Our children are the future. It’s the ultimate cliche. But it’s a cliche that tells the truth. Literally, the skills, resources and opportunities we provide for young people today will define our country’s success or failure in the future. It is, therefore, our responsibility to create the conditions for them to flourish.

South Africa’s human rights crisis

South Africa’s educational system is one of the most enduring legacies of apartheid. It is no exaggeration to call the situation a human rights crisis. Even the international human rights group, Amnesty International, has sounded the alarm. Amnesty International’s report into the ‘ unequal education’ system points out that, by the Department of Education’s own statistics, over 18 000 schools lack even a library. More than 20 000 don’t have a laboratory. 

Our children lack the tools for learning 

The shortage of libraries points to systemic issues with effectively equipping schools. 

One report surveyed 200 schools across South Africa and found that 80% of them lacked enough textbooks for each learner to have one book each.

Clearly, there are systemic problems that can only be fixed with far-reaching institutional reforms. But we also urgently need concrete, practical measures that help ensure learners have the basic educational materials they need to meet their educational goals.

How B-BBEE can make a difference

The Socio-Economic Development (SED) element of the B-BBEE scorecard was specifically designed to address urgent social development issues. 

There are no rigid definitions of what a SED initiative should achieve, but it needs to fulfil clearly defined criteria. Notably, SED must enhance access to the broader economy for black people. 

There are also strong incentives to develop a SED initiative that delivers results. Meeting the SED criteria means dedicating 1% of your Net Profit After Tax to the initiative. Businesses that want to take advantage of SED should, therefore, ensure they choose a programme that aligns with their strategic goals and meets all the B-BBEE Codes. 

No less important, you want a mechanism that measures the social impact and actually produces sustainable benefits to communities. 

A SED initiative that helps transform our children’s future

As the Amnesty International report clearly demonstrates, the school’s crisis is also an inequality crisis. Educational resources are unequally distributed, with some communities critically underserved. 

BEE123’s SED123 Schools Capacitation Initiative was designed to deliver essential learning materials to the schools that need them most.  

The initiative is flexible: BEE123 can identify the schools that need the material or you can nominate a school. It’s also fully scalable. We align the initiative to suit your budget and, as B-BBEE specialists, we also ensure all the Codes are met and your business earns B-BBEE points in the process. 

Most importantly, the programme delivers immediate impact. The full value of your spend goes directly to the school in the form of high-quality books and study guides. It’s a direct, measurable investment into our children’s future that delivers immediate benefit and helps create sustainable results.   

Get in touch with BEE123 to learn more about the SED123 Schools Capacitation Initiative or to explore other practical, targeted ways to make a real social impact while maximising your B-BBEE points.