Eastern Cape learners get a new educational facility

School learners and rural communities from around Tsojana, Tsomo in the Eastern Cape, were gifted with a brand new facility and resource centre to support their journey towards an education for a brighter future.

The Tsojana Resource Centre (TRC), was donated and officially handed over to the community on Tuesday by the Vulindlela Educational Trust, a nonprofit organisation that promotes education as a tool for community development.

The new resource centre will serve as a hub for learning, connectivity, and community engagement. It will also provide homework assistance and catch-up classes for school children, focusing on STEM and literacy subjects for both Primary and High School learners.

TRC IN THE EASTERN CAPE PROVIDES ONLINE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

“By centralizing information and resources, it empowers community members to access knowledge, acquire skills, and work toward their aspirations,” says Dr. Maphelo Malgas, a member of the Trust.

“Crucially, the resource centre provides internet connectivity, granting access – for the first time – to online educational resources, health information, job opportunities, and communication,” he added.

Malgas said through various skills development programmes, training initiatives, and community engagement platforms, the centre enables individuals to enhance their livelihoods and contribute to local economic growth.

‘CATALYST FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EDUCATION’

“It has also facilitated primary health education initiatives and community outreach programs and provided homework assistance and catch-up classes for school children,” he explained.

Initially serving as a library, the new Resource Centre was built in late 2023. It boasts consulting rooms, a 35-seater hall, five water tanks, and electrification and is maintained by the Vulindlela Trust.

Busiwe Maqungo, the programme director during the ribbon-cutting celebrations held Emahodini on Tuesday, said for the past 11 years, the centre has been operating out of a prefab structure. She said it was established in 2012 to intervene in community development through education, training, and health promotion.

‘KICKSTART A NEW ERA OF EMPOWERMENT AND DEVELOPMENT,’ SAYS NTSALUBA

“We understand that while the resource centre cannot address all the challenges faced by the community, it holds the potential to be a catalyst for development, empowerment, and improved quality of life,” Maqungo said.

Founder and Chairman of the Vulindlela Educational Trust, Sango Ntsaluba, said the Tsojana Resource Centre will kickstart a new era of empowerment and community development, especially in education.

“Through education, every learner in the community of Tsojana and surrounding areas develops knowledge, skills, talents, and a sense of their own uniqueness for success in their chosen careers,” Ntsaluba said.