Update

GEORGE NEWS - The rising sun reflected the excitement of the group of South African and US educators gathering in a field near George on Monday 24 February to sign a historic agreement that will see a futuristic education campus rise at the site. 

The project, called Futuristic Education, aims at the advancement of our children in the fourth industrial age of robotics, artificial intelligence, coding, data analytics, virtual reality, automation and fabrication.

The enterprise is the brain child of president of the Jeda Foundation Prof Quinton Johnson. In December 2019 an agreement was reached between Johnson and Fred de Kock, owner of Cape Estates Outeniqua, who will contribute about 30 hectares at the old sawmill site near the Garden Route Mall for establishing the campus.

As programme director and chairman of Futuristic Education, Johnson provided the context of the American delegation visit, recounting how he engaged Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards and George-Tacoma sister cities chair Melannie Cunningham a few years ago, and they persuaded a number of highly influential US educators to buy in on the project.

The first-of-its-kind agreement was signed by the presidents of Tacoma College, Dr Ivan Harrell; Everett College, Dr Daria Willis; Bates College, Dr Lin Zhou; Jeda Foundation, Prof Quinton Johnson as well as the Mayor of Tacoma, Victoria Woodards and Acting Mayor of George, Charlotte Clarke.

After an opening prayer by Cannon Reverend Lyndon du Plessis, role players expressed their delight and support for the project, with the Tacoma mayor declaring her intention to return in 2022 to cut the ribbon to the new Futuristic Education University in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the sister city partnership.

The envisaged Presidential Education and Training Council will ensure:

1. staff and student exchange;
2. research and innovation engagement;
3. shared certificate, diploma and degree programme offerings;
4. funding and investment;
5. community capacity building.

All guests enjoyed the festive sense of occasion and the wonderful dimension that this education agreement will bring, in creating brighter futures for our communities here and in the United States.

The ceremony was broadcast live across EDENfm.