ZOK

A major struggle in the rural schools is getting funding for school improvements. This can be attributed to many things:
1. Principals aren't qualified to be doing their jobs
2. The schools are "waiting for the Department of Education to build _______."
3. Schools want something but don't want to do anything for it

The principal of Hlonipha Secondary School-the secondary school in my village-is the opposite; he's a go-getter who works tirelessly to elp his school. When he starts a project with someone, he is persistent and doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. ZOK wanted to try partnering their business with schools that needed money and chose Hlonipha as their pilot school because it is the highest performing school in Mpumalanga Province.

ZOK is a company that converts metal shipping containers into self-contained businesses. Inside you will find computers with internet hookup, printers, copier/fax machines, public telephones, an ATM, and a tuck shop. In the tuck shop they sell a variety of groceries, snacks, and most importantly, airtime. They paint it blue, find a partner operator in the community-in this case Hlonipha Secondary-and then place it in the community giving the operator a portion of the profits.

ZOK operates similar to an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) because the internet, public telephone, and airtime that they sell are all powered by Vodacom; Vodacom is the largest cell phone operator in South Africa (MTN and Cell C are the second and third largest). A majority of people who have cell phones buy airtime which they add to their account allowing them to make a call. Depending on day and time, call rates vary and at certain times it is free. Since people don't like spending large amount of money, they usually buy small amounts (R12 or R29). The attendant was shocked when I bought R414 of airtime yesterday.

The principal entered the contract as a fundraising method to raise money for a computer lab he wants to build that the Department of Education has been promising to build for years. He is earning the school upwards of R10,000/month which will allow his school to have enough money in about 2.5 years. After that is paid for, they will decide on a new initiative.

Sadly, not everyone in the community is celebrating his school for this achievement. One of the primary school principals refused to go to the inauguration ceremony because he felt it was unfair that Hlonipha is getting that opportunity and his school isn't. He went so far as to tell his learners' parents that they should not send their kids there out of spite; which is too bad, who wouldn't want to send their kids to the highest performing school in the province?

What he, as many other South Africans don't realize when somebody else has something that they wish they had is that there was a lot of work that was done to get it. I am happy for them, I did nothing to help them get it and I am not responsible for their school development but it gives me hope. There are decent, hard-working, professional, competent people who want to improve their country; if only there were more.