large text
regular text
Article by Sisa Sityata-Soga
With six years’ running, the Take a Girl child to Work campaign, which originally was organised by Cell C Network Company, has been an uplifting initiative encouraging the public and private sector to allow girls between 14 and 18 to come to work to gain first-hand experience of the workplace on this specially marked day.
Partaking in the campaign, the Eastern Cape Education Department added a gender twist to this year’s campaign.
Female and male learners from disadvantaged backgrounds spent the day at the education precinct so they could have first hand experience of how the department works.
EC Education Special Programmes Unit’s Gender and Youth Coordinator Bukiwe Fanta cited the inclusion of boys as a necessary provision.
“As a unit, we felt it necessary to include boys in this campaign because of research findings which reflected that boys were being left behind in such programmes,” she said.
Fanta further added that the inclusion of boys was to point out that male learners were neither neglected nor isolated from such programmes, something she said may lead to “boys dropping out of school and getting involved in violence sometimes”.
Accompanied by their teachers, learners came from within and around the outskirts of the Zwelitsha area to be part of the working force’s environment for just one day.
This year’s departmental campaign had a deeper effect, made by the presence of learners from Vukuhambe School for the Physically Disabled.
Taking a moment to dismiss all negative assumptions and stigmatization around disabled people was Siphokazi Kupiso citing the solution as lying in people’s minds.
“We can change the world by changing our mindset,” said the feisty grade 12 Kupiso as she invited the public to open their hearts and eyes to the plight of stigmatization faced by the disabled.
Sharing similar sentiments was Special Programmes Unit Deputy Director Selwyn Bruiners, who portrayed the main purpose of the campaign as a means of “strengthening the thinking amongst learners” in believing in themselves despite any difficult circumstances they may be growing up under.
“This exposure of one day to the work environment is to encourage and motivate you that although challenged [no matter in what form or shape], you can still succeed in life,” he fervently said.
As the learners were being prepared for a day in the Department of Education, Bruiners encouraged them to seize the opportunity to familiarise themselves with intricacies of the various office operations.
“Today you will be exposed to different work environments and it will provide you with the opportunity to [observe, learn and]ask questions regarding certain professions so you can be in the know with regard to what you want to become in life someday,” he said.
“I’m awake, alert and alive” the learners chorused enthusiastically ahead of provincial Education MEC Mahlubandile Qwase’s taking to the podium.
Noticeably moved and motivated by the spirit and self-assurance displayed by the learners, Qwase urged them to thrust forward to their bright futures.
“Honourable learners, as the future of our country you are already displaying the kind of potential that you have,” he said.
Taking the opportunity to reflect on the work of the education department, Qwase gave praises to all educators who took their responsibility to teach with seriousness.
“The manner in which these children are addressing the issues shows that as much as negative sentiments are being expressed about the department, there is still good that is being done by the department [officials] as well,” he said.
“Today you can go home and for a change ask for someone to make you a cup of tea as you have had a long day at work as well,” said Qwase, much to the learners’ laughter.
To date, the Take a Girl Child to Work initiative is still regarded as one of the largest collaborative act of volunteerism in the country.
Article Tags: Cell C Network Company,
Previous page
Print
Email
Favourites
Export to PDF
Customer Care