STANDARD BANK DONATES LAPTOPS TO VUT STUDENTS TO HAVE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING, AND SUPPORT SERVICES.
By: Nontobeko Moimane – 12 May 2023
VUT Management, students, and representatives of Standard Bank
As part of its drive to build a partnership with the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), Standard Bank has begun a number of initiatives with the University. In its latest initiative, the Bank has focused on strengthening the Faculty of Management Sciences by supporting its projects and students. To demonstrate their commitment to the partnership with the University, the banking giant began by sponsoring 10 laptops to deserving students from the Faculty.
According to Standard Bank, sponsorship is an integral part of their brand story, that enables the bank to connect with clients, staff, stakeholders, communities, and societies in which they operate. This is essential in building the brand and creating relevance in markets where Standard Bank Group operates and thus provides a platform for the bank to engage with its customers.
The ceremony to hand over the laptops took place on Wednesday, 10 May 2023 at the VUT Vanderbijlpark Campus. The laptops were handed over to 10 specially identified students within the Faculty of Management Sciences.
The Director of Resource Mobilisation, Dr Narissa Ramdhani, whose department was responsible for this collaboration expressed her delight at hosting the officials from the bank (Ms. Mani Govender- Head of Commercial Banking Gauteng and Mr. Zoltan Griffiths- Relationship Manager, Retail Banking Gauteng) together with the laptop beneficiaries. This also provided a platform for students to meet their donors and vice-versa. The event was also attended by the acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal and all DVCs of the University as well as some Deans.
Dr Dan Mokoena, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, and Principal gave a warm welcome to all guests and stated that he was proud of the relationship that VUT has developed with Standard Bank, and he would like to see this partnership grow in leaps and bounds so that it becomes a mutually beneficially one. He emphasised his appreciation for the support shown by the Bank to the VUT and its students to ensure that students are empowered through the provision of learning devices and other tools.
Speaking on behalf of the Bank and its commitment to the University, Mr. Zoltan Griffiths, Relationship Manager, expressed their excitement for the new partnership that they have with the university. “Standard Bank believes that all South Africans deserve a quality education and as such, we invest in improved educational outcomes and skills development in multiple ways through our numerous initiatives”, he said.
Mr. Griffiths further mentioned that the laptops were being handed over as part of the understanding that obtaining a higher education qualification can be challenging and often requires significant sacrifice. “We hope that by providing these tools, we can ease some of the burdens that our students face and to some extent remove the obstacles that may prevent students from reaching their full potential. It is the small part we play in making the lives better of other people”, he added.
His message to the student beneficiaries was that they believe in them and hoped that the tools will serve as a reminder that they are here to support the students in every way. “We are excited to see the amazing things you will achieve with these tools at your fingertips”, he said.
The Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Professor Chengedzai Mafini expressed his sincere gratitude and explained that the beneficiaries were from disadvantaged backgrounds, and this sponsorship will be purposeful in closing a gap caused by the University’s adoption of blended learning. He added that the 10 students were selected from four departments within the faculty: Accountancy; Human Resources Management; Logistics & Supply Chain Management and Marketing, Retails, Business and Sports Management.
In closing, the student beneficiaries: Ms. Mahadi Pheko (2nd year HR student) and Ms. Alrinah Makgatha (2nd Internal Auditing student) expressed their profound appreciation and excitement at receiving the laptops. They mentioned that as students they are encouraged to do more and to reach greater heights. They concluded by saying that they hope and wish that Standard Bank would continue with this work with other needy students while building the strength of their communities.