Partnerships

Dinaledi

In an attempt to address the poor results and the lack of skills in the Mathematics and Science learners and educators in South African schools, the then Deputy Minister of Educatipon and now Minister of Science and Technology, Mr. Musibudi Mangena launched the Dinaledi project in 102 schools nationally in Midrand, Gauteng in 2001.

Letsibogo Girls' High School was to be considered part of this project as well. The thrusts of this project are

• to increase the number of Mathematics and Physical Sciece learners in Grade 10 to 12 and
• to increse the number of girl learners that enrol Mathematics and Physical Science learners in grades 10 to 12.

Letsibogo Girls High School lived up to this challenge and increased the enrolment in these two critical subjects from 2003 to date. Every year the number of learners increase and the results in these subjects are satisfactory every year.

Mindset Project.

In 2004, we were amongst the four schools to benefit from the Mindset Project that was launched in Witwatersrand university by the then President of South Africa Mr. Nelson Mandela. The aim of this project was to connect the schools through the satelite dish that was donated to us by Mindset. When launching this Project, Mr. Mandela emphasised the importance of education to the young and upcoming generation of youth and encouraged a culture that seeks to see the youth of this country holding hands in moving forward. 

The project enabled our learners to get connected to the world and enjoy some lessons that were broadcast on the educational channel. Mostly Science, Mathematics and English learners in grades 10 to 12 benefited from this project and the educators as well in these dicsiplines benefited a lot.   

French.

 

Two educators from our school, Mr. D Tshoagong and Mr. W Ndlovu belong to a parnership with the french Embassy - a project whose aim was to popularise this French language in Southern Africa, especially Soweto schools. To this end, a French satelite embassy was established in Diepkloof, Soweto. We piloted French classes in 2001 and a year later, registered the best learners to write Matriculation examination on this language. 

The project has since grown and spread to other six schools in Soweto and the recruitment of teachers alike. Those educators have received a very intensive training on the language and have to date been to France for further training on the language. The ultimate goal to be reached, is to see all the trained educators introduce the language in their respective schools and more and more learners to benefit form the project, since French is another international language that receives recognition all over the world.  

 

Schoolnet.

 

Through the Telkom Foundation and Dinaledi Projects, the school was able to form a partnership with Schoonet SA on issues pertaining to ICT integration in schools. The partnership is a necessary one in that Schoolnet SA is one of the Non-governmental organisation whose aim and objectives is to see to it that there is ICT integration acrooss the curriculum of the school from primary school to high school. we ahve benefited from this project  as a school for the last four years now and the parthnership grows from strength to strength. 

We have benefited from the courses they offer, which courses are Partners in Learning (PIL), ICT Leadership and Management, Webquest, Peer coaching and Help Desk. The partnership has given our school a good start in the understanding of what ICT integration into the curriculum is. To this end, two of our staff members where recruited as the trainers for Schoolnet SA and this marks the beginning of a long lasting relationship between these two institutions.

    

Wits Sachs Foundation

 

In 2006, Wits and a few schools around the Gauteng Province entered into a project sponsored by the Sachs Foundation. Letsibogo became part of this initiative as well. The projects objective is to prepare the learners for the life beyond matriculation. A group of six Grade 10 learners from our school were were chosen to be part of this three-year programme that will see them through to tertiary education if successful in it.

The girls attend vacation programmes in which they get taught some gateway subjects like Mathematics, Physical Science and Accounting. The language English forms part of the curriculum the learners engaged in as well. Over and above this, they are expected to perform some community based work and to actualise what they get taught in these vacation classes they attend. Our learners perform community work at a Children's home and a local Health care Centre in  Meadowlands. They dedicated the bulk of their school holidays to do this community work as it is expected of them, but they went even beyond the expectations as we received compliments from the community centres they helped.  

 

St. Stithians College

 

The collaboration Fund established by the National Departmwent of Education way back in 2001 saw Letsibogo Girls High School and our sister school St. Stithians collaborate for the Mathematics and Physical Science Project. This project involved our FET phase learners to receive extra tuition in the two soubjects every Tuesaday and Thursday afternoons. The collaboration was also to share good practice and resources in the two subjects by the educators from St. Stithians sharing ideas and materials fro the benefit of the learners. Some learner from St. Stithians also accompanied their educators to come and coach our learners in these subjects and the collaboration went very well until 2005.

The results of the collaboration, without doubt, saw our school increasing the Mathematics and Physical Science learners in Grades 10 to 12 and those that took it at Higher Grade. not only did the numbers increased but the results also improved beyond doubt.

The parnership extended to the Music project as well as the HIV/Aids Awareness campaigns. It was in 2004 when we, together with Learnscapes, through St.Stithians, launched an electronic programme to run the HIV/Aids campaign for the nearby schools, the governmental institutions like clinic and the SAPS and the community at large.