Major banks, automotive and industrial businesses, technology partners, and community organisations have heeded the call to support education as the catalyst for community development, as they rallied to the aid of Newell High School in Gqeberha recently.

Newell, one of the longest-standing schools in the historic township of New Brighton, is one of the newest beneficiaries of Odin Education, an ed-tech ecosystem into which learners are enrolled for the academic year. The ecosystem includes hardware, e-learning resources and platforms, 24/7 support and connectivity.

These secure devices, using a software platform developed by local tech company Jendamark, are locked for educational purposes only and do not provide access to social media platforms but will expose pupils to the latest AI technology, such as ChatGPT. A school liaison will also be placed at the school to support teachers and drive the adoption of technology in the classroom.

Automotive component supplier Forvia-Faurecia has selected Odin Education as one of its sustainability projects and is funding the expansion of this initiative at the school, solidifying education as one of the company’s key focus areas.

Speaking at the handover event, Newell principal Zama Makapati said he was excited that Newell pupils would be leading from the front when it came to educational technology.

The seventh largest automotive supplier in the world, Forvia-Faurecia is the latest partner to come on board with the Odin Education ecosystem. To date, more than 3 150 pupils in six provinces across South Africa have benefitted from the initiative.

According to Robert Wistuba, chief engineer for Faurecia Clean Mobility in South Africa, this is the start of a long-term, sustainable  relationship with the potential to grow in terms of scalable impact.

“About a year ago, through Jendamark, which is one of our key partners in technology, we found out about the Odin Education programme. It just fitted in perfectly with what Forvia is driving,” explained Wistuba.

“Education is one of our key pillars. As Forvia in South Africa we believe that’s where we must start, not only because of the value of education itself but also because of its tangible social impact in supporting communities.”

Forvia-Faurecia joins several corporates who are already collaborating to support the school through the Odin Education initiative, including Volkswagen South Africa, Standard Bank, financial services software company Iress, and thermal engineering solutions provider IWC.

“We are proud, grateful and humbled to have partners like Forvia, Volkswagen and Standard Bank engaged in our day-to-day business and simultaneously working together for a brighter future for our children,” said Jendamark managing director Quinton Uren.

Speaking to the pupils, Odin Education’s business development head, Dean Gurney, urged them to make the most of the opportunity and use the resources they had been given to achieve their dreams.

Echoing his sentiments was Nceba Faku, chairman of the New Brighton Vibes Revival, a committee of community leaders born and raised in New Brighton who are working to address social challenges such as crime and poverty, and uplift the community.

Faku said Jendamark and its partners were among the private sector companies “seeking to intervene in the situation in our townships to make sure that, in spite of their situation, we are able to be part of the race of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Addressing the pupils, he said, “You are the generation that we put our hopes on. We do this with Jendamark with the hope that you will be that generation that will develop scientific innovations for Africa, to rescue Africa from all social and natural ills that are taking place. We can’t do that if we don’t educate the younger generation and keep up with modern technology and what is to come. And it all starts with this device.”