Growsmart launches in Limpopo 

Limpopo – The Growsmart Educational Programme, which has a vision to enrich the lives of South African youth and sow seeds of success through education, was launched in Limpopo on Tuesday 28 January. 

An initiative by Growthpoint Properties in collaboration with the Limpopo Department of Education, the programme is supported by the Dwarsrivier Chrome Mine and sponsored by the Boleng Trust. 

Despite the insurmountable challenges being experienced by the South African educational arena over the past 11 years, the Growsmart team have proved that anything is possible if you are willing to go the extra mile to promote lifelong learning and improve the livelihoods of the next generation. 
Limpopo is the third South African province where Growsmart is working to have a meaningful and positive impact on the performance of primary schools. 

“We are elated to continue the Growsmart journey and welcome every learner, teacher and school that returns and those who will be participating this year for the first time.

We know that the educational rewards will be felt for many generations to come and expanding the programme to reach more communities has always been an integral part of our vision,” said Growsmart Educational Programme founder Jewel Harris. 

The initiative started 11-years ago in the Western Cape, where it established a strong, successful track record and has further expanded to the Eastern Cape in 2018. To date, the programme has impacted more than 69 000 primary school learners from the Western and Eastern Cape and further develops educators through teacher workshops and a programme based on the current curriculum which is fully aligned with the provincial education departments. 

As a measure of its success, its story writing initiative has already produced 140 published authors under the age of 13 whose books are now being used in the school system.

“Our aim has always been to enhance learning and provide quality education for every learner in every classroom,” explained Harris. 

As a community-centred project, Growsmart equips learners to face educational challenges head-on, empowering the youth and strengthening communities through quality education. They are consequently effecting change on multiple levels in society as learners, teachers, parents and families all reap the rewards of improved learning – inside and outside of the classroom.

Several Growsmart learners have also gone on to receive full scholarships to high schools. Many have matriculated with distinctions and confidently ventured into tertiary level education. 

Growthpoint Properties head of corporate social responsibility Shawn Theunissen said: “For Growthpoint Properties, Growsmart helps us to give primary school learners access to quality education.

Growthpoint Properties is not only invested in our property assets in South Africa; we are also invested in communities. Growsmart is an effective way of creating social capital for our business and stakeholders alike.” 

The competition’s programme will be presented to teachers, mentors, principals and senior members of the Department of Education at the launch and all participating schools will receive the Growsmart curriculum-based education newspapers together with story writing kits, dictionaries and a manual explaining the mechanics of the competition.

Growsmart press release extract, 27 January 2020.