![From left to right: Adri Marais (TSiBA CEO), Rhoda Kadalie (Executive Director Impumelelo), Sandy Ueckermann (Executive Director TSiBA Eden), Yasmin Bucknor (TSiBA Sustainability Trust), Genevieve Keene (TSiBA Eden) and Sipho Sithole (TSiBA Eden HCBA student)](https://biz-file.com/c/1312/163951.jpg)
From left to right: Adri Marais (TSiBA CEO), Rhoda Kadalie (Executive Director Impumelelo), Sandy Ueckermann (Executive Director TSiBA Eden), Yasmin Bucknor (TSiBA Sustainability Trust), Genevieve Keene (TSiBA Eden) and Sipho Sithole (TSiBA Eden HCBA student)
Impumelelo has being hosting the awards since 1999 and has become a sought-after repository of more than 1000 public service models which can be adapted to work in other locales. The impressive line-up of nominees include projects focusing on childhood development, foetal alcohol syndrome, water waste treatment works, maths and science education, enterprise development, sexual and domestic violence, youth leadership and healthcare. The Awards provide a common forum to bring government and civil society together to enable the sharing of ideas and networks to plan for a better South Africa for all.
Quality rural tertiary education, and scholarship-based tertiary business schools, are virtually absent in South Africa. TSiBA Eden is the only provider of a rural tertiary education business and entrepreneurship programme in the country which also includes a residential offering. The Impumelelo Awards assist with creating vital awareness of TSiBA's successful model which is producing outstanding results. For example, TSiBA Eden's sustained year-on-year's graduate placement rate in further tertiary study (at TSiBA Cape Town Campus), or in aspirant employment with many top SA companies is 82%. TSiBA Eden's rural, residential education model is an innovative education solution to sustainably address financial inequality and environmental issues facing South Africa.
TSiBA Eden aims to solve the desperate need for South Africa to produce a new generation of social and environmentally aware entrepreneurial leaders the nation needs in government, business and the non-profit sector. At the heart of the TSiBA Eden philosophy is an integrated emphasis on educating students in business administration and management whilst incorporating environmental stewardship into the programme. Personal development and leadership are also vital focus areas to create employable graduates. Successful applicants are awarded full tuition scholarships and are not required to pay back their scholarship, but to rather Pay it Forward in their communities and be actively involved in the practical operation of the campus. TSiBA receives no funds from government, but by corporate South Africa, foundations, philanthropists and income generating activities.
Executive Director of TSiBA Eden, Sandy Ueckermann explains, "The challenges, generally, faced by rural areas and small towns, are well known. High unemployment and lack of development opportunities leads to broken social networks by young people relocating into urban spaces seeking education and opportunities. TSiBA students are tomorrow's future business leaders who may have even fallen through the cracks in their home regions because no opportunities exist there. The higher the level of tertiary education, the greater success an entrepreneurially-minded business person will have in running their own business and employing others. This has far-reaching positive effects on the well-being of rural development - economically, socially and educationally. Another unique and differentiating feature of TSiBA Education is on not only imparting knowledge in the traditional university model, but assisting and developing the surrounding community. This takes the form of a TSiBA Ignition Centre uniquely aligned to the skills and needs of the community providing skills development training, a network and agency for employment possibilities and job-preparedness."
Ueckermann continues, "The success of the rural TSiBA business school is a result of working in an excellent organization with great governance where successes and challenges are managed dynamically and innovatively. It is just such a privilege to work with such dedicated visionaries and vocationally-passionate people at both TSiBA campuses. This award is an acknowledgement to the team, our organisation, funding partners, our volunteers and mostly our students and graduates."
The Impumelelo Awards Executive Director, Rhoda Kadalie, was MC at the ceremony which included performances by opera singer, Goitsemang Lehobye and comedian Kurt Schoonraad. Prof. Jonathan Jansen gave the keynote address, as well as the Guest of Honour, Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Derek Hanekom, who then handed over the awards. Four Platinum Awards, nine Gold Awards and 12 Silver Awards were awarded. The awards' sponsors this year include Pearson SA, the HCI Foundation, Golden Arrow, the Zenex Foundation, Gold Fields, Shanduka Group, Molteno Brothers, Aurecon, Lafarge Trust, the Annie Lennox Foundation, and REUNERT.
For more information about TSiBA please visit www.tsiba.org.za. You can read more about the awards and see all the winners at www.impumelelo.org.za.