Who we are 

Bala Education’s mission is to drive change in mathematics education culture in South Africa’s previously disadvantaged communities through innovative technologies. The brainchild of Nsika and Chanda Nxumalo, it began as an Enterprise & Social Development (ESD) initiative of Harmattan Renewables, an engineering services provider in the renewables industry. 
 

The Founders observed that the monies of their own and similar firms were being allotted to disadvantaged communities but materially went, “nowhere”. Bala’s aim is to do anything we can to contribute to economic development and have an impact on the communities we work in.

Under those auspices, Bala has evolved into a wide-reaching and dynamic programme, advocating “Meaningful, Measurable, Mathematics”.

What we do

Bala rolls out technology-based maths education solutions, targeted at Grade 8 learners in schools in previously disadvantaged communities. Our vision is to expand in the near future to the full Intermediate (Grades 4 to 6) and Senior (Grades 7 to 9) Phases. 
 

Following online assessments in over 80 mathematic “threads”, each learner is provided with an individualised textbook and is supported throughout a 10-month programme to address the gaps in their aptitude. Bala facilitators visit schools on a monthly basis, supporting the weekly efforts of educators on the ground, to ensure ongoing measurable, meaningful, committed and individualised support through our advanced online tool.

Our efforts strictly support the existing educators and their efforts. In collaboration with them, these educators ensure learners are using the individualised textbooks and online literature to achieve optimal maths literacy outcomes.

Why we do it?

Albert Einstein said, “Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas”. At Bala, we believe that early middle and high school intervention is the most logical and effective means of encouraging learners to take up pure mathematics through to matric level.

In the communities where we operate learners have to “play catch-up” in so many academic areas. Mathematics is no exception – particularly in terms of access to tertiary education and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) oriented careers.

We are invested in enabling Harmattan Renewables clients and other firms in the Energy space to play a proactive and meaningful role in supporting this imperative and executing their overall Enterprise Development (ED) mandates.

Why it works

For Our Learners
Our solution is based on the notion of “reflective learning” - the ability to improve yourself and understand, on the basis of the outcomes of assessments, what you need to work on. 

Our learners interact with an internet-based learning tool that provides insights into their individual mathematics learning needs. Based on those results, Bala facilitates the running of an after school programme that addresses the identified gaps using personalised curricula – each learner’s programme is completely tailored to his or her needs.

For Our Companies
Many firms face the challenge of making sizeable donations, including a range of technological solutions, only for the outcomes to fall flat as a result of limited human resources and process inefficiencies.

Bala’s tried and tested model ensures that educational resources, be they capital or human, are used optimally to learners’ benefit. We come in and truly partner with enterprise development funds in executing their localised mandate to provide tools that facilitate and enable an environment for technological interventions.