Our newest Outreach Programme at Maritzburg College, the Khanyisa Primary School Programme, has reached it’s one-month milestone. The programme kicked off on the 28th of July 2022 with the 25 boys and 5 educators from their respective schools enjoying a soccer session with Mr Nic Haswell and our first team soccer boys who enjoyed an afternoon of mentoring their fellow 25 brothers.
The learners have enjoyed a jam-packed programme that has also included Mrs Kyle who is a qualified dietician and who shared the importance of having a good diet. As part of the nutrition programme the learners receive a small bag of instant porridge on a weekly basis to allow them to kick of their school days with a nutritious breakfast.
To date we have had four sessions with the learners, where they have been challenged and exposed to what it is like to be at Maritzburg College.
In the second week of our 25 boys being part of the programme, they had an opportunity to play some hockey. For some, this was their very first time holding a hockey stick and playing on an Astro turf. Indeed, our first team hockey players enjoyed sharing their skills with their younger brothers. Mr Robin Jones, our Hockey Director, had an opportunity to introduce the boys to Hockey as a sport.
The programme also focuses on Mathematics and English as the core subjects in the Programme. The academic programme seeks to bridge the content gap that has been created by Covid and to extend the boys academically.
Mrs Lindiwe Mtembu who is the English facilitator in the programme, used music to introduce the boys to creative writing. The singing could be heard from anywhere in the English corridor – indeed, this was a first for Maritzburg College to have such beautiful young voices on the campus. The learners were challenged at the end of the session to write creative stories.
Dr Forde, the ex-Headmaster of 1986-1991 who is also one of the Programme donors through the Durban Education Trust, paid the learners a visit during their Mathematics session which was conducted by Ms Thobeka Shata – the Mathematics facilitator in the programme.
Dr Forde, being an ex-Mathematics educator, couldn’t help himself from sharing some knowledge with the learners whilst they looked at Area and Perimeter concepts. The learners loved having Dr Forde in the lesson and the love for Mathematics grew even stronger.
Thank you to Mrs Dlamini our Circuit manager in the uMgungundlovu District for all the support she has shown through attending all the sessions with the learners and educators.
Thank you to all of the sponsors of the Programme for believing in the vision of Maritzburg College in having such a life changing programme.
We encourage any company or individuals that would like to assist by giving these learners a bursary to attend Maritzburg College in 2024-2028, to please contact Ms Thobeka Shata Khanyisa@mcollege.co.za for more information and benefits such as a Section 18A.