Through the Hermanus Varsity Trust, over the next four years 30 young people will qualify as teachers. Driven by local professionals who volunteer to tutor the students, this project has two main goals. One is offering young people from poor communities access quality education and good jobs. The other is to foster teachers who bring passion and excellence to their teaching. Their well-paid employment will contribute to more stable and prosperous communities.
Our commitment to training teachers tackles closely related individual and social problems that are endemic in South Africa. *Individual: poverty *Social: poor quality of teaching *Social: low standards of education *Individual: lack of access to higher education *Individual: few good employment opportunities *Social: communities in poverty are insecure and potentially volatile. Together these contribute to a vicious circle of poverty and social instability.
The Hermanus Varsity Trust's aim is to contribute, through higher education, to the betterment of communities in a region with abundant natural beauty but limited opportunities for employment. We provide financial and academic support to enable qualifying individuals to complete accredited university programmes. We choose programmes, such as teaching, that lead to local, professional-type jobs. When our graduates' families prosper, the effects spill over and uplift our communities.
We are using education to help build over the longer term a vibrant black middle-class. Without a substantial middle, social stability is unlikely. We support students who would not have a chance to take university programmes. Our unique value proposition is having talented local professionals serve as tutors. Our students show the path to the future. They have great potential and, while facing and overcoming many obstacles, are enthusiastic about and committed to learning.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
