We have the pleasure of announcing that the Khanya Project of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has won yet another award for excellence.

The Impumelelo Innovations Award Trust rewards exceptional projects, which involve partnerships with the public sector that enhance the quality of life of poor communities in innovative ways.

The trust awards R1-million every year to 20 projects which get scored the highest by a panel of judges as well as the project evaluators. The judges award the prizes in three categories, Platinum, Gold and Silver.

The trust presented a Gold Award to the Khanya Project at a gala function in Cape Town on Saturday night, 17 February 2007. The citation for the award reads:

"Khanya (Western Cape Education Department)

"A comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to the educational experience in classrooms across the Western Cape is the driving force behind the installation of computers in classrooms in schools in the last five years. Computers are not installed in isolation; teachers are given training, schools are provided with high speed internet access and schools are required to take a 'partnership' approach to the project by providing at the very least sweat equity to demonstrate their commitment. The support provided by surrounding communities has resulted in a decrease in the incidence of theft, as communities have taken ownership of the schools."

The Gold Impumelelo Award is the 11^th award presented to the Khanya project over the past two years. The Western Cape won 11 of the 20 Impumelelo Awards presented on Saturday night.

We congratulate the Khanya team on this excellent achievement. Their success reflects our commitment to excellence and provides a fine example for all of us to follow.

Johan Fourie
Acting Head of Education
Western Cape