Empowering the future
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on every aspect of life in South Africa and the world , not least on education . As part of our commitment to supporting South Africa ’ s youth , the PPS Foundation has continued to carry out the various initiatives and programmes aimed at assisting learners in a year that proved challenging for many organisations .
The disruption of face-to-face classes , the effects of the digital divide and economic hardship throughout 2020 threatened to derail the entire academic year . Many universities struggled to provide digital access for their students and required support from the private sector to assist . In 2020 , we
supported four universities with funding to facilitate digitalisation , reaching close to 200 students .
Understanding how important it is to maintain continuity of learning , through the PPS Group , we also provided financial support to the Youth Start Foundation , which facilitates youth development programmes for high school learners from underserved communities . This was used to assist matric learners from various communities to catch up on missed lessons in mathematics and physics .
Despite the challenges that arose during the year , we continued to enable access to tertiary education through the PPS Foundation ’ s Bursary
Programme . The Foundation funds around 60 bursaries recipients every year . In addition to this , through the related University Support Programme , we aim to improve the teaching and learning experience for all in academic institutions .
PPS is a young and vibrant organisation , with 44 % of our staff being under the age of 35 . This means that the organisation benefits from fresh thinking and innovative ways of solving problems . To prepare young people who have completed their studies to transition into the world of work , the PPS Foundation has offered the LEAP Work- Readiness Programme , which is now in its third year of operation .
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