New Brighton church leads way in “adopting” school

St Stephen’s Anglican Church has set an example to churches in Nelson Mandela Bay by “adopting” Cowan High School in New Brighton as an educational support project.

The move by the New Brighton Church is in line with an appeal by the Eastern Cape Department of Education for

churches to intervene in the present educational crisis in the region by “adopting” schools and engaging proactively with parents, learners and teachers in their congregations with a view to promoting a culture of diligence and parental participation.

At a recent special education service at St Stephens, Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Cllr Zanoxolo Wayile presented the church with a plaque of honour for its positive contribution to the community. Representatives of several leading local companies that are also lending support to Cowan High School also attended the service.

Mayor Wayile, who attended the service to represent his Education Task Team projects, which have a similar “adopt a school” campaign in collaboration with Cadbury SA, announced that  two trust funds would be initiated in March and April to assist learners who could not afford to further their studies.

He said that education was very important and that the city was in dire need of people with specific skills training. “Skills are needed for our city to land major projects that will assist with job creation. Our greatest struggle is against our own weaknesses,” he said.

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Also present at the service to provide the Cowan High School learners with advice for future learning opportunities were the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Film and Music Office, Standard Bank, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).