Mapula won the bursary as she had made the most significant progress using the OMO Fast Kids App which was tracked since the beginning of 2016. The Fast Kids community continues to grow, with an average of between 100 and 150 new sign-ups every day. So far, over 184 000 kids have used the app to enhance their maths skills.
Attending the handover at Mikateka Primary School were representatives from the Gauteng Department of Education (Senior Education Specialist, Mr Innocent Ngwane), Extrupet, Wildlands, Rural Waste Poverty Alleviation (RWPA) and Unilever. Unilever’s OMO team used the occasion to reiterate the importance of mathematics in building a strong, skilled academic nation.
“South Africa may have one of the lowest Maths Literacy rates in the word, but we’re extremely tech savvy. Our market boasts an impressive 37% – 45% mobile penetration, so OMO made a decision to develop an educational, yet engaging app for today’s tech savvy learners,” says Aderly Reddy, Assistant Brand Manager, OMO. “Technology has proven a successful way to increase Maths Literacy in South Africa. The OMO Fast Kids Maths app is an interactive, gamified learning experience that caters for kids aged six to 18 and offers them with real world rewards like product vouchers and coupons.”
In addition to the bursary, OMO also handed over 40 upcycled green desks to Mapula’s school. The desks are a result of Unilever’s ongoing partnership with Wildlands that also includes the upcycling of previously un-recyclable plastic and multi-layer waste into much-needed school desks and chairs.
Ground breaking innovation to address the issues at hand
Known as the Wildlands Green Desk scheme, this is further proof that Unilever is well on the journey towards meeting their 2020 commitment to reduce the waste associated with the disposal of their products.
“There is a shortage of more than 300 000 school desks in the country” says Louise Duys, Director Partnerships at Wildlands. “In addition, thousands of tons of unrecyclable mixed plastics and multi-layer materials end up in landfill. The Green Desk, developed through a partnership with Rural Waste Poverty Alleviation (RWPA) and supported by OMO and Unilever, is an innovative ground-breaking solution to both of these problems - closing the loop of cleaning communities and in turn helping to educate children.”
Mikateka Primary School Principal Mr Mandla Sibanyoni is honoured that one of the school’s learners has won the bursary and desks. “Initiatives like this afford learners the opportunity to learn Maths so that they become better thinkers, who can solve our problems. Let’s not forget the teachers who play a big role in ensuring that our learners actively participate in Maths. We are blessed to have this new furniture that will go a long way to enhance the culture of learning at our school,” he said.
“Unilever is committed to improving the lives of South African children through the brightFuture Schools Programme, of which OMO Fast Kids forms a part of. We aim to further complement the efforts of teachers in order to address the critical skills gap in our country in terms of producing future generations of individuals that are proficient in Maths,” concludes Reddy.