TSHILAPFENE – The little rural village of Tshilapfene near Donald Fraser Hospital received a huge educational boost on Sunday. The United Nations Education, Science, Culture and Communication Organization (Unesco), the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) and Kalahari Booksellers jointly handed over computers, books, a riso machine and printers for the improvement of education in the village.

The function is a brainchild of the Tshilapfene Education Development and the village headman, Muelekanyi Tshivhase.

The schools that benefited from the initiative are Muelekanyi Tshivhase Technology School, Grace and Love Special School and Tshilapfene Primary School.

The day started with a workshop for 70 delegates who are teachers and members of the School Governing Bodies of the three schools. Conducted by Dr Thidziambi Phendla, the Director of IICBA, the workshop covered team building, problem solving, leadership management and the effect of HIV/Aids in educational development. Teachers were also lectured on how to use technology like computers to make their jobs easier.

Unesco handed two computers and a printer to Muelekanyi Tshivhase Technology School. Kalahari Booksellers donated a riso machine worth R21 000 to the same school. Dr Phendla donated 400 fictional books and 10 sets of encyclopaedias to the school.

The chairperson of Tshilapfene Education Development, Vhengani Tshishonga, who is also the principal of Muelekanyi Tshivhase Technology School, said the workshop and the donations will build a strong morale in the development of education in the village.

“We do not have enough words to thank the donors and the organizers of the workshop. We believe in collective leadership and we are going to implement the workshop knowledge in the development of education in the village. The teaching aids donated by different donors simply show that there are people who are prepared to uplift the standard of education in the rural villages.”