In SA at the time...
Changing education policy framework
Whole school development was an approach identified by the Department of Education in 1996 as a way of improving school management and restoring a culture of teaching and learning. It was intended to ensure that schools exhibit basic levels of functionality.
The South African Schools Act (No. 84 of 1996) was signed into law and set the national goals and priorities within which organisations and donors, like the Zenex Foundation, would operate in the future.
Curriculum 2005 Lifelong Learning for the 21st Century was introduced in March 1997.
The progressive allocation of funds to education by the state since 1994 helped improve school infrastructure, but the educational environment was still characterised by huge backlogs and the inequitable distribution of resources, materials and skills, both educational and managerial. This situation was a feature of most South African schools, but was especially marked in schools in rural areas.
Whole school development was an approach identified by the Department of Education in 1996 as a way of improving school management and restoring a culture of teaching and learning. It was intended to ensure that schools exhibit basic levels of functionality.
The South African Schools Act (No. 84 of 1996) was signed into law and set the national goals and priorities within which organisations and donors, like the Zenex Foundation, would operate in the future.
Curriculum 2005 Lifelong Learning for the 21st Century was introduced in March 1997.
The progressive allocation of funds to education by the state since 1994 helped improve school infrastructure, but the educational environment was still characterised by huge backlogs and the inequitable distribution of resources, materials and skills, both educational and managerial. This situation was a feature of most South African schools, but was especially marked in schools in rural areas.
Organisational growth continues
In 1996 the Zenex Foundation started investing in programmes that were aligned with the Department of Education's whole school development approach. This approach encouraged a holistic involvement with the schools that the Zenex Foundation supported. It enabled the Zenex Foundation to focus its support on both managerial and teacher development.
In retrospect, this could be seen as the start of the Zenex Foundation's efforts to focus its work more strategically. In the interim, however, it continued its broad-based support strategy across a range of education sectors – from mathematics and science, early childhood development, pre-school facilities and training, National Qualification Framework-aligned adult basic education and training projects (embedded in local economies and committed to job creation) and adult skills training for employment, to the provision of educational learning resources for schools.
The broad-based focus of the Zenex Foundation was prompted by the many areas of the education system that required development and support. In order to free up resources to provide grants for this wide range of areas, the Zenex Foundation reduced its emphasis on physical infrastructure, since by this time it was being dealt with on a more equitable basis by the state.
During this phase, the Zenex Foundation also committed itself to supporting more projects in more provinces, especially projects in disadvantaged rural communities, as well as nationally based projects. In particular, the Zenex Foundation sought out cluster-based interventions that involved various projects complementing each other in the vicinity of particular communities.
By the end of 1997, the scale of the Zenex Foundation's activity had more than doubled – from 20 to 44 projects – and the Zenex Foundation was supporting at least one project in each of the nine provinces.
| Zenex Foundation | 1995 | 1997 |
| Number of projects | 20 | 44 |
| Financial support | R3.12 million | R9.9 million |
| Where | Mainly Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal | At least one project each of the nine provinces |
The end of 1997 thus saw the Zenex Foundation having established itself as a significant player in the South African education landscape.
Dimza Pityana was appointed CEO of Zenex Foundation in 1997 and she served in this capacity till 2002.
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