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Long-standing Penreach and MMC partnership continues to invest in future scientists, innovators and leaders MBOMBELA – A shared commitment to educational excellence and a belief in the transformative power of STEM education continue to shape brighter futures for young people in Mpumalanga. Having been named......
Young marimba band shares stage with Vusi Mahlasela at Sudwala Caves MBOMBELA – Valentine’s Day 2026 will probably go down as one of the most memorable days for a group of local learners who found themselves performing on one of the province’s most iconic stages......
MBOMBELA – With educators, community champions, partners, and leaders gathered in one powerful moment of unity, the 2025 Penreach Awards brought Mpumalanga’s education ecosystem to a standstill this past Saturday. The annual celebration shone a spotlight on the extraordinary individuals transforming classrooms, nurturing young minds,......
Penreach appoints Susanna Behrendt as CEO to drive next phase of growth and systemic impact MBOMBELA – Penreach NPC proudly announces the appointment of Susanna Behrendt as its Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Behrendt’s appointment reflects Penreach’s ongoing commitment to empowering women in leadership and......
NELSPRUIT – A major stride toward educational excellence was taken yesterday, 12 June 2025, with the successful launch of the Mpumalanga Province Grade R (MP-R) Capacity Building Programme. The event, held in collaboration with the Mpumalanga Department of Education and four respected non-profit organisations, Penreach, RED......
MBOMBELA — In a remarkable display of grit, talent, and teamwork, the very first Penreach Sportreach Rugby Team made their official debut at the Penryn Bezant Festival this past weekend – and walked away victorious, winning 6 out of 6 matches against top school teams......
MBOMBELA – Laughter, colour, and the joyful sound of 3 000 children echoed across the Nelspruit Rugby Club during one of the region’s largest celebrations of early learning — Penreach Play Day 2025. This high-energy, high-impact event was held in honour of the International......
Penreach recently celebrated World Play Day under the theme “Rediscover Play, Recover Through Play” where we hosted nearly 1000 children to participate in 40 games designed to activate their imagination and encourage creativity. The theme was in recognition of the challenges societies across the world......
Over the past five months, Penreach embarked on a Reverse Mentorship Programme where a portion of our 2021 cohort of interns became mentors to our senior staff members. This was done in an effort to share knowledge and facilitate a stronger integration between the different......
It is a Monday morning at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, in fact, we are on Level 5 Lockdown alert and everyone country-wide is under strict instructions to stay indoors. At about 07h50, I arrive at the warehouse located in White River. There, I meet......
Lowvelder | 28 February 2020 Penreach is the implementing partner of a Roger Federer Foundation (RFF) project, the School Readiness Initiative (SRI), in Mpumalanga. Read Full Article Here: https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/The-Lowvelder/20200228/281964609758271...
Lowvelder | 6 June 2016 As a catalyst for improving the quality of education in South Africa, Penreach, the Mpumalanga Department of Education, The Roger Federer Foundation (RFF) and Performance Solutions Africa (PSA) will join hands for the next three years to make the project......
Lowvelder | 20 May 2020 “There is no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Read Full Article Here: https://lowvelder.co.za/624079/in-photos-penreach-reaches-out-to-the-vulnerable-in-mataffin/...
Dear Partner in Education. We are happy to share with you the Penreach Snapshot for 2019. We remain committed to the objective of 90% of children achieving above 50% in Math, Science and Language by 2030 and continue to gear our collective effort towards achieving this, as outlined in the......
Lowvelder Tuesday 7 August “Fun experiments, lectures and exhibitions awaited primary and high school pupils as they celebrated National Science Week last week.” Read Full Article Here: https://lowvelder.co.za/445632/igniting-spark-curiousity-science-world/...
Ronel Oosthuizen, partnerships, fundraising and communications manager of Penreach told Lowvelder, “Penreach has responded to the Covid-19 crisis by forming alliances to make sure our beneficiaries can still access food during the lockdown. Pediatric Care Africa and Dr Andre Hattingh have been instrumental in getting Penreach off......
Penreach boldly stepping into the future with Mpumalanga’s teachers From coding to robotics, artificial intelligence and immersive technologies, Penreach will boldly step into the future of technology-supported education with teachers and school leaders from our most under-resourced communities. This was the key message delivered......
By Penreach Change Agents Mr Jabulani Khoza & Mr Sam Khoza A common discussion point at schools is the effectiveness of its leadership and management, which is a determining factor of its overall success. There are various publications on how principals manage schools successfully and point......
The Penreach Asifundze Literacy and Numeracy programme, of which the Roger Federer Foundation School Readiness Initiative is a component, develops teachers to contribute towards a positive impact on 8.9 million lives. It supports the national objective of 90% of children achieving above 50% in maths......
Each generation faces development and as the world evolves, revolution occur. From water and steam usage for mass production to electric power and technology, the world is constantly developing and so society need to change as well. Due to the technology developed in the digital......
One thing is clear – maths and science teachers of Mpumalanga have a thirst for knowledge. At the beginning of 2016, and as a thought leader in education and catalyst for improving the quality of education, Penreach introduced the Penreach Sciences Seminar Series with a......
Busi Mazibuko never had the opportunity to play hockey at school and knew absolutely nothing about it. Her first encounter with the sport was as a student doing her practical at a school in Cape Town, when she saw a team in action and was......
Penreach Annual Stationery Drive ✂ 📚 🖍 We aim to ensure that children across Mpumalanga are equipped with basic stationery & supplies to kick off 2020. ∙Teachers, are you planning on cleaning out your classroom? ∙Students, have you ordered your new stationery for the new......
The Penreach Courageous Leadership Development Programme Communities of Practice (PCLDP) Thembi Nkosi walked away as the provincial winner in the category Excellence in Primary School Leadership at the 2019 National Teacher Awards and deserves every accolade coming her way. Appointed as principal of Nklosheni Primary in 2007, she is......
By Penreach Basic Education Change Agent, Shiellah Makhubele Thanda Primary is a Penreach target school situated in the Mjejani village, Nkomazi West circuit. The school is supported by TRAC N4 (Penreach Literacy Partner in Education) and forms part of the Grade R RFF project in......
Read our latest Newsbyte on September Literacy Month Click here: Penreach promotes reading opportunities for all...
Educational outreach programme empowers young South Africans to change the world The future in good hands Gifts of joy and love given and received Putting the fun back into learning Penreach embraces National Science Week for kids Passion for education Let them play Penreach tackles......
Insights from Field Advisors Project: Asidlaleni Toy Library & Umphakatsi: Early Reading Distribution Area: Daantjie community Toy Library and children living in Mafambisa community “The joy of children receiving books are profound” says Solly Sarela, Penreach Community Based Programme Manager. Smiles and excitement were the......
Statement from Penreach CEO Mr Andile Ncontsa, on violence against women. 3 September 2019 As Penreach, we have often been imposed by the daily realities of our communities to intervene on matters we previously had no expertise in, such as providing toy libraries in our......
If one considers that 86% of South Africa’s 23 589 public schools don’t have science labs, the World Economic Forum’s ranking of the quality of our maths and science education makes sense. Placed last out of 148 countries, the result is both a sad indictment......
Wilson Moshupya got on a plane for the first time ever this February to attend the glittering 19th National Teaching Awards (NTA) at the Sandton Convention Centre. A sign language facilitator at Teacher Development Workshops for more than a decade, he thrilled his Penreach family with a second......
By YES Youth, Lindy Shingange & Lerato Mashego “National Science Week (NSW) is an annual celebration to promote awareness of the value of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to people’s daily lives. It is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST)......
Read our latest Newsbyte on the Penreach 67 Books Campaign Click here: 67 Books Newsbyte...
Penreach’s Shalamuka Science Centre has been a host of this national initiative since 2012. MBOMBELA – Penreach is attempting to break the fear that science is only for the “smart ones”. This was Penreach programme manager of maths and science, Given Mashabane’s rationale behind this......
In his recent state of the nation address, President Cyril Ramaphosa called the 50 per cent unemployment rate among young South Africans a “national crisis”, which requires urgent, innovative and coordinated solutions. This is a sentiment echoed by Penreach, an organisation always at the forefront......
Lowvelder Tuesday 25 June “The organisation will give you the opportunity to turn your 67 minutes into 67 reading opportunities to create a literate South Africa through the Penreach Books in Homes initiative.” Lowvelder Tuesday 23 July “Sappi Lomati Sawmill, in partnership with Penreach, visited......
Reserved and soft-spoken, Nokulunga Nkambule doesn’t like the limelight and shies away from talking about herself. Yet this unassuming young woman has managed to carve her own space in a totally unfamiliar environment, and is holding her own. Enrolled at Penryn College through Penreach and Transnet......
Winning the ECD Centre Practitioner of the Year at the 2018 annual Penreach Awards, was a huge honour for Sabelo Mncina, and he wholeheartedly credits Penreach for his development and success. The first year attending workshops taught me a number of things and started him on a......
Read our latest Newsbyte on the Penreach Play Day 2019 Click here: Penreach Play Day Newsbyte...
By Esther Sithole According to A Child’s Right to Play: Policy Brief for South Africa, “Play is both a right as well as essential for optimal development of children in their early and later years”. Play is not only fun for children but it helps......
Penreach maths & science team support target school learners in their participation of the EV Challenge 2019. The Penreach Change Agents continuously encourage students to get involved in STEM programmes through activities like the EV challenge. The primary goal of particpation in the EV Challenge......
Penreach Play Day 2019 Mbombela – “Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.”- Fred Rogers. Penreach experiences the transformative power of play for young children on a daily basis, in pre-schools and homes across the region. But once a year, we......
Penreach recognizes the value that extra-curricular activity has and its role to provide the foundations necessary for the holistic development of children As a thought leader in education, Penreach is continuously looking at creative ways to achieve educational excellence. Through a number of exciting and......
Read our latest Newsbyte on the Penreach Innovation & Special Projects Programme 2019 Click here: Artreach & Sportreach Newsbyte...
By Msesi Simelane Penreach Change Agents are providing support, coaching and mentoring at ECD Centres across Mpumalanga. This year, our intervention focuses mostly on classroom layout, learning areas and teaching approaches, which is categorised as Penreach ECD level 3 Intervention. The Penreach Change Agents encourage......
Trice Nukeri is quick to admit she knew “absolutely nothing” when she attended her first Penreach Reading Camp workshop in 2017. All she knew was that she loved children and wanted to see them progress. Last year, she won the inaugural Val Morris Reading Camp......
By Esther Sithole What is the solution to lack of outdoor play equipment in ECD Centres? As part of the ECD intervention of Penreach Change Agents, we are focusing, in 2019, on providing guidance to our ECD target centres with establishing natural playgrounds. As Change......
By Poonam Dwarkaram What is water play in ECD? As Penreach Change Agents in ECD, our programme implementation plan consists of coaching and mentoring the Practitioners and Centre Managers of our target centres in Mpumalanga. This includes identifying different developmental activities and how to best......
In 2018, we were entrusted with the educational outcomes of almost half a million children. We are excited to share the snapshot of the impact of our efforts which progressively shows how we are performing along government’s stated goal of 90% of all learners achieving......
By Ronald Chanetsa 29% of South African children are considered illiterate in Grade 4 i.e., they cannot read for meaning and understanding in any language. A study revealed that an alarming 51% of South African households do not have a single reading book suitable for children......
Penreach Annual Teacher Awards Honours Educators across Ehlanzeni 24 November 2018 Each year Penreach celebrates educators who diligently and passionately work towards delivering quality education in our communities. These teachers partner with Penreach, a local NGO, to improve the quality of learning in early childhood......
By Jerry Machikopa Penreach Change Agent Only 3 of 13 members of the council for the Academy of Science of South Africa are women. University enrolment and Science workforce environment in South Africa is highly dominated by males. According to John Butler-Adam (editor-in-chief of the......
Read our latest Literacy Newsbyte Click here: Asifundze Literacy Newsbyte...
Press Release: Penreach & Nal’ibali team up for ECD Literacy Week 2018 READ MORE HERE: Penreach Nal’ibali Literacy Week...
By Penreach ECD Change Agent Poonam Dwarkaram The natural playscape (or natural playground) is defined as a space with as little man-made components as possible. Using native plants, rolling hills, lots of trees; playscapes represent a natural place such as a forest. Playscapes are designed with the intent of bringing......
The Penreach Courageous Leadership Development Programme Quick Wins “The ‘quick wins’ process was a vital entry point to the schools and was designed to secure school/stakeholder participation and quickly establish a no-cost development mind-set that would encourage new initiatives.” Read more about Penreach Quick Wins......
The Penreach Courageous Leadership Development Programme Success Stories “The following write-up captures some of the experiences of the programme’s principals. Here, school leaders discuss what learnings they’ve gained and how their leadership practices have been affected by their participation in the PCLDP.” Read more about......
Children need to play to learn and thousands of little children in Msholozi are able to do just that thanks to two dedicated Toy Libraries. “My son can now count numbers and I’m thankful to the project for teaching him” – Parent of child in......
As part of the vision of providing all children with access to opportunities, Penreach works closely with Penryn Preparatory. This includes the sharing of facilities, like the all-new Learn to Swim pool on the Penryn campus. This pool forms part of the educational centre of......
According to research the answer seems to be an unfortunate, “YES”. According to Gabrielle Wills, researcher with Research on Social Economic Policy (ReSEP) in the Economics Department at the University of Stellenbosch, the South African public education system is experiencing a substantial and rising number......
Six women and approximately 400 young children will benefit from a partnership between Penreach and the local branch of an engineering firm, Endecon Ubuntu (Pty) Ltd. Endecon is funding the skills development of six early childhood development (ECD) practitioners that will lead to an accredited......
Asifundze means “Let Us Read” in SiSwati. Penreach Partners TracN4, SAGE, FNB and the Shalamuka Foundation are opening up the world to 3 000 young children who would not have access to books and the wonderful world of reading otherwise. At the heart of the Penreach......
On Thursday 2nd of March, Penreach and Penryn Preparatory joined the biggest celebration of its kind, World Book Day. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world who took part.The scholars of Penryn......
As part of the Asifundze Literacy and Numeracy Programme, Penreach field advisors discovered an activity to promote language across curriculum, by encouraging learners to use English across all subject communication in teaching and learning. Research has shown and continues to verify that good public speakers......
The Penreach ECD Umphakatsi project is providing teaching and learning to over 350 children in Msholozi, and the field advisor heading this project makes regular visits to the households in Msholozi, to monitor the project. The practitioners who are working in this project are called......
Penreach and Data Driven Districts showed teachers how their admin work could be made loads easier, through innovative electronic systems. Source: Corridor Gazette, 27 March 2017. READ HERE: http://corridorgazette.co.za/244130/penreach-data-schools/...
Penreach is constantly taking action to measurably and irreversibly change the lives of One and All South-Africans.One of the latest interventions is a uniquely designed Enrichment Weekend Camp – aiming to assist learners who are facing challenges in language and mathematics. The first group to......
Click below to view an ECD Newsbyte that showcases some of the work that has been taking place for the young children of Mpumalanga in this year. ECD Newsbyte March 2017...
The Penreach awards serve as an opportunity for Penreach, to thank the dedicated teachers who inspire and commit their time, all in the efforts of achieving educational excellence in the province. During the course of the year, Penreach advisors perform continuous progress assessments at target......
In March 2016, a year to date, the Penreach Umphakatsi project introduced the first ever Toy Library to the community of Msholozi, based at Khula- Khula Day-Care Centre. This Toy Library has been a success in the development of the centre based as well as......
If you have ever been hungry, you will know how profoundly it affects your ability to think and work. It is no wonder that hunger and malnutrition is hailed as two of the greatest barriers to effective learning in South Africa’s poor communities. A newly established......
The top notch education and wide variety of activities offered at Penryn Prep School once seemed an impossible ideal for ten youngsters from local townships. This has, however, become a reality for these high achievers through the Penreach Shalamuka Bursary Project. The ten scholars hail......
Broadening the skills & knowledge of our teachers Penreach Courageous Leadership Development Programme Launch Newsletter Term 1, 2016 Newsletter Term 2, 2016 Umphakatsi launch: Making ECD everyone’s business Penreach BayLab Byte Perspective from our partners...
“I don’t look the time to knock off, I look the work!” It is statements like these, delivered with such emphasis by Foundation Phase teacher Joyce Khoza that validate the efforts around teacher development in Mpumalanga. Joyce joined the Penreach Teacher Development programme in 2006.......
Name-calling and labelling: The actual effect it has on school children No name-calling week might sound unfamiliar to some, but did it ever cross your mind why such a week has been introduced in the first place and why it’s celebrated by hundreds of schools and......
As a result of poor performance in Mathematics at Grade 9, which stood at an average of 10.8% nationally (ANA Results, 2014), the minister of Basic Education said: “Our Achilles’ heel remains the unacceptably low performance in Grade 9 Mathematics. All ANA results and diagnostic......
Mrs. Nyundu Ngomane has 68 learners in her Grade 4 Mathematics class at Somcuba Primary School. Overcrowding, classroom control and ill-discipline are the main issues that demotivate and prevent her from effectively teaching a subject she once loved. In February 2016, Penreach administered diagnostic tests......
National Book Week 2016, which ran from 5 to 10 September saw hive of activities initiated by Penreach in its continued involvement with local communities. Prior to the Book Week, a Reading Camp stakeholders’ forum was hosted from 2 – 3 September at Bundu Lodge.......
Strong collaboration between key role-players in the province recently proved that although the education sector in South Africa may be faced with various challenges, great strides can still be made when working together. During a prestigious graduation ceremony recently held at Penreach, 80 Penreach Early......
In South Africa the importance of Maths and Science can probably not be highlighted enough. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness report of 2015/2016 South Africa was ranked 138 out of 140 countries in terms of its maths and science education. Both......
Penreach and the Department of Education have been working together since 1999 to ensure that each regional science expo is a success. Mandlesive Secondary, Enkhokhokhweni Primary, Cyril Clarke and Tiboneleni, all Penreach Target Schools, presented a total of 20 projects ranging from innovation technology, energy,......
The effort to create greater awareness of Maths & Science careers should be the business of government as well as businesses, schools and other civil organisations. As one of the stakeholders in improved Maths & Science education in Mpumalanga, Penreach once again participated in National......
Penryn College Substance Abuse Scholar Consent Form Penryn College Substance Abuse Parent Consent Form Penryn College Computer Centre & Network Policy Honour Code & Discipline Policy Plagiarism Policy D6 Installation letter...
The Goshawker Term 4 Kite newsletter Kestrel newletter term 4 Harrier term 4 newsletter Prep Newsletter:8th September-2016 College Newsletter 26 August 2016...
Choosing a school where your child will be happy, supported and exposed to excellent education is important to all parents. Below are some tips to keep in mind when attending school Open Days: Take your child with you. It is valuable to have your child’s......
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