MUSINA – Poor pupils from Matswakale High School, who are following science and maths, now have the opportunity to use scientific calculators. This follows after a donation of 400 scientific calculators at a cost of R30 000 from the Venetia Mine.

The official handing over was held at Venetia mine’s guesthouse on Monday in Musina.

The jubilant headmaster of Matswakale High, Mr Samuel Chueu, states that Matswakale’s pupils are from a poor, rural area and that nearly all the parents of the school are unemployed. “We try to approach many companies to assist with money that would be used for the smooth running of school, but we did not receive any response from them,” he said.

Matswakale appreciated what De Beers Venetia did to help the school and thanked corporate Social Investment Officer, Mr Leon Nkwashu, who visited the school several times.

The General Manager of De Beers Venetia Mine, Mr Dieter Haage, said that the donation was made with a view to supporting the development of education in its quest to increase the representation of black students in academic programs offering subjects in science, teachnology and engineering. Mr Haage mentioned that, this year, De Beers awarded bursaries totaling over R8 million to 165 students to pursue careers in mining at various institutions through the country.

A Grade 12 pupil, Alvecia Makwiti, was very happy when she received a calculator and promised that she would pass at the end of year.