BPSA volunteers renovate another classroom at lofentse girls high school 

BPSA has once again partnered with the SAME Foundation to refurbish another classroom at Lofentse, a non-fee paying girls’ high school in Orlando East, Soweto. Last year BPSA employees gave a muchneeded facelift; feafuring modern interior finishings to a mathematics classroom in the school. 

Today the science classroom is undergoing a major revamp to create a better learning environment in support of national efforts to close the gender gap in science and mathematics by fostering Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) interest in girls.

“Through our CSI initiatives we always strive to have meaningful impact and returning to refurbish the science classroom is in line with our long-standing commitment to support and encourage girls to pursue STEM opportunities,” says BPSA Head of Marketing, Tebogo Mekoa. 

Through the BPSA Education Foundation, the organisation invests significantly in initiatives specifically aimed at developing infrastructure and educational programmes in under-resourced schools. Established in 2013, its main objective is to advance the opportunities of inclusive economic development and shared growth through high school programmes, financing for higher education in the form of scholarships & skills development and working with people living with disabilities.

Additinally, collaborations with various stakeholders, including the government, private sector and educational institutions enablethe BPSA Education Foundation to contribute towards improving the quality of education in science, technology, English and mathematics, while developing a pipeline for universities. 

 Notes to editors 
 

• The BPSA Education Foundation has a long-standing partnership with the University of Witwatersrand on its Targeting Talent Programe. This partnership dates back to 2009 when it first was piloted.
• The Wits TTP programme is aimed at empowering learners from under-resourced schools from Grade 10 to 12 with learning and study skills suited to university education. The programme outputs are commendable in that not only do our TTP matric cohort perform well above the National Senior Certificate average, they have for the last three to four years performed better than IEB averages. In the last six years, the Foundation has funded 1 110 matriculants through   the programme. Out of these matriculants, the Foundation awarded 115 scholarship for university studies in the last five years. This is creating dreams and possibilities for learners who might otherwise have been lost in the system and we are privileged to be part of the process.
• Furthermore, the BPSA Education Foundation offers university scholarships to top students from the TTP programme studying Engineering, Accounting, Actuarial science etc. Eighteen students have graduated in 2018, two are studying Master’s degree in Finance and Chemical Engineering and eight have been absorbed by the job market. We specifically target high school students, who will be first generation in their families to attend a tertiary institution. We provide them with full scholarships including some level of psychosocial support where required.
• Since 2013, BPSA has also participated as sponsor in the Learner Focus Week (LFW), which is a Department of Energy (DoE) flagship project focusing on career awareness in the energy sector. The programme targets High School learners from underprivileged backgrounds to enter the Science, Technology, Energy and Mathematics (STEM) fields during the winter school holidays. 

Further enquiries: 

For interview/photo opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact Nelisiwe Masina, BPSA Corporate Communications Manager,

Tel: +2787 357 9374 or email: nelisiwe.masina@bp.com.