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Telkom Integrated Report 2017
Outlook
Going forward, the group will
pursue the concept of shared value,
creating a direct link between
the community’s and the group’s
competitiveness. We will strive to
achieve impact, structuring our
interventions to be focused, linked
and empowering. This involves
re-evaluating strategies and
policies to ensure collaboration
across the group; aligning new and
existing programmes, projects
and initiatives to the strategic
objectives of the business; and
responsibly exiting misaligned
projects.
TheTelkomFoundation recently
developed a long-term strategy
that will align to the new ICT
charter. It is ultimately aimed at
producing a pool of individuals
from disadvantaged communities
that are highly skilled in ICT and
who will contribute to the sector
and economy. This will be achieved
through the provision of structured
support at basic and tertiary
education level, and facilitating
access to economically productive
opportunities in the ICT sector.
Socio-economic development
TheTelkomFoundation, BCX and Trudon CSI driveTelkom’s social investment.
We continued to focus on education, enabled by social development and
employee volunteering.
The education focus area aims to improve learner results through high school
scholarships, supplementary education, and tertiary bursaries. The desired
impact is to enable access to tertiary education to create an ICT-educated,
innovative generation that will contribute positively to the sector
and economy.
TheTelkomcompany and Trudon high school scholarship programme places
learners, with academic promise from disadvantaged backgrounds, into better
resourced schools. TheTelkomprogramme supported 33 grades 9 to 12
learners in three provinces, all of whom matriculated, and five learners enrolled
for tertiary studies. The Trudon programme, a five-year programme started in
2013, continues to support a total of 16 learners in grades 9 and 11.
The supplementary teaching programme, through multiple projects, provides
learners with additional classes in maths, science, technology and English.
The programme benefited over 3 900 learners in five provinces, and resulted
in an average improvement of 3 percent to 5 percent in maths and science
results. Trudon CSI engaged in a three-year partnership with a maths centre in
Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, to intervene in 10 high schools to enhance educator
and learner performance in maths and science.
Trudon CSI provided nine full bursaries to students at a public-accredited
South African university to continue their second year of ICT studies. This
increased the number of students participating in the programme to 15.
BCX implemented an IT laboratory in partnership with the League of Friends
of the Blind, in the Western Cape. This initiative allows blind grade 12 learners
to write their matric examinations with the aid of technology. Although
successful, the challenge of connectivity in rural areas persists.
Trudon CSI bursary
student participated in
the South African Tertiary
Maths Olympiad 2016
Our bursary student,
Bhomela
Mzimasi
– a BSc Mathematical
Science student at UJ – was
selected to participate in the
Tertiary Maths Olympiad 2016.
At the end of 2015, Bhomela
was in the top 15 of his class,
resulting in him attending a
“Maths Camp” and an invitation
to join the UJ Olympiad training
group. During the year, the
training group attended
fortnightly training sessions
to prepare for the competition.
Although the winner of the
Tertiary Maths Olympiad 2016
was the University of Cape
Town, Trudon CSI is very proud
of Bhomela.
TheTelkom company
employee volunteering
programme and BCX
“LetMeLearnMyTime” and
“LetMeGive” support our
education focus area and
encourage employees to
contribute to our social
capital. In excess of
340 hours were volunteered
byTelkom company and BCX
employees to causes such
as food security, literacy and
cyber safety workshops.
“Over the past three yearsTelkomFoundation invested
R85 million in education.TelkomFoundation, BCX
and Trudon collectively invested R38.4 million in
education in FY2017.”