CPUT’s Marketing and Communication Department has acknowledged the efforts of principals, life orientation teachers and community organisations in inspiring hope in young academically gifted youngsters.

A gala dinner event was recently hosted by the institution to commend CPUT’s top 20 feeder schools. These are schools who consistently enrol the most number of learners to CPUT, and Thandokhulu High School in Mowbray took the top honour.

The event also commended the role that community leaders and their organisations do in ensuring youngsters consider a university education.

Student recruitment Officer Thandokazi Mtshekisa commended everyone present for working in tandem with CPUT to inspire the next generation.

“Without you there is no CPUT,” she said.

“Thank you for all the hard work you are doing in the communities to keep hope alive for these learners and encourage them to come to study further.”

One of the community leaders commended was Latifah Jacobs from Kuils River.

She was nominated by CPUT Student Recruitment Officer Grant Barends who commended her ability to call youth to action in her community.

“Apart from the wonderful community work that she does in Kuils River (feeding the community and assisting with relief when required), Latifah also assisted in mobilising learners from all the schools in the area to participate in a higher education expo that CPUT was participating in. This meant the message of studying further reached more young people than just one school,” he says.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Dr David Phaho told the guests that he was proud to be partnering with them to make a difference.

“To be in this room this evening means that you have done the groundwork to ensure your learners are eligible for acceptance to CPUT.”

“In short, we understand you and you understand us. Thank you for trusting CPUT as a partner in this journey of educating the future leaders of this country.”

Written by Lauren Kansley
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Many of CPUT’s top students come from important feeder schools, especially in the Western and Eastern Cape, that produce quality students who easily adjust to the academic demands at the Institution.

As such, the Office of the Vice-Chancellor recently hosted a breakfast engagement with high school principals and community leaders from the feeder schools. The event was held at the Bellville Campus. This annual event is one of Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chris Nhlapo’s initiatives aimed at strengthening relationships with “our stakeholders” and facilitating dialogues to identify areas of support and collaboration.

It was attended by the Western Cape Education Department Council, high school principals and community leaders. The event was a resounding success that brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, and the discussions were lively, coupled with meaningful connections for mutual benefit.

In her opening address, Prof Henriette Hay-Swemmer, Executive Director: Office of the Vice-Chancellor, said: “I am so excited to see that community, university, the Western Cape Education Department chair and deputy chair are here because we also want to share with our story and our passion, particularly in making a difference in our surrounding schools. And more importantly, specifically, in terms of STEM [ Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics]. We are all very concerned…The fact that our children do not want to take maths and we must turn this around. It’s very often, a small group of people that come together like us that can say enough is enough. We must turn the point.”

In his keynote address, Nhlapo said there was a looming teacher crisis especially with regard to teachers in Maths and Science. “We want to produce engineers…So the dream is to make sure that we can actually have the STEM institute and help all the students at this region of the country. We have had a number of interventions across the Peninsula and outside the province.”

The guests were also taken on a tour of the Clothing and Textile Technology labs and Food Technology Station.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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