Oprahs new school??????

Xarog

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w1z4rd said:
Thats if you look at it from your own shallow perspective. Im glad she is helping those people, for whatever reasons, because I am sure I can best my last Rand you wouldnt do shi!t for anyone else.
Shallow? :rolleyes:

As has already been said, the money could have been far better spent if $1 million was spent on 40 different schools.

And it's a Rand you'd lose, btw.

Highflyer_GP said:
Xarog whether or not it's a publicity stunt, she's helping kids in our country - not even her own country. She always says that she loves this country, and apart from helping these kids she's also giving SA free publicity. So either way we shouldn't be complaining.

The question is if you had a few million, how much of that would you spend towards a good cause?
You'll note that I disapproved of the motives for the donation rather than the donation itself.

As to your question, well to be honest I have no idea. In general, I don't think you solve problems by throwing money at them, though. I'd rather solve problems in such a way that one doesn't need to throw money at them anymore.
 

Highflyer_GP

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As has already been said, the money could have been far better spent if $1 million was spent on 40 different schools.


As to your question, well to be honest I have no idea. In general, I don't think you solve problems by throwing money at them, though. I'd rather solve problems in such a way that one doesn't need to throw money at them anymore.
See the problem is that by throwing money at different schools, you have no clue as to how it will be sent and whose pockets it will mysteriously end up in. By funding your own school, you have absolute control over your funds. You know that it will be spent in the way that it's intended to.
 

Xarog

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So why not set up 40 different schools under your direct control at R7 million each? Does that not sound viable?
 

Highflyer_GP

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But the running expenses for 40 different schools?

I understand your point that only some kids will benefit while the majority won't. However for now I think it's better than doing nothing.
 

Lycanthrope

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I agree hands down with Xarog. $1 million could've been MUCH better spent on 40 different schools.

Perhaps I'm just being racist but I like to think that "people" deserve equal opportunity, including the previously advantaged. *cough*

And she wasn't helping "kids" nearly so much as she was helping black kids. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with helping unfortunate people, but then help PEOPLE, not just the unfortunate black people.
 

Nick333

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Shallow? :rolleyes:

As has already been said, the money could have been far better spent if $1 million was spent on 40 different schools.

What sort of school could be built for R175 000? You could barely build a 2 bedroom house for that sort of money.

Motives aside, it's a question of quality over quantity. You can't expect a private individual to solve our entire education problem.
 

jontyB

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Oprah is now setting up her 2nd school and there are some rumours about that Cape Town will be getting one too. Let her do it. It costs us nothing and it may even mould the country's future leaders after all.
 

Xarog

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What sort of school could be built for R175 000? You could barely build a 2 bedroom house for that sort of money.

Motives aside, it's a question of quality over quantity. You can't expect a private individual to solve our entire education problem.

I can criticise someone for making a donation that appears to be more for show rather than for substance.

But since we really want to debate numbers : Does a school really need to have R280 million rand in order to become viable? What is the absolute minimum that a school needs as startup capital in order to remain feasable while also providing a proper education?
 

jontyB

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I can criticise someone for making a donation that appears to be more for show rather than for substance.

But since we really want to debate numbers : Does a school really need to have R280 million rand in order to become viable? What is the absolute minimum that a school needs as startup capital in order to remain feasable while also providing a proper education?
Have you seen the Education budget?
 

Debbie

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because oprah was intensively involved in the mirco management of getting the school to the point where it is now. she couldnt possibly have spread herself over 40 schools. no one in the world has enough time, energy and love to do all that.
 

Natas

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Oprah wants to create an elite school where people strive to get into. The school has less to do with helping people than it does to do with strengthening the Oprah brand and exporting and instilling her sense of good morals. The kids that come from the school will be instilled with a filtered and refined Opra-esue form of that irritating american sensibility.

If these children become the next leaders of our country, then the power they usurp will be thiers to share with Oprah, who would hopefully have died by the time they do become leaders.

What Orpah is doing is the exportation of her own morals to South Africa, a form of coloonisation if you will. Orpah is the living embodyment of the irritating mid western american housewife sense of morality that says you shouldnt hit your kids, you shouldnt smoke and people who do are evil, America is the best counrty in the world, etc,etc,etc.... I could go on and on but ...

@ Debbie@: Oprah was involved in every aspect of the school, including selection of the teachers and the curriculum. A few of teh articles I read gave me the disticnt impression that this venture's primary intention is not to educate but an intent to instill a specifc world view and set of morals...
 
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Debbie

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I can criticise someone for making a donation that appears to be more for show rather than for substance.

Xarog, 'more for show'? What do you base this on?

Do you have any information on how this school came about, or the ways in which Oprah has been involved?
 

Xarog

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jontyB said:
Have you seen the Education budget?
I'm afraid not. Perhaps you can provide some numbers? :)

Debbie2 said:
because oprah was intensively involved in the mirco management of getting the school to the point where it is now. she couldnt possibly have spread herself over 40 schools. no one in the world has enough time, energy and love to do all that.
Well if JontyB's rumours are correct then it appears she can at least do more than one school at once. One wonders how much funds the other schools would get.
 

Nick333

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I can criticise someone for making a donation that appears to be more for show rather than for substance.

But since we really want to debate numbers : Does a school really need to have R280 million rand in order to become viable? What is the absolute minimum that a school needs as startup capital in order to remain feasable while also providing a proper education?

Well obviously neither of us can answer that question without substantial research. I think its safe to say that R175 000 (thats your figure of 1 million dollars devided by 40) to build a school is just ridiculous though. Thats not to mention running costs.

To build and equip a school of even basic quality would run into the millions of rand. At least a fair chunk of 1 million dollars to be sure.

I may be wrong but I some how doubt it.
 

Lycanthrope

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I pray for the day more south africans become like oprah.

Yay! Let's all get raped by our brothers and god knows who else. Woot!!! I strive to be a fascist two-faced "everyone's my friend" bigot! Oprah FTW!
 

Highflyer_GP

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Perhaps I'm just being racist but I like to think that "people" deserve equal opportunity, including the previously advantaged. *cough*

And she wasn't helping "kids" nearly so much as she was helping black kids. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with helping unfortunate people, but then help PEOPLE, not just the unfortunate black people.
Well it's her money, let her spend it as she sees fit. It's not harming anybody. "Previously disadvantaged" by definition refers to non-whites (not JUST black people), "previously advantaged" refers to whites. Anyway let's not turn this into a racial issue.

If it peeves you off that one individual is willing to spend millions of their private funds on helping the situation in your country, you should prove a point and open a multi-million rand school in her country.

Then again we will always get people who will look for absolutely anything to bitch about.
 

Nick333

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Oprah wants to create an elite school where people strive to get into. The school has less to do with helping people than it does to do with strengthening the Oprah brand and exporting and instilling her sense of good morals. The kids that come from the school will be instilled with a filtered and refined Opra-esue form of that irritating american sensibility.

If these children become the next leaders of our country, then the power they usurp will be thiers to share with Oprah, who would hopefully have died by the time they do become leaders.

What Orpah is doing is the exportation of her own morals to South Africa, a form of coloonisation if you will. Orpah is the living embodyment of the irritating mid western american housewife sense of morality that says you shouldnt hit your kids, you shouldnt smoke and people who do are evil, America is the best counrty in the world, etc,etc,etc.... I could go on and on but ...

@ Debbie@: Oprah was involved in every aspect of the school, including selection of the teachers and the curriculum. A few of teh articles I read gave me the disticnt impression that this venture's primary intention is not to educate but an intent to instill a specifc world view and set of morals...

With respect, I think at best your statements are nothing but an opinion. At worst, paranoid in the extreme.
 

Lycanthrope

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Well it's her money, let her spend it as she sees fit. It's not harming anybody. "Previously disadvantaged" by definition refers to non-whites (not JUST black people), "previously advantaged" refers to whites. Anyway let's not turn this into a racial issue.

If it peeves you off that one individual is willing to spend millions of their private funds on helping the situation in your country, you should prove a point and open a multi-million rand school in her country.

Then again we will always get people who will look for absolutely anything to bitch about.

I was talking about the whites -.-"
 
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