Ithala SOC Limited is a financial services provider that cares about the wellbeing of ordinary South Africans, as a responsible and a caring corporate citizen, Ithala has responded to the needs of its communities as they fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The outbreak of the Coronavirus and subsequent National Lockdown resulted in school leaners losing a substantial amount of their school academic year. Some schools and learners with access to technology and resources were able to do some schooling during this period, many from disadvantaged backgrounds have been left behind and require assistance to catch-up.

Ithala Education Fund is proud to introduce the Ithala Edu Platform, an initiative aimed at providing curriculum content and learner support to Grade 12 learners to assist them make-up lost schooling time and prepare them for final year exams. In the short-term, the programme will focus on helping grade 12 learners with the Caps Curriculum, Soft skills, and Career Guidance.

The programme started on the 29th of June, and a total of 1000 learners participate in our daily online tutorials. It covers subjects like IsiZulu, English, Accounting, Mathematics, Geography, Physical Science, and Applied Computer Technologies. Said Thabisile Luthuli, Ithala SOC Limited Executive Committee Chairperson. We are pleased with the rapid increase in the number of learners that are tuning in on the platform daily, and we will continue with our efforts to reach more learners. We want to thank our partners GoDigitalSA Foundation and Ukhozi FM, of walking on this journey with us, Says Mrs Luthuli.

Ithala Edu Platform is an Ithala Education Trust initiative. Ithala Education Trust founded in 2016 as a response to the Fees Must Fall Campaign to assist disadvantaged students to pay for their tertiary registration fees. The focus area of the fund changed with the introduction of Free Education in 2017.

The fund now focuses on equipping learners with digital skills that will allow them to be active participants in the 4th Industrial Revolution. As part of this 4IR Digital Skills Development Programme, Ithala holds Coding Bootcamps during school holidays to teach learners coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer programming. The summer school holiday Bootcamp took place in December 2019 at KwaDlangezwa High School. The Autumn school holiday Bootcamp planned for Phendukani Full Service School Newcastle was postponed due to Covid-19, concludes Mrs. Luthuli.

A current distribution network of 38 branches in KZN, Ithala provides convenient transacting facilities that include a comprehensive portfolio of corporate and personal financial service solutions.

To access Ithala Edu Platform, grade 12 learners can follow GoDigital_SAMovement or MyIthala on Facebook or tune in on UkhoziFM every Thursday between 21h00 - 22h00.

For more information visit www.myithala.co.za, call 031 366 2500 or follow #MoveToIthala, @MyIthala #RedefiningWealth #MoneyTalks #IthalaEduPlatform

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Issued by: Ithala SOC Limited Head Office303 Dr. Pixley Ka Seme (West Street)15th Floor Delta TowersDurban