Two inspirational Western Cape Schools have been shortlisted in the Top 10 for the World’s Best School Prizes in the category Overcoming Adversity.
Pinelands North Primary School and West End Primary School in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, have been nominated and will now compete with eight other schools in their category from Australia, Malaysia, India, Uganda, Brazil, Jamaica, Kenya and Nigeria, for the US$50 000(R763 285) prize.
They will also have the opportunity to showcase, on a global platform, their best practices and innovative approaches on how to overcome adversity.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Education MEC David Maynier visited both schools on Thursday to announce the wonderful news.
“I am very proud of both schools and of the way in which their school communities have come together to overcome adversity.
“The fact that our province’s schools were the only ones in South Africa to make it into the top 10 in any category speaks volumes about the incredible work that our principals and teachers and schools are doing to deliver quality education in the Western Cape,” said Maynier.
Clive Arries, principal of West End Primary School, said: “Our children come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds because our communities are pressured by the high cost of living, unemployment, drug abuse and social evils are the things that learners at the school are exposed to. We create an environment for them to feel safe and to express themselves by being taken care of and especially to feel loved and I think that is the secret ingredient. We are humbled by the facilitation and accolade to be nominated as one of the top ten schools in the world for our endeavours in managing adversity and creating opportunities for our learners and school community. Everyone is excited and we are looking forward to representing, not only our school but sharing the best practices of schools across South Africa.”
The five World’s Best School Prizes is founded by T4 Education in partnership with Accenture.
“We are so excited that our school has been chosen - this validates the community’s hard work over the past 20 years,” said Anne Morton, Principal of Pinelands North Primary school.
Winde added: “This is a proud day for our province and our country. To have 2 of our province’s schools shortlisted among the top 10 schools in the world in the category of ‘overcoming adversity’ is a massive achievement, setting a benchmark not only for our province but indeed the world over.”
Cape Times