Segopodisho Suzzy Disipi has been selected to represent the Northern Cape Department of Education at the 2022 South African National Teaching Awards in the category “Excellence in Primary School Leadership”.
This is amazing news because her school is situated in a small village in semi-desert 20 km from any town and is attended by students who live in poverty-stricken circumstances in which unemployment, gangs, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and disrespect for authority is endemic.
After being appointed Principal of the Rearata Primary school four years ago she implemented the strategies, leadership skills and management systems she had learnt when she attended BCFs Schools Centre of Excellence Programme in 2014.
As a consequence the entire school management team, all the teachers, students, school governing body and even the community are all focused on driving the school towards becoming a centre of excellence.
I knew nothing of this amazing success story until last week when Suzzy contacted me for the first time since 2014 to thank the Billion Child Foundation and Worley Ltd which funded the programme for empowering her to raise up the lives of the students currently at the school.
There is no need for several hundred million children around the world to attend schools from which they will emerge barely able to write a few words or count.
The silver bullet arrived in 2011 when the BCF Schools Centre of Excellence Programme was launched at 30 primary and secondary schools situated mainly in disadvantaged rural villages in South Africa. At the end of the 2011 academic year, examination results jumped by 23%. In 2020 81% of matriculants who had attended these 30 primary and secondary schools gained a University or Technical University Entrance Matriculation!
And the investment needed is tiny. Only USD 0.49 per student or USD 300 per school.
Now it’s your turn to do some magic. Please pass this inspirational story on to your friends and colleagues who might be interested. If you would like to become a player in transforming world education kindly click here to donate. Thank you.
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be!!
Brendan Graham, Irish songwriter and novelist