Sasol is a significant investor in education and recognition of outstanding academic achievement contributes to realising our ambition to improve access to quality of education. We do this through our various programmes and initiatives, such as our bursary programmes and investments across the academic and education spectrum.
In this case, one of the initiatives that Sasol sponsored was the National Senior Certificate Awards ceremony which took place on Friday, 19 January 2024. The event, run by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), recognises and awards top performing learners in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Sasol supports these awards annually by making funds available to assist the top performing learners from schools in the Quintile 1-3 category which are ‘no fee’ paying schools catering to the poorest communities. The intent behind these special awards is to enable learners to have funds to travel to university pay registration fees and purchase textbooks amongst others.
We recognise that the learner in question is among the provincial top performers however, he comes from a Quintile 5 school (more affluent school as declared by DBE). Regrettably, the MC at the event should have stated that the Sasol awards are targeted at the top 2 learners from Quintile 1-3 schools. While the Department is responsible for managing the selection criteria and the awards, we are sorry for the anguish this has caused the learner in particular as a result of this miscommunication at the event.
SOURCED FROM SASOL’S WEBSITE.
