Download the full report in PDF format here
VULA Annual Report 2020/2021
The Vula Programme at Hilton College was started in 2001 as The Hiltonian Society’s educational outreach service provider to under-resourced schools and disadvantaged communities in the immediate vicinity of the college. The programme was based in the then newly constructed Centre for Innovation at the college.
Initially the programme did not have clearly defined focus areas, but instead tried its hand at meeting several community needs, including adult basic literacy, entrepreneurial development, computer proficiency classes, and Maths and Science lessons for learners from local schools.
During 2004, it was decided to focus on the Mathematics and Science needs of schools in the greater KZN Midlands. This input was underpinned by a strong IT emphasis which provided access to the vast selection of computer-based teaching resources available, as well as offering training in the teaching methodologies best suited to the use of these resources.
At the outset the programme had a single staff member, the general manager, who initiated the programme and created the opportunities for Hilton College teachers to provide the academic input required. Over the years the staff complement has grown, and in 2022 it now consists of five staff members, in addition to a pool of come-in-specialists who provide additional expertise and insights when these are required.
The bulk of the programme’s work is currently undertaken by its two component projects – the Vula Mathematics Project and the Vula Science Project.
Since 2001, approximately 500 Maths teachers and 300 Science teachers have been directly touched by the programme. Of these, many have had ongoing contact of ten or more years. More than 40 000 learners have attended Vula events since 2001, while the numbers of indirect beneficiaries (learners benefitting from improved Maths and Science teaching) must surely number in the hundreds of thousands.
The Vula Programme is viewed by many as the preeminent organisation of its type in the region, having a proud track record of providing relevant, meaningful, and cost-effective educational interventions and
development opportunities for its beneficiaries.
We thank everyone who has walked this journey with us …
Lloyd Smuts
Vula Director, 2004 –
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