MATHEMATICS, literacy, leadership and management are key skills pupils need.
This is why the Pearson Marang Education Trust works with previously-disadvantaged schools to improve pupils’ results.
Working at primary and high schools in rural Mzansi, the trust aims to boost teaching and learning in the classroom to achieve better results.
They also identify top-performing pupils at supported high schools and offer opportunities to further their studies with a full bursary from the Pearson Institute of Higher Education.
One such person is Bonginkosi Mchunu. His life changed forever when a trust representative visited Buhlebuyeza High School, his school in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal.
“When I learned about the Pearson Institute in my matric year, I was so eager for their personalised approach to learning through the use of technology.”
Originally from Mhlangana Village, Bonginkosi was fortunate enough to be the first of his seven siblings to get to university and get a degree.
“My principal encouraged me to apply for the trust’s undergraduate bursary programme and my life changed for the better.”
He obtained a full bursary, which included annual registration and tuition fees, textbooks, a tablet, accommodation and a monthly living allowance.
“When I first arrived on campus in Durban, everything was so new and modern. I didn’t have any computer skills and my English wasn’t that good. I wondered how I’d manage and if I would be able to make the cut.”
But through dedication, Bonginkosi managed to obtain his Bachelor of Commerce degree earlier this year. He passed with the honour of cum laude – he scored top of his class!