Principal Londo Luthuli is very pleased with the continuing progress of the students and comments “ The learners want to be educated at Phambili High School. They want to improve their results and enjoy the favourable atmosphere at the school which is proving highly conducive to studying. The science lab and library have played a significant part in the success story and we are also seeing more quality students at the school and responsible parents who view the school as a positive educational training ground for their children.”
A significant part of the school’s success has come as a direct result of the sponsorship of a science lab and library from local cement manufacturer NPC/Intercement.
Traditionally Phambili High School was seen as an institution that catered for low-income families and students who encountered social problems in other schools. However this view is changing and more families are seeing the value of quality education that the school is providing.
Two students who are benefitting from the generosity of NPC/Intercement’s sponsorship of the Science lab and Library, are 18 year old Luyanda Ntanzi (Montclair) and 19 year old Ian Lamula (Seaview). Both these students are hard at work, taking full advantage of the positive and productive atmosphere that Phambili provides, in order to prepare themselves for a bright future.
Petite Luyanda Ntanzi (Montclair) is all smiles as she relates her plans for the future with her main subjects being Physical Science and Pure Maths. She is aspiring for a place at a University in Cape Town - “ I want to study either medicine or mechanical engineering. My father is a mechanic and I often help him work on cars. I love watching him and assisting and find it very rewarding once a job is completed. My Mother would like me to study medicine so we will see what happens. I also enjoy reading and my favourite book is currently John Kani’s - Nothing but the Truth.”
This is a very interesting young lady indeed and she goes on to say, “Dedication is one of the most important things that I aspire to. To be successful in life and as a student today you need to think out of the box, respect people and one must not be selfish. Take advantage of opportunities. I love my school and my teachers and I thank them for their support this year”.
Local young learner Ian Lamula (Seaview) while slightly more reserved and a bit shy, is raring to go as he has already applied to UKZN and is waiting for his June results to send through to the university. An avid chess player, Ian is keen to pursue a career in medicine with aspirations of becoming a surgeon. Ian’s main subjects are maths and physical science and he loves working in the science lab any chance he gets.
“I am part of a group of students who call ourselves the “Phambili Support Group” . We are a group of friends and like-minded students who work after school on projects involving life science, maths and physical science. We are very competitive between ourselves and we have internal competitions to push each other in our studies. I am of the belief that studying maths and science is not about intelligence but rather it is about hard work and dedication. The more you study and apply yourself, commendable results will follow. As students we are also impressed at the improvement of many learners due to the science lab and library.”
Head of Department for Maths, Science and Technology - Miss Zandile Langa B.ed(Hons) is also a Phambili fan. Zandile has been HOD at Phambili since 2014 and has seen excellent results and is proud to be a part of the ethos that is Phambili High School.
“With a steady increase of matric students every year, 701 in 2013 and 1013 in 2018 the positive results are still climbing,” Zandile comments “ We are enrolling more students every year and we are seeing the students working harder and the results are showing this trend. We are finding that parents are becoming more supportive every year and learners are more prepared to learn. Collectively they are seeing the value of education and in general have a very positive outlook on their futures. This makes our job easier and we thoroughly enjoy working with enthusiastic students. I have been teaching for 17 years. It is my passion and seeing good results every year is very encouraging. I also enjoy it when past students visit us. We encourage this and invite them to talk to the current students as this helps to motivate them.”
In 2015 NPC/Intercement funded Phambili High School, an under-performing school in the Durban suburb of Rossburgh. At the time the school was in need of assistance but was a school that most corporate funders would shy away from due to the fact that many of the students were expelled from 'good' schools for poor performance or issues such as violence and substance abuse.
NPC funded the setting up of a brand new library and science laboratory and as a direct result of this intervention, there has been a positive turnaround at Phambili High School, not only in learner performance but other funders now see value in investing in this school.
Smangele Tshabalala Transformation Manager at NPC/ Intercement comments - “It is encouraging to see improvements in learner outcomes at Phambili, our company took a risk and funded this school when it was performing at its worst because we believed every child has potential. All they needed was a conducive environment to facilitate teaching and learning. Congratulations to the learners, the parents, the teachers and management of Phambili for your hard work and partnership.”
Performance Graphs below from 2013 indicate
improvement since corporate funders such as
NPC/Intercement got involved in projects
improvement since corporate funders such as
NPC/Intercement got involved in projects
Story & photographs
Paul Godwin / Nerve Communications
on behalf of NPC a member of Intercement
