Today marks International Literacy Day and, in South Africa, it’s a day we really should shout about.
According to data from the Department of Higher Education (PDF) as many as 3.7 million South African adults are illiterate. The department notes that more training is needed to fight illiteracy through education and there are organisations doing just that.
One such organisation is Education without Borders (EwB) which provides after-school education and mentorship to youth from disadvantaged communities in South Africa. This includes supplementary mathematics, English, science and leadership programmes.
Supporting Education without Borders’ efforts is information security firm ESET which notes it has contributed R230 000 to the initiative this year alone. The firm gives EwB a minimum of $10 000 per year making it a platinum partner.
“We believe in supporting organisations that are strategically aligned to our own goals. These include supporting education through technology, bridging the education divide in South Africa, and protecting the progress of future generations,” explains chief executive officer of ESET South Africa, Carey van Vlaanderen (pictured above).
The majority of ESET’s contribution goes toward EwB’s School in a Box programme. The box is a closed internet system that covers all subjects in the local curriculum. It includes 15 – 20 tablets that students make use of.
“EwB has been making lasting changes in the lives of South African learners since 1972. With ESET SA’s help, they implemented School in a Box, affording learners from lower-income households access to the technology they need to participate in everything a modern education has to offer. This will bring new opportunities to South Africa’s youth, ensuring a bright future,” van Vlaanderen says.
EwB has recently announced two ground-breaking new programmes. The first is a partnership with PeerLab Tutoring, which will give local tertiary education students the chance to receive virtual one-on-one support and education assistance from tutors in the United States. The second is a mentoring programme that connects South African students with mentors from North America to develop bonds, exchange ideas, and navigate the challenges students might face when they leave school.
“Such programmes and collaborations serve as a reminder to ESET of why we wanted to support EwB, and why the work they do is so important. Not only do they provide education and technology to those who would have struggled to access such opportunities, but they understand the importance of supporting students to reach their full potential. They’re shaping lives and creating a future of progress – empowering the youth of today and generations of the future,” the ESET South Africa CEO concludes.
