Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions is steadfast in its commitment to making a positive societal impact. A testament to this commitment is the company’s recent partnership with the Adopt-a-School Foundation, specifically with the Modilati Secondary School in Hammanskraal.
The alliance strives to transform the educational landscape, ensuring an environment that nurtures teaching and learning.
Under the banner of this partnership, Modilati Secondary School has witnessed significant advancements. Notably, the school achieved a 100% pass rate for science in the 2022 matric class. Steven Lebere, Adopt-a-School Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, praises the model, highlighting Modilati Secondary School as an exemplar of its potential.
Modilati Secondary School’s journey with the Adopt-a-School Foundation began in 2007, but it’s the recent collaboration with Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions that has accelerated its progress.
Jan Prinsloo, Stakeholder Management Specialist at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, highlights the mutual benefits of such investments. “Helping the world advance through engineering means making a positive societal impact as we strengthen our brand,” he says.
Prinsloo further emphasises that this involvement aligns with Sandvik Mining and Rock Solution’s core focus areas: Sustainability Shift, Digital Shift, and Societal Impact. This project at Modilati Secondary School distinctly echoes the company’s Digital and Societal impact aspirations.
Sandvik Mining and Rock Solution’s involvement has seen the implementation of various transformative projects at Modilati Secondary School. This includes the launch of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Curriculum projects, tailored for Grades 9 to 10. These projects target both the enhancement of ICT resources and the professional development of educators.
On a more fundamental level, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions championed the construction of a new ablution block and the renovation of an existing one, symbolising their commitment to restoring learners’ dignity.
The establishment of the flushing ablution block equipped with a French septic tank was completed in February 2023. This not only signifies an enhancement in infrastructure but also a commitment to the Department of Education’s Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) initiative. Such developments, as Lebere notes, foster a conducive learning environment.
Other infrastructural developments, primarily courtesy of Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, includes classroom constructions and renovations and the establishment of a state-of-the-art computer laboratory. Additionally, the school has benefited from additional resources that bolster ICT, visual support and educator development programmes in subjects like Mathematics, Science, and English, ultimately impacting 55 educators and 1 521 learners.
“We believe that Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions epitomises what it means to be a socially responsible corporation, and through strategic partnerships and a vision grounded in societal upliftment, the company will continue to redefine the landscape of corporate social investment,” Prinsloo concludes.
