FROM SOWETO TO DOWN UNDER

Lerato Dinah Mekgwe, 16, a student at the Sci-Bono Saturday School in Newtown, will soon be studying in Australia at the Mentone Girls High School in Melbourne. Lerato, who is currently attending the Letsibogo Girls High School in Meadowlands in Soweto, attributes her success in being chosen for the exchange programme to her time spent at the Sasol-sponsored Sci-Bono Saturday School. The Sasol Saturday School is a high flying intervention aimed at preparing young learners who show potential to enter Mathematics, Science and Technology studies at University.

“I’m very happy to have been chosen for this programme and I plan to learn as much as I possibly can from my teachers and my classmates. I would never have been as prepared as I was without the help of the teachers and my friends at Sci-Bono. I would especially like to thank my principal, Mrs Ellen Kondowe, for providing me with the opportunity as well. Everyone at school is so envious. I can’t wait to come back and tell them what I’ve learnt,” said an excited Lerato, who is currently in grade 11.

Sasol Group Community Affairs Manager Pam Mudhray says “We are very proud of Lerato and wish her the best in her studies in Australia. The Sasol Sci-Bono partnership over the last 4 years has helped to nurture some our brightest young minds in Gauteng public schools. Lerato is a perfect example of the quality of education being administered at Sci-Bono."

The Sasol Saturday School, which has been running for over 4 years, offers supplementary tuition, skills development and career education to selected Grade 10, 11 and 12 learners, from underprivileged communities and in three years the project has produced a 100% pass rate.