EDUCATION

LEARNING UNDER LOCKDOWN

ANÉL LEWIS rounds up some of the support programmes corporates have initiated this year

OLD MUTUAL ENSURES CONTINUITY OF LEARNING

When lockdown was announced, the Old Mutual Foundation was in the fi nal stages of its new fi ve-year strategy for education, scheduled to commence in 2021. This meant that the foundation had unallocated funds that could immediately be redirected to its COVID-19 response, explains Fikile Kuhlase, head of the Old Mutual Foundation.

As education is Old Mutual’s largest corporate social investment (CSI) portfolio, much of the R50-million that was pledged towards the Fikile company’s comprehensive Kuhlase COVID-19 response was used to ensure continuity of learning.

“It was important for the Old Mutual Foundation to support programmes that would remain sustainable even once schooling resumed. We thus supported the school recovery programmes, noting that our role was critical to ensure that the education system was stabilised as soon as possible so that learning and teaching could continue undisrupted. It was important for Old Mutual to play its part in saving the 2020 academic year,” says Kuhlase.

The foundation was one of several companies supporting the plan of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to help reach more than 13 million learners through integrated online and broadcast platforms, such as television and radio.

“Education during the pandemic has continued to be received inequitably by learners in our country.” – Fikile Kuhlase, HEAD OF THE OLD MUTUAL FOUNDATION

Old Mutual’s 21 Acts of Goodness programme supported 2020 matrics.

Old Mutual also supported the Dial-aTutor platform, which allows Grade 8–12 learners to access subject specialists via a toll-free number. The 21 Acts of Goodness programme for the matric class of 2020 recognises the massive challenges wrought by COVID-19 this year. Old Mutual is one of 21 organisations involved in this project to uplift matriculants around the country. Other programmes funded from the R50-million included a nutritional programme, in partnership with the DBE, and the provision of hygiene awareness, e-learning and other learner support materials.

CSI TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

One constant throughout the pandemic has been the increased reliance on technology – be it for business meetings and social gatherings, or to host virtual classrooms for online learning. With this in mind, DriveRisk donated 30 laptops to the South African Institute of Chartered Accountant’s Thuthuka Bursary Fund. The devices enabled aspiring chartered accountants from disadvantaged backgrounds to access the technology they needed to continue studying during lockdown.

OMNI TAKES A HOLISTIC APPROACH

For Omni HR Consulting, a private FET college, the implications of COVID-19 created an opportunity to accelerate the conversion to accredited and credible online learning.

Cindy Londt, Omni HR operations executive, says: “When COVID-19 hit, we were ready for online learning to support our learners without disruption. We saw it as a huge opportunity to penetrate the market and to use it to our advantage to engage with the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the Department of Cindy Londt Education to support the migration to online learning.” Where before there had been only draft policies in place to accommodate online learning, SETAs are now willing to allow online and virtual learning.

Omni places a strong focus on its corporate social responsibility by weaving so-called “soft” life skills and work readiness into its education platforms. Over the past three years, 21 000 students have been exposed to entrepreneurship programmes that will prepare them to work in the retail space or start their own business. “As much as education is the heart of what we do, we are passionate about making a difference in the lives of the people that we serve – our staff, our clients and the larger community. It is not just about the qualifi cation, it is about making a holistic and positive impact,” explains Londt.

Investec’s Promaths online programme went online during strict lockdown restrictions this year.

“Never waste a good crisis – explore opportunities for meaningful contributions.” –Setlogane Manchidi, Corporate Social Investments, Investec

INVESTEC EXTENDS ITS ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Investec responded by intensifying its existing CSI initiatives to meet the most urgent needs. With education already a core company focus, this was where Investec directed most of its initial efforts.

In partnership with Kutlwanong and Tuta-Me, Investec took its Promaths academic support programme, which would ordinarily serve approximately 4 000 learners in nine centres around the country, online. Says Setlogane Manchidi of Investec’s Corporate Social Investments: “Understanding the impact of our recent lockdown-related school closure on the current matric class, they were the fi rst to be onboarded as part of piloting the Promaths online offering.”

Investec also extended academic support to cover other subjects through the Mobi-Tuta platform, allowing more than 2 000 additional learners to continue

ABSA ADOPTS AN INTEGRATED RESPONSE

The Absa Group was awarded the

Euromoney 2020 Excellence in Leadership in Africa Award for its integrated COVID-19 response for employees, clients, industries, communities and economies on the African continent. “When building a strategic response to the pandemic, Absa decided that the safety and wellbeing of our employees is our core priority because we understand that a successful business is driven by its people,” says Sazini Mojapelo, managing executive: Corporate Citizenship and Community Investments, Absa Group.

By August, it had invested over

R76-million towards various humanitarian, health and community support initiatives.

Part of this allocation came from Absa with their studies. “In the midst of COVID-19, Promaths going online is a representation of hope for more children whose lives will be positively impacted in the near future through this offering,” says Manchidi.

When lockdown restrictions eased and schools reopened under strict COVID-19 protocols, Investec reallocated some of its education budget to the provision of masks and sanitisers for learners returning to the classroom. Manchidi adds: “In all cases, we opted for projects that are enduring, sustainable and replicable (where appropriate) and are guided by strategic intent, rather than

Setlogane Manchidi

“Promaths going online is a representation of hope for more children whose lives will be positively impacted.” – Setlogane Manchidi, Corporate Social Investements, Investec

philanthropic well-meaning.” employees who donated the proceeds of their accumulated leave to make generous cash donations.

“The scale and speed of the closures posed an unprecedented challenge for the local education sector and academic institutions had to fi ll the void with remote learning solutions,” says Mojapelo.

To support online learning, Absa partnered with Universities South Africa for the procurement and distribution of 1 200 laptops and mobile data devices and the production of lectures for free-to-air radio and TV broadcasts.

The group also secured PPE for healthcare professionals and collaborated with various partners to upskill 1 000 nurses across eight provinces to work in intensive care

Sazini Mojapelo

units. It further supported vulnerable communities by providing food and hygiene goods.