The Alexandra Education Committee (AEC) came into being in 1996 under the leadership of Deane Yates, who through his church in the township of Alexandra identified boys and girls living in Alexandra who showed potential in the schools of Alexandra but were not producing the results that they were capable of. Deane Yates decided that he would raise funds for these boys and girls to send them to more functional secondary schools outside of Alexandra. He was successful in this undertaking and formed a committee under the chairmanship of Clare Rossouw who began to expand on this idea and increased the number of children who would benefit from it.
In 2003 the Committee was registered as a public benefit organisation (PBO) and in 2004 as an nonprofit organisation (NPO), thereafter an office was opened in the grounds of Waverley Girls’ High School. In 2006, a director, Frank Simmonds, was appointed and the AEC grew to include 230 boys and girls into its programme by 2013.
The AEC mission is to raise funds for bursaries; to provide quality secondary education for disadvantaged boys and girls from Alexandra and to develop them into future leaders. The organisation’s aim is for bursars to achieve a 100 percent pass rate in matric with the goal of a university entrance.
Main Activities:
- Raising funds to provide these bursaries;
- An extra lesson programme during the week, on Saturdays and during school holidays to supplement their school work in subjects such as English, mathematics, physical science, life sciences, accounting, computers and subjects on request from the bursars;
- To provide mentorship for each bursar;
- To provide assistance with respect to transport, textbooks, stationery, school uniforms, one meal a day and resources; and
- Assist Mathematics and English subject teachers with support both in primary and secondary affiliated schools.
The challenges which are experienced by the organisation are to raise funds under a difficult economic environment; keep the AEC bursars focussed and not allow the many distractions they face to derail their progress and to motivate teachers to better classroom delivery of lessons.
Impact
Since 1996 the AEC has enabled well over 400 successful matriculants to proceed to tertiary education or to the workplace to follow successful lives.
To view Alexandra Education Committee in the Prodder NGO Directory, click here.
