As we bid farewell to Term 1, which officially ended on April 26th 2024, our operations team saw the term break as a perfect opportunity to kickstart the preparations for the upcoming Term 2. This school term reset involved a number of meticulously pre-planned activities designed to ensure a seamless transition between the terms. Interestingly, this term break was one of a kind, as it lasted for only a week, thus presenting a unique set of challenges. The team was tasked with the critical role of planning and executing all necessary activities to ensure everything was in perfect place, awaiting the commencement of Term 2.

One of the vital activities that the operations team undertook during this period was updating the content on the teachers' tablets. The new batch of content, derived from the curriculum, featured Mathematics videos and numeracy books. These educational resources are particularly beneficial to our teachers who are situated in rather remote areas where access to information and physical books is limited.

*Operation conducting tablet cleaning and content loading.*

In addition to this, the team was responsible for ensuring all school equipment was in good working order. This involved replacing any damaged equipment with functional ones and removing unwanted applications on the tablets, a crucial step in guaranteeing the smooth functioning of tablets.

Due to the challenging road conditions in the areas, we operate, motorbikes are the most reliable mode of transportation. Therefore, servicing our motorbikes was another important task over the break! This ensures the motorbikes are in excellent working condition, which in turn extends their lifespan. Given that the field managers rely heavily on these bikes to navigate poor roads and long distances, maintaining them in optimal condition is non-negotiable. Hence, all bikes were taken from their respective sites to the Head Office in order to be serviced.

The term break was also the period when we received the school supplies for Term 2. These supplies, which include teaching materials and learning resources for learners, were carefully sorted per site and delivered to all site offices. This was done in anticipation of delivering them to schools as the new term commences. Our hope is that with the arrival of these fresh supplies, our teachers will feel more motivated and better prepared to teach and plan their lessons!

*Operations team Receiving, sorting and delivering supplies. A LOT of paper!*

We also devoted time to staff training. Being aware that our staff members are our greatest asset, we believe in continuously investing in their professional growth. Therefore, a series of training sessions were organized during the term break, covering a variety of topics ranging from excel, to budgeting & financial reporting. These trainings were designed to better equip our staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their work more effectively.

As Term 2 is starting, we are optimistic that our efforts during the term break will result in a more successful term. We believe that our preparation, combined with the dedication and hard work of our staff, will ensure that we continue to provide high-quality service delivery to all teams and departments within the organization and ultimately result in the delivery of quality education to our leaners in the rural community schools.

Thank you, Steven, for highlighting some of the unsung work that goes on during the term break! It is so critical to ensuring that our students and teachers have what they need to learn effectively.

-Steven

Our unsung heroes of term break!