Mintek ? one of the leading mining technology companies in South Africa ? is embarking on a programme to help rectify the problem of poor teaching and results in science, engineering and technology (SET) at secondary schools by “adopting” the Kwadeda Ngendlale high school in Zola North, Soweto.
A list of more than 100 schools to be dedicated to improved teaching and results in maths and science was announced by the Department of Education in September last year. Of these, the 11 in Gauteng were investigated by Mintek, with the four schools located closest to the organisation being targeted for visits.
Kwadeda Ngendlale was subsequently identified as the school most amenable to the sustainable upgrading of its mathematics and science learners. There are currently just less than 1500 learners at the school.
The project will see Mintek rendering assistance in the following areas:
- The donation of excess and obsolete equipment. Mintek has excess laboratory equipment that can be used in science laboratories.
- The donation of IT equipment. So far 25 computers have been identified as obsolete and suitable for learners.
- Raising the SET awareness of learners. An important part of these specialist schools’ activities will be to encourage promising learners to attend part-time workshops, and, besides intensive SET coaching, expose them to other science-related activities.
Mintek is setting up a programme to demonstrate various concepts and technologies, which will include Mintek technologists and scientists visiting the schools, and the learners visiting Mintek’s facilities.
A similar project has been launched in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. The Izibuko project ? a Nguni name for “bridge” ? is a pilot project of the Community IT Foundation (CITF), which seeks to build a technology backbone in underprivileged communities by employing innovative and cost-effective methods.
CITF is a Section 21 organisation established last year with a view of reproducing the model throughout the Southern African Development Community and other developing countries.
The scope of the project is to build PC laboratories in schools in the target areas specified under the President’s Urban Renewal Strategy, using recycled technology. PC laboratories consist of 25 workstations in a networked environment for print and file sharing as well as e-mail and Internet access.
To this end Shell SA has donated more than 1 000 Pentium computers and other hardware equipment on a phased basis to the project.
The University of the Western Cape has committed its technical expertise and support, and Standard Bank has provided the necessary funding to help kick-start the project.
As a managing and delivery agent, CITF is the platform to facilitate ongoing interaction between the private and public sectors resulting in their resources being pooled and channelled towards the delivery of IT-related products and services to the underprivileged.