Providing quality education and well-equipped schools in rural South Africa is vital to improve job creation and socio-economic development. Although there has been an improvement with the standard of education over the years, South African schools are still not producing the desired results.

“Many teachers work in classrooms marked by poverty and overcrowding. This is largely due to poor infrastructure and insufficient resource allocation to schools,” said Gabriel Ranyawa, Senior Manager for Human Resources at Sasol Nitro.

In light of this concern, Sasol Nitro at Rustenburg was approached by representatives of the local communities, SANCO Bojanala District, for assistance with burning community issues.  An assessment was made to demonstrate the extent of the problem and to help Sasol respond to the need.

“We visited three schools including the Retlakgona Primary School, Bana-Pele Primary School and Meriting Secondary School. In all the interviews conducted, overcrowding in the schools came up as a primary concern, which desperately needed to be addressed,” explained Ranyawa.

“The schools are currently overcrowded with up to 52 children sharing one classroom. To assist we will be providing each school with four classrooms to alleviate the overcrowding," continued Ranyawa.

The building system will include a single-storey structure that utilizes factory-produced wall and roof panels made from Sasol PVC. The units will furniture as well as a solar power system for lighting. This innovative building system lends itself to quick quality buildings that can be erected by semi-skilled workers in very remote parts of the world.

“At Sasol, we believe that education is the foundation of a prosperous future. By investing in this project, we hope to play a vital role in equipping the youth for their futures,” said Ranyawa.

The construction period for the project is planned for completion in March 2014 and will conclude with a handover ceremony taking place in April 2014.