The Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) and Oracle are helping disadvantaged learners solve for ‘x” in their newly established mathematics school.
Three hundred and sixty youngsters from grades 9 to 11 no longer wander the streets on Saturday mornings, and RAU tutors are getting down to the business of science, mathematics and technology with them. The school not only focuses on classroom teaching but also includes excursions to expose learners to career opportunities in science, engineering and technology.
A week-long winter holiday school is open to another 360 Grade 12 learners.
The project involves six schools from Soweto. Two educators and 120 learners – 60 of these Grade 12s – were selected from each school for this year alone. Learners were selected on their academic performance in the subject.
Educators are not left out of all this. They are required to attend the same classes with learners and will be included in the university’s teachers’ programmes. ‘An outflow of this will be that they will be able to transfer this knowledge back into their own teaching environments,” says Sonia Cronje, media liaison practitioner at RAU’s marketing and corporate communication division.
So, there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Wrong! Everything is free, from the teachers’ programme and winter school to transport and scientific calculators. The R1.3-million donated by Oracle pays for buses and study material.
Although this is the project’s launch year, there are plans to keep it rolling into the future. Jul 22, 2003