Hyundai Automotive South Africa has donated a newly fitted library and learning centre to the Palm Ridge Primary School south of Johannesburg as part of the company’s corporate social investment programme with its focus on education.

The handover of the library keys to Palm Ridge Primary at Katlehong is the ninth occasion where Hyundai Automotive SA donated a fully equipped library and learning centre to a school in southern Gauteng – this time without the customary celebration due to Covid-19 restrictions and the fact that public schools have not opened yet.

The handover was done earlier so that teachers could use the two weeks before the start of the new school year to familiarise themselves with the resources and to be ready to welcome the learners with new and innovative teaching methods.

Hyundai Automotive SA, in collaboration with the Imperial and Ukhamba Community Development Trust, identified the Palm Ridge Primary School with its 1 850 learners as one that serves a community where there is a demand for a learning centre such as the library.

Once the school was chosen, service providers and Trust staff worked swiftly at completing the work which included:

• Building of reading rooms and retaining walls;
• Repolishing floors and carpeting reading areas;
• Installation of security doors and blinds;
• Preparing the 10 800 books that were destined for the shelves;
• Preparing the charts and other material required for the reading programme;
• Tiling and paving of outside area for chess and checkers boards;
• Extending the small stage to accommodate more learners; and
• Installation of IT equipment.

Hyundai Automotive SA's first library handover as part of its corporate social investment initiative was at the Southview High School in Lenasia, and after that followed libraries at several other schools in communities in the south of Johannesburg where such a facility was needed to establish islands of excellence to prepare learners who can become future leaders and successful citizens who can play a meaningful role in our society.

The libraries established by HASA and the Imperial and Motus Community Trust are fully staffed and managed by the Trust to ensure that the programmes introduced for the benefit of learners achieve the desired results. Literacy levels have shown a marked improvement at Hyundai and Imperial & Motus Community Trust partner schools.

The nature and content of programmes conducted through the libraries have increased year on year and now include a reading programme for grade one to four learners, book clubs, spelling tests, "Mathletics", which allows learners to log into the Mathletics company server and work through mathematical concepts up to mastery for the relevant stage of development, and Saturday and holiday programmes.

The library serves as a place where learners can study or complete projects in a comfortable environment. Learners waiting for their transport at the end of the day use the library as a place to occupy themselves safely until their transport arrives to take them home.

The library assistants – many of whom have been unemployed for a number of years – are recruited from communities surrounding the schools. Before library assistants are employed, they undergo a rigorous reading and writing skills test to ensure they will cope with the demands of the work. Once appointed, they are given in service training on how to teach reading to little children. They also attend a computer training and first aid course.

Hyundai Automotive SA’s corporate investment programme follows the global Hyundai Motor Company’s firm commitment to its philosophy and conviction in fulfilling its responsibilities. Under its slogan, "Realizing the Dreams and Aspirations of Humankind through Creative Thinking and Rising to New Challenges", the Hyundai Motor Company carries out genuine, authentic corporate social investment campaigns and programmes that reflect its mission statement and core values.

Apart from the library sponsor programme in South Africa, the Hyundai Motor Company on the African continent also supports, among others, an educational program on road safety and environmental protection in Morocco and the donation of educational equipment to schools in impoverished areas in Nigeria.