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THE HCI FOUNDATION
HCI Foundation Early Childhood Development strategy is based on the African proverb it takes the whole village to raise a child. This is based on the understanding that all children have the potential to succeed, provided they are nurtured in conducive environments.
Our intention is to make sure that all children have access to quality, inclusive, transformative play based early learning programmes provided by skilled, qualified, passionate, nurturing and imaginative teachers. Access to quality early learning education is critical for children’s success at school and in later life.
A child’s brain is developed by the age of 5. The implications of children not accessing quality early learning are costly to the state and the future of its citizens. If we invest in Early Childhood Development now, we would be contributing towards the successful future of our children and the economy.
We partner with Early Childhood Development Training and Resource organisations to implement the below indicators of success that contribute towards excellence in ECD:
We support initiatives which build core literacy and numeracy skills at foundation level.
The Good Work Foundation in Mpumalanga is working with teachers at rural primary schools to integrate digital learning at primary level. 100 teachers, trained to International Computer Drivers License (ICDL) standard, will share information and skills at their own schools so that all teachers are adequately equipped to integrate computer skills into lessons. The Foundation has funded 25 teachers from Hazyview to attend the training.
A partnership with The Bookery, which has established 39 libraries at schools in the Western Cape and 1 in the Eastern Cape, emphasises the role of active school libraries with trained librarians in the quest to improve learners’ literacy, numeracy and comprehension skills.
At secondary level we support initiatives which reduce levels of drop out from school, increase throughput to matric and encourage academic excellence.
LEAP 2 Science and Maths and Lavender Hill High Schools in Cape Town and Midlands Community College in KZN are amongst current beneficiaries of this programme.
The Ikateleng Project provides supplementary teaching in sciences and economics to learners in Grades 10 to 12 to improve overall examination results and increase university readiness and enrolment. In 2014, the 8 Ikateleng campuses achieved a matric pass rate of 98% – their best in the project’s 27 year history.
National Bursary and Mentoring Programme
The HCI Foundation bursary programme has changed direction. From the year 2020 onwards, HCI Foundation bursaries will be given primarily to:
Our continuing bursary recipients who are still studying at their respective institutions throughout South Africa, And to new applicants at the level of Honours and Postgraduate Diploma who will be studying at the selected 11 institutions across the country.
We run a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) mentoring programme which links senior students and incoming first years; we visit institutions and run interactive workshops to encourage our students to be the best they can and make the most of the experience which tertiary education offers. In 2014 our first year students achieved a pass rate of 92%.
Also at tertiary level, the Foundation funds initiatives which support teacher development with the aim of improving learning outcomes, and is currently engaged in a three year collaboration with The UCT Schools Development Unit on the Ikwezi Lead Teacher project.
