Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), a leading global corporate insurance carrier and a key business unit of Allianz Group commemorated Mandela Day at Diepdale Secondary School in Soweto and Burgersdorp Primary School on July 21, 2023.
At Diepdale Secondary School, Allianz motivated and inspired the over 1400 students to work hard to achieve their goals, planted vegetables and painted the school. In the Eastern Cape, the insurer matched the employee donations and contributed winter gear to close to 600 learners at Burgersdorp Primary School to keep them warm this winter.
Allianz has and continues to work with Diepdale Secondary School since 2017 through programs such as the Allianz Maths and Science Centre and a remedial program in partnership with 1st Things 1st to improve educational outcomes. The matric pass rate was only 58.9% then but now averages 80% demonstrating a significant increase in the confidence and morale of teachers and learners after the establishment of the center in 2018. The remedial program provides reading, comprehension, and spelling in English and extra classes for Maths, Natural Science, Technology and Economic Management Sciences (EMS) in grade 8. On average, the students that attend the program perform a lot better than those that don’t.
“It is so refreshing to work with committed companies like Allianz, they are dedicated to their sustainability goals and they put their money where their mouth is. They have deployed an integrated program that has developed a foundation for eradicating poor educational results in our schools; starting with Diepdale Secondary School,” says Amanda Sebolai 1st Things 1st Managing Director.
The Allianz Maths and Science Centre, which has been equipped with maths, science and technology facilities and resources, enables thousands of high school learners from Soweto to master maths and science so they can study further within these fields to solidify the government’s efforts of improving the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the country and contribute in making South Africa a knowledge-based economy. One of the beneficiaries, Tebogo Moroti, is in her final year of dentistry at the University of the Western Cape.
“At Allianz, our corporate responsibility focus areas are education and youth. We firmly believe that education can make the biggest sustainable impact on communities. The Allianz social responsibility programs promote the social inclusion of youth through innovation. Ultimately with these programs, the parents are more supportive, teachers are better educators and learners have their best chance of reaching their full potential,” says AGCS South Africa CEO Thusang Mahlangu.
“Access to high-quality education is critical to creating a knowledge-based economy. As Allianz, we are strongly committed to partnering with different stakeholders to enhance access and quality of education in South Africa, in line with the National Development Plan,” he adds.
“Being from Soweto myself, I am thrilled to be involved in this initiative and I look forward to motivating the learners as I can to relate to them. And with the help of other colleagues – some also from townships and rural areas – we will be able to instill a lot more inspiration and have a lasting positive impact on the youth. I believe this is an excellent approach that is very much aligned with the culture of the broader Allianz community,” says Mahlangu.
