The Growthpoint properties education initiative Growsmart has ended for the year with Triomf Primary emerging as the first victorious school from the Eastern Cape division.

Credit: Via Afrika
Triomf Primary is located in Salsoneville in the small town of Bethelsdorp, part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, which is situated about halfway between Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage. The team’s victory sees them handed the R75 000 first prize with winning team members also personally taking home R10,000 to further their education. The team’s “mentor” also won a R5,000 shopping voucher. The winning team members are Blane Gabon, Caitlin Dampies and Allesandrë Macombo. They were mentored by Dorothy Johnson.
Second-place winner Magqabi Primary School from KwaNobuhle and third-place winner Caritas Primary School from Rosedale, both in Uitenhage, were also rewarded with generous prizes.
The competition sees students compete across a number of subjects including science, mathematics, literacy, debating and story writing using resources provided to the schools via a Growsmart newspaper.
The Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City districts each had 30 schools participating this year, with 500 Grade 4,5 and 6 learners joining in the exciting, educational rivalry.
Themba Kojana, Head of the Eastern Cape Department of Education, attended the recent finals at the East London International Convention Centre where he said it was wonderful to meet young students who are so dedicated to learning and that had made it so far in the competition.