Tembisa, Johannesburg, 2013-04-10 — /travelprnews.com/ — In response to the devastation left by heavy rains in December 2012, O.R. Tambo International Airport today handed over four newly refurbished classrooms to Nyiko Primary School in Tembisa.
181 children at the schoolwere forced to begin their academic year in overcrowded classrooms, as a result of the damage. The refurbishment is in line with O.R. Tambo International’s Early Childhood development programme, which focuses on providing infrastructure and assisting in building as well as maintaining schools within the airport’s community. It is within this context that O.R. Tambo International Airport management and staff have committed themselves to providing the community of Tembisa access to a conducive educational environment.
“The children at Nyiko Primary School have become a part of the airport family. In our continued efforts to ensure community development in and around O.R. Tambo International Airport, management and staff have made it their personal goal to ensure that the future of the children of Tembisa is not be compromised by the lack of a safe and well equipped learning environment,” said Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Communications Manager at O.R. Tambo International Airport.
The refurbished building comes complete with brand new notice boards and a chalk board in each classroom. Employees at O.R. Tambo International have for the past two years contributed to the education of the 1069 learners at Nyiko Primary School.
Mrs Tonia Mkhize, outgoing Principal at Nyiko Primary School said she is grateful for the continuedsupport from the airport, especially duringthis time, where urgent intervention was critical.
“It has been a very difficult time for the school. We began the school year despondent due to our limited resources. The building was badly damaged and this resulted in us increasing the number of learners per class in order to accommodate all learners, leading to ushaving to manage larger classes”, Mkhize added.
According to the Chairperson of the school’s Governing Body, Collin Nkwinika, O.R. Tambo International Airport has played a key role in empowering the children of Tembisa. “As the School Governing Body, the assistance of this big corporate has encouraged us to ensure uncompromised delivery of quality education which contributes to the development of our community”, he said.
For more information, please contact:
Unathi Batyashe-Fillis
Manager: Communication and Brand Management
OR Tambo International Airport
Direct: +27 (0) 11 921 6087
Cell: +27 (0) 79 882 7307
Email: unathi.Batyashe-Fillis@airports.co.za