Denel Youth Foundation rewards students for their remarkable achievements!
Denel Youth Foundation rewards students for their remarkable achievements!
The Denel Youth Foundation Training Programme (DYFTP) held its annual awards evening and year end function on 16 April 2010. This event was held in honour of the 47 learners who excelled in subjects offered by the Foundation. The event was attended by Denel senior executives, representatives from the CSIR and Department of Defence, Archbishop Njongo Ndungane and Dr Nduna-Watson from the Department of Basic Education. This year’s programme has seen students excel in various subjects offered by the Foundation including English, accounting, maths, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, numeracy, physical science, physics, as well as chemistry.
Mante Rose Makola was the best overall student for mathematics and physical science. She received her award from Ms Potgieter and Archbishop Ndungane
The awards ceremony thus served as a call to action for other state-owned entities and private institutions to invest today in the leaders of tomorrow.
Part of the social development work done through the DCLD, DYFTP focuses on providing external support to the national education system. “Our experience has shown that by offering learners in disadvantaged communities a neutral environment in which to learn, and providing them with the necessary holistic support, we can significantly improve their academic results,” says DCLD general manager, Dr Eric Khoza. Zizikazi Mlokoti, DYFTP Manager: DCLD, adds that this remains a critical differentiator of the programme, “By concentrating on the holistic development of each and every student, we focus them on their longterm future success. In this way, we work with them to ensure that they obtain the results they need to enter fields of study that require maths and science.” With South Africa facing a critical shortage of skills in various sectors, including those of engineering and technology, Denel is making a valuable contribution to addressing this need in a proactive and sustained way. The event wasn’t only about awards, however. A number of bursaries were also given to students.
DCLD offered two bursaries for learners to study at its apprenticeship school, and RDM (Boksburg) and the Denel Corporate Office offered another two bursaries between them. Four learners thus received bursaries from Denel on the night. Students and staff from DCLD also took time to acknowledge the real heroes of the programme – the teachers – at the function. “Their commitment and caring has enabled each of the 47 learners to become confident individuals, excited about the possibilities their future holds,” says Zizikazi. DCLD and the Youth Foundation Programme also thanked the students for all of their hard work and commitment during the course of the past year – and encouraged them to use this opportunity to make their lives everything they want them to be.
