Through unity of purpose and a drive to work collaboratively, government and businesses can offer a significant contribution towards socioeconomic development.
In an effort to support government initiatives, Paarl Media has joined forces with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in support of the campaign, 94+ Schools Project for Madiba. This campaign has identified 94 schools that are in dire need of assistance and Eastern Cape heritage school, Clarkebury Senior Secondary was marked as one of the schools to benefit.
“Clarkebury has played an important role in the development of youth in South African history, with Nelson Mandela and other of the countries iconic leaders being a product of this institution. Paarl Media is proud to be able to make a contribution to the upgrading of an institution of such historical significance,” says Thobela Dikeni, Director: Business Development of one of South Africa’s leading printing groups, Paarl Media.
Through discussions with Clarkebury School and the local community, Paarl Media invested in the development of the school’s own multipurpose sports court. This facility offers the learners and the community the opportunity to participate in a variety of sports namely 5-aside Soccer, Basketball, Tennis and Netball.
“Countless studies show that youth who participate in organised sports during their school years do better academically and are offered greater job prospects than children who do not partake in sports activities,” says Dikeni.
“When we were considering the needs of the school with Clarkebury, it was decided that a sports facility would be most beneficial to the school and community. We are in firm agreement that healthy bodies lead to healthy minds. We believe that this facility will aid in improved concentration in the classroom, stress release, develop important social and personal skills, and improve the children’s gross motor skills. Hopefully we will see some stars emerge again through Clarkebury,” concludes Dikeni.
Paarl Media is currently evaluating the option of building a new factory in the Eastern Cape in order to fulfil the growing demand for educational materials in this region. The new factory would mean job creation for the surrounding communities, additional community support and improved sustainability projects.
About Paarl Media
Paarl Media is one of South Africa’s leading, and most technologically advanced professional printing groups, with ten specialised printing operations nationwide. The company services the country through its printing of all medium to long run requirements of magazines, retail inserts, catalogues, books, newspapers, commercial work, labels and educational materials.
Paarl Media’s competitive advantage is entrenched in its more than a 100 years of experience in offering its clients a comprehensive range of printing facilities including publication gravure, heatset web offset, sheetfed, specialised book, coldset and UV flexographic self-adhesive labels.
Paarl Media employs over 1500 staff members and over 500 enterprise development staff, and is recognised for having the most technically advanced and competent staff. The Group’s commitment to skills development is evident through the development of its own internationally accredited training institute, the Academy of Print launched in 2008, and currently holds a Level 4 BEE accreditation.
Paarl Media is committed to responsible printing and has taken the industry lead in proactively developing stringent environmental policies to limit the impact on natural resources. Paarl Media (FSC-C022948) was the first African printer to receive FSC™ (Forestry Stewardship Council™) CoC (Chain of Custody) certification.
