In its ongoing commitment to enriching the educational experiences of high school students, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) is actively conducting a fundraising campaign through its School Engagement Project. With a lofty goal of raising R500,000, the project, initiated in 2018, operates under the Advancement and Alumni Relations unit at DUT.

The School Engagement Project, which was launched in 2018, was designed to enhance school education, offering practical, hands-on learning experiences and opportunities for DUT students, whilst nurturing collaborative partnerships with various internal and external stakeholders.

According to Ms Bérénice de La Croix, the Project Manager, the aim is to increase the number of partner schools from six to eight in 2025.

“These schools would participate in all seven project pillars, namely: Tuition in Gateway Subjects, Peace Clubs, Social Entrepreneurship Clubs, Career Guidance Days, Talent Show, Sports Tournament, and the Super Chefs Competition. We currently have six partner schools and our wish is to increase the number to eight schools to assist more learners in unlocking their potential,” said de La Croix.

She further explained that the DUT School Engagement Project is being guided by the DUT Living Values and offers the learners the opportunity to become great leaders and change makers in society. To help the project to run effectively and to be able to reach out to more schools, de La Croix mentioned that they need additional funding, hence the establishment of the fundraising campaign.

Internal Auditing Postgraduate Diploma student and Assistant Project Manager of the DUT School Engagement Project, Thabo Ntshingila, shared his gratitude for the opportunity to be part of this initiative that is helping to improve the lives of approximately 1000 high school learners every year. He revealed that he had joined the DUT School Engagement Project in 2022 as an accounting tutor, a social entrepreneurship mentor and a subject leader for the team of accounting tutors.

Ntshingila indicated that his primary motivation for his involvement in the DUT School Engagement Project was the chance to provide the high school students with advice, support and opportunities that he had lacked throughout his high school life. The project afforded him the chance to restore hope, to serve as a reliable source of support, and to establish a secure environment for those learners coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“The project has benefited many learners since 2018, and it continues to do so (approximately 1000 learners per year). I am always delighted when I see some of our former learners who are now students at DUT, and it is so heart-warming to see the faces of victory when the members of our clubs implement their projects in our different partner schools. The project has groomed many learners into leaders, helped many learners improve their marks, and prepared many learners for university life after they had finished their Grade 12 studies at school,” added Ntshingila.

He reiterated that the DUT School Engagement Project would appreciate financial support to help it thrive and expand as a much-needed educational project in South Africa.

To make a donation to the DUT School Engagement Project, kindly click on the link below:

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-the-dut-school-engagement-project-to-continue-positively-impacting-the-lives-of-our-learners

Pictured: Some of the DUT partner schools during the Career Guidance Day 2023.

Simangele Zuma