REPORT 2: KiDS Foundation: High school bursaries for disadvantaged children

This project is enabling six learners from around the country, who have shown the will and potential to succeed, to complete five years each of schooling at a good quality high school. Bursaries cover the learners’ school fees, uniforms and shoes, text books, stationery, transportation, sports equipment, musical instruments, school camps, scholar outings, school bags and projects. The six learners are mentored on an ongoing basis through visits to schools, home visits, outings, functions, newsletters and letters and regular contact with their families.

Impact

Six Grade 8 high school learners (as proposed) are being educated at 6 schools where their parents/guardians would not have been able to afford the fees:

• The learner, at Groote Schuur High, has worked hard in the first half of this year and has attained satisfactory results in his June exams. He has been attending extra Maths lessons as well and has since improved his Maths marks. He had an excellent cricket season in the first term and has enjoyed playing rugby for the U15 A team this winter. He has set good goals for his next exams in November and is determined to achieve them.

• The learner at Pinelands High, remains a diligent learner and she achieved some excellent results in her June exams. She did particularly well in English, Life Orientation, Economics and Art. She loves debating and is a strong spokesman for the empowerment of women. She has great leadership qualities, plays netball and is a “mature, enthusiastic and motivated learner” (a quote from her school report!)

• The learner, who attends Paul Roos Gymnasium did well in his June exams achieving his goals in all subjects except Geography. He is still very involved in debating and he is now playing rugby this winter as well. He had also started music lessons and sung a solo in a concert. He is an excellent communicator and it is a delight to see him use every opportunity that comes his way.

• The learner attending Rustenburg Girls High has produced some really good results this year so far attaining nearly all her goals. She did especially well in Economics, Life Orientation and showed great improved in Maths. She remains involved in school societies and has begun singing in the choir.
  

• The learner attending Strand High continues to excel at sport (cricket, rugby and athletics) and has seen an improvement in his marks since June. He enjoyed the last of his rugby season, excelling in his last game with scoring a few tries. He remains proud of his school and feels that he would never be able to achieve what he has “if I wasn’t at a school with a reputation like Strand High.”
  

• The learner who attends Hottentots Holland High has achieved great things against great odds this year. She has consistently achieved her goals and attained good marks in her June exams. She continues to excel at hockey and is an active member of the JIK Society (the Christian Union) at her school and enjoys the Toastmasters club where she feels she is learning the art of debating and speaking in public.

Activities

The project activities include the care and mentoring of the 6 learners so far this year. They have had two performance reviews. The first was used to set goals for June and the second was based on their June reports and used to assess whether they achieved their goals and also where they set goals for December. They have received two newsletters so far this year and enjoyed a Grade 9 hike in Silvermine led by an experienced hiker. They have had several meetings with scholar facilitators and have been encouraged by letter, email and through telephone calls as well. Sports matches and cultural events were also attended by trustees. A study skills and time management workshop will be held for them in mid-November in time for their year-end exams and a big year-end celebration and family get-together will be held at the beginning of December.

The project to educate these six KiDS scholars will span their 5 years in high school starting in January 2007 and ending in December 2011. So far they have benefited from their Grade 8 year in 2007 and three terms of their Grade 9 year in 2008.

Expenditure

The cost of the project is R 300,000, which has been paid in full.

Challenges

No problems have been encountered in educating and mentoring these scholars in 2008. The main challenge remains helping some of them to overcome the problems of poverty such as housing and transport. Kids Foundation have assisted with transport in some situations and helped to make sure that practical problems, like not having a good place to study, do not stand in the way of achievement. Another challenge is to make sure that they are able to go on sports tours and school camps and to ensure that they have adequate equipment like their more privileged peers.

The other challenge is providing support academically as many of them have been educated beyond their parents who are unable to help them with homework and projects. KiDS Foundation constantly monitors the situation and provides extra lessons when and where necessary. All of the SASIX-funded learners are however doing well and coping with all the challenges they face.

Monitoring and evaluation

The steps evaluate the project involve the care and mentoring of the scholars. Evaluation of their success is constant via school reports. Regular performance reviews are conducted with the scholars and intervention takes place if progress is unsatisfactory. The monitoring and evaluation of the project will be ongoing and constant over the six learners’ five years in high school (2007 – 2011).

Conclusions

KiDS Foundation was established to partner parents and enable them to send their children to the schools of their choice where their children could receive an excellent education, maximizing their potential and contributing to the future stability and prosperity of South Africa as a nation. With the actual impact of the project developing over the years, the KiDS Foundation seeks to further ‘build our nation through education’ by enrolling a record number of 130 scholars in 2009.