer have to share a computer while in the lab, thanks to the generosity of the Good Deeds Charity Organisation.
The organisation was started last year, when the idea came up during a 25-year reunion of the University of Cape Town (UCT) medical students.
Dr Azgher Karjieker, who represents the donors of the Good Deeds Charity Organisation, said the group was keen to donate to and uplift schools in a way that would benefit the recipients on a long-term basis. It is for this reason that their focus is on establishing and growing libraries and computer labs.
At Heideveld Primary, the upgraded computer lab was named after Dr Carol Thomas, a gynaecologist who died in April. The late Dr Thomas was a lecturer of the former medical students.
On Tuesday June 11 the upgraded computer lab was unveiled. Heideveld Primary School principal, Rosdien Desai, said they only had 20 workstations in the computer lab, but now they have 40.
“We are very grateful to all the sponsors who reached out to our school. We are all very excited — especially since our pupils no longer have to share a workstation,” Mr Desai said.
He added that technology played an important role in education.
“We are preparing our pupils for the fourth industrial revolution. This form part of our school’s improvement strategy. E-learning prepares our pupils for their future workplace, hence we use tablets, data projectors and interactive white boards. We are raising 21st century children, and this is a necessity.”
This is the second project the Good Deeds Charity Organisation took on. The first project was a library at Athwood Primary School in Hanover Park, named after the late Professor Bongani Mayosi.
“We are remembering the people who taught us, by naming the libraries or computer labs after them. The work the organisation does, has been spread by word-of-mouth, so the principal of Athwood Primary informed the principal of Heideveld Primary. Once we have decided on a project, then we appeal for funding.
“It is mostly medical people that are involved, but we have donors from different fields who assist us. We completed the upgrade to the computer lab within three weeks,” Dr Karjieker said.
Ian and Merlyn Pietersen from Essential Printer Consumables (EPC) assisted with the installation of the computers.
Husain Mollagee, from the Western Cape Education Department’s (WCED’s) E-learning division, said they applauded initiatives like this.
“We can’t get to every school to assist, and we applaud principals, schools and sponsors like this. When we have partnerships like these, we are exposing our pupils to skills they would otherwise not have been exposed to. It is also not every school that puts information and communications technology (ICT) at the forefront, and Heideveld Primary is very forward-thinking. What better place to start than at primary school, as it will prepare them even better for their future jobs,” Mr Mollagee said.
If you would like to donate to the Good Deeds Charity Organisation, send an email to Dr Karjieker at drk@drk-ent.com