The long-running Ikateleng Project – which was initiated in 1988 in the Vanderbijlpark area – aims to provide supplementary tuition to Grades 10, 11 and 12 learners and by doing so not only improve their overall examination results, but also impart vital life skills to them. At the heart of the project lies the transformation agenda to increase access to tertiary education for academically deserving learners.
In 2018 the project will be hosted at seven centres, including: Vanderbijlpark, Potchefstroom, Mahikeng, Lichtenburg, Kimberley, Mankwe and Mamelodi. Supplemental tuition will be given in mathematics, physical sciences, life sciences, accounting, business studies and English.
The project depends entirely on contributions from various sponsors.
More about the project
The word “Ikateleng” means to “empower yourself” and during the past 30 years thousands of learners have benefited from this project that is currently regarded as one of South Africa’s most successful empowerment initiatives.
According to Darius Mhulatshi, Ikateleng project manager, the project bears witness to the NWU’s commitment to be an enabler of success. He explains that participating learners who perform well are enabled to qualify for merit bursaries so that they can commence with their tertiary education without the additional burden of worrying about tuition fees.
Each year in October participating schools are visited by a team from the NWU to prepare prospective Grade 10 learners who intend to enrol for the project the following year. During these visits the learners are also addressed on the requirements of the project as well as subject selections and combinations. Teachers with a proven track record are recruited through the Department of Education (DoE) to act as facilitators for the duration of the project. Many of the current facilitators are either subject advisors, subject heads or senior exam markers.
The programme is run over a period of 18 consecutive Saturdays from 08:30 to 15:00.
More about the different centres
The Ikateleng Project is coordinated from seven centres; one main centre at each of the campuses and four additional sites of delivery, namely: Kimberley, Mankwe, Mamelodi and Lichtenburg.
- Mahikeng Campus: accommodates learners from Mahikeng and surrounding districts within a 50km radius.
- Potchefstroom Campus: accommodates learners from the Potchefstroom-area, Vredefort, Viljoenskroon, Klerksdorp, Orkney and Stilfontein.
- Vanderbijlpark Campus: accommodates learners from Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Sasolburg, Deneysville, Bophelong and Orange Farms (Johannesburg-South).
Interesting facts:
- In 2017 the project boasted an overall pass rate of 89,3%
- A total of 251 distinctions were recorded during the 2017 National Senior Certificate Examination.
- In 2011 the project received commendation from the NWU for being one the most successful community engagement programmes to date.
