Date: 22/05/2003
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: Launch of Eskom's maths & science programme for matriculants
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, MR MOSIBUDI MANGENA, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE ESKOM MATRICULATION MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PROGRAMME, Eskom Conference Centre, 22 May 2003
Programme Director,
The CIS Consultant of Eskom Development Foundation, Mr Diale,
Representatives from Eskom Development Foundation,
Executive Director of Education Support Services Trust,
Professor Sinclair and his staff,
Distinguished Guests;
Mathematics and Science Educators,
Ladies and Gentleman
The fact that our human resources for science and technology are not being adequately renewed is indeed a frightening prospect for this country and the region. The white, male and ageing scientific population remains the backbone of scientific output. We urgently need to replace this demographic group with younger and more representative groupings if we are to respond adequately, for example, to new diseases or new forms of old diseases affecting animals, plants and humans. A critical mass of local scientists doing research in relevant areas is required, if we are to respond to the energy requirements of our country and continent or become smart buyers and developers of the rapidly developing technology.
The Dinaledi Project of the Department of Education is one of the foundation stones on which we can build in order to adequately respond to this national imperative. If we are to renew and develop our human resources in the critical areas of science, engineering and technology, we must begin our initiatives at the school level. Always remember that the Bantu education system underdeveloped particularly our African teacher cohort that we are looking to produce our future researchers and innovators. The Dinaledi Project is a three-pronged strategy tasked with the empowerment of school managements, the development of mathematics and science teachers and most important of all, the improvement of learner attainment in mathematics, science and technology education.
As the department, we are indeed very grateful and encouraged by the involvement of the private and NGO sector in addressing this monumental national task. By funding the mathematics and science learner support materials developed by the Education Support Services Trust for the Dinaledi schools, Eskom is not only ensuring that it has more gifted matric graduates from which to select their bursary candidates, but it also contributes significantly to ensuring that their beneficiaries have better opportunities of success in their higher education studies. Blue-sky scientists and researchers emerge from those who hone in their skills of scientific inquiry from a very early age, when their minds are still inquisitive and susceptible to novel ideas. Even though the Dinaledi Project was initiated in matric, systems are already in place to progressively roll out the programme to lower classes up to Grade R.
In his research article entitled, "Education for All in Africa but Education System that Serves the Few Well", Joel Samof illustrates the state of education in Africa more clearly:
As the twentieth century closes, the general consensus is that education in Africa is in crisis. Africa has of course also been the site of imaginative experiments, innovations in the content and forms of education, and critical reflections on the role of education in society. Both long before Europeans arrived and to this day, Africa's intellectual contributions have had global influence. Still, the prevailing wisdom highlights crisis. After a period of rapid growth, and dramatic progress, education in Africa, at all levels and in all forms, is in dire straits, we are told. With few exceptions, both schools and learning have deteriorated, and the situation is continuing to worsen. Roofs leak and the wind blows though pane-less windows. There are too few teachers to sustain expanded access, too many teachers have had little preparation, and very few teachers have opportunities to improve their skills. Universities have experienced stagnating or declining budgets and simultaneous pressures to increase enrolment. Libraries are outdated, laboratories poorly equipped, funds for research nearly nonexistent....
He concludes by proposing that:
The need for action is urgent. The challenge is to revitalize education in Africa and to do it in ways that enable African countries not only to close the development gap, but also to leap ahead.
These are the tough challenges that Africa faces and South Africa is no exception. Africa needs a rebirth; a new future has to be created where Africans, irrespective of their racial origins, are ready and prepared to face the challenges of the twenty first century. It is against this backdrop that our continent should be driven by a conviction that future generations, like their earlier ancestors, should be world-class leaders in all fields of human endeavour.
That is why we support the idea that the twenty first century should be an African century and a century of hope and prosperity. In order to realise this objective and vision, the challenge before us is to understand and accept that all learners need a firm grounding in mathematics, science and technology, if we as a nation wish to lead the social and economic battle of the twenty first century. In this regard, a study conducted by Huddle, Colville and Michael of the Department of Chemistry, University of Witwatersrand, in 1997, sheds light on some of the challenges that we face:
The South African chemical industry is faced with many problems, one of which is the negative public perception, not only of chemistry but also of science and technology. The decreasing number of pupils studying science at schools shows this. Also fewer and fewer students are studying science and engineering at the universities.
As already alluded to, the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education is intended to address this challenge. Whenever I visit the Dinaledi schools my message is always the same, to encourage more pupils, especially girls, to choose mathematics and science as a part of their curriculum, to work conscientiously and consistently in all their studies and to improve their language competency in English through reading and more reading of the relevant materials.
I am indeed proud and happy to announce that the spirit of our young people out there is very positive. More and more young boys and girls are finding science and mathematics to be very interesting subjects, and many among them are pledging to become top scientists when they grow up.
The vision behind the strategy is that of scientifically literate, technologically fluent and mathematically literate society that is geared towards empowering more individuals to participate in the emerging knowledge-based economy and support sustainable development.
In order to develop our school principal and teacher cohorts, the department, in partnership with private and donor agencies, has been running autumn clinics in 2002 and 2003. The first autumn clinic took place in this venue last year while the second autumn clinic was held in Cape Town. Through these clinics, principals and mathematics and physical science teachers were given an opportunity to share their experiences, deepen their subject knowledge and sharpen their administrative and management skills. These are the skills that we hope will enable our teachers to be knowledge producers rather than just knowledge transmitters.
In order to develop the top scientists that are able to hold their own in the world, we need to find more sponsorships for similar retreats for the learners. Without additional in-depth training by practising scientists and engineers, our children will never succeed in international competitions and Olympiads that are a preparatory ground for future innovators in technology and science. Equally pressing is the question of expanding the reach of the strategy beyond the current 102 schools. There are in total more than 280 000 public schools that are educating more than 11 million learners. Clearly, the 102 schools are but just a drop in sea of need.
Programme Director, in its first year of implementation the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology is impacting positively on the 102 Dinaledi schools. We observed an improvement in the participation rates and performance in these schools, which exceeded the set national targets. The strategy is beginning to bear fruit and we should strengthen our resolve to broaden our reach and focus on our goals and vision.
In our march to a scientific, mathematical and technological nation, we must keep the basics in mind. And the basics of the twenty first century are reading and writing but they include communication and higher order problem solving skills, which are the thinking tools that will allow us to understand the technological world around us. The challenge for all of us who are involved in mathematics and science education is to always insist that these critical subjects are not only based on computation and murmuring concepts, but on analysing and interpreting qualitative situations, in generating models and in evaluating and verifying the results.
We are indeed encouraging to note that the business sector, in particular Eskom through its association with the ESST, are taking the responsibility and lead in improving the future and standard of mathematics and science education in our country. This initiative, which focuses mainly on the learners, will go a long way in addressing the human resource development needs of the country. The study tutorials for this programme will enable our mathematics and physical science learners to truly understand these critical subjects, internalise the concepts and principles on which these subjects are based, and most importantly, take the ideas learned in their classrooms, view them from their different perspectives, and apply them to other situations and contexts.
As a country, we are in dire need of mathematics and science teachers who able to go beyond the classroom lessons to help the learners discover the applications of science and mathematics that will open new avenues of research and inquiry into science and technology.
In closing, we would like to thank Eskom and the ESST for the role they are playing in promoting our national initiatives and wish them a fruitful working relationship. Through this support programme to our learners, they are bringing hope to millions of our youth and our people. While the curriculum and methods of instruction are the domain of those who are trained or employed to make such decisions, we are also convinced that the business sector has a very significant role in supporting such activities.
We are a nation with a penchant for innovation and desire for progress. Through collaboration and partnership between government and the business sector, we can ensure that our school education system produces enough learners who pass mathematics and physical science well. Joel Samof succinctly captures the value and impact of investment in education thus:
Occasionally voices continue to insist that education is liberating and that learning is inherently developmental. Most often, however, education is regarded as distinctively instrumental, an investment in a country's future, a production system that turns people with particular competencies and attitudes, and a delivery system that transfers wisdom, expectations, ways of thinking, and discipline to the next generation.
I thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Education
22 May 2003
Source: Ministry of Education
Title: Mangena: Launch of Eskom's maths & science programme for matriculants
ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF EDUCATION, MR MOSIBUDI MANGENA, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE ESKOM MATRICULATION MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PROGRAMME, Eskom Conference Centre, 22 May 2003
Programme Director,
The CIS Consultant of Eskom Development Foundation, Mr Diale,
Representatives from Eskom Development Foundation,
Executive Director of Education Support Services Trust,
Professor Sinclair and his staff,
Distinguished Guests;
Mathematics and Science Educators,
Ladies and Gentleman
The fact that our human resources for science and technology are not being adequately renewed is indeed a frightening prospect for this country and the region. The white, male and ageing scientific population remains the backbone of scientific output. We urgently need to replace this demographic group with younger and more representative groupings if we are to respond adequately, for example, to new diseases or new forms of old diseases affecting animals, plants and humans. A critical mass of local scientists doing research in relevant areas is required, if we are to respond to the energy requirements of our country and continent or become smart buyers and developers of the rapidly developing technology.
The Dinaledi Project of the Department of Education is one of the foundation stones on which we can build in order to adequately respond to this national imperative. If we are to renew and develop our human resources in the critical areas of science, engineering and technology, we must begin our initiatives at the school level. Always remember that the Bantu education system underdeveloped particularly our African teacher cohort that we are looking to produce our future researchers and innovators. The Dinaledi Project is a three-pronged strategy tasked with the empowerment of school managements, the development of mathematics and science teachers and most important of all, the improvement of learner attainment in mathematics, science and technology education.
As the department, we are indeed very grateful and encouraged by the involvement of the private and NGO sector in addressing this monumental national task. By funding the mathematics and science learner support materials developed by the Education Support Services Trust for the Dinaledi schools, Eskom is not only ensuring that it has more gifted matric graduates from which to select their bursary candidates, but it also contributes significantly to ensuring that their beneficiaries have better opportunities of success in their higher education studies. Blue-sky scientists and researchers emerge from those who hone in their skills of scientific inquiry from a very early age, when their minds are still inquisitive and susceptible to novel ideas. Even though the Dinaledi Project was initiated in matric, systems are already in place to progressively roll out the programme to lower classes up to Grade R.
In his research article entitled, "Education for All in Africa but Education System that Serves the Few Well", Joel Samof illustrates the state of education in Africa more clearly:
As the twentieth century closes, the general consensus is that education in Africa is in crisis. Africa has of course also been the site of imaginative experiments, innovations in the content and forms of education, and critical reflections on the role of education in society. Both long before Europeans arrived and to this day, Africa's intellectual contributions have had global influence. Still, the prevailing wisdom highlights crisis. After a period of rapid growth, and dramatic progress, education in Africa, at all levels and in all forms, is in dire straits, we are told. With few exceptions, both schools and learning have deteriorated, and the situation is continuing to worsen. Roofs leak and the wind blows though pane-less windows. There are too few teachers to sustain expanded access, too many teachers have had little preparation, and very few teachers have opportunities to improve their skills. Universities have experienced stagnating or declining budgets and simultaneous pressures to increase enrolment. Libraries are outdated, laboratories poorly equipped, funds for research nearly nonexistent....
He concludes by proposing that:
The need for action is urgent. The challenge is to revitalize education in Africa and to do it in ways that enable African countries not only to close the development gap, but also to leap ahead.
These are the tough challenges that Africa faces and South Africa is no exception. Africa needs a rebirth; a new future has to be created where Africans, irrespective of their racial origins, are ready and prepared to face the challenges of the twenty first century. It is against this backdrop that our continent should be driven by a conviction that future generations, like their earlier ancestors, should be world-class leaders in all fields of human endeavour.
That is why we support the idea that the twenty first century should be an African century and a century of hope and prosperity. In order to realise this objective and vision, the challenge before us is to understand and accept that all learners need a firm grounding in mathematics, science and technology, if we as a nation wish to lead the social and economic battle of the twenty first century. In this regard, a study conducted by Huddle, Colville and Michael of the Department of Chemistry, University of Witwatersrand, in 1997, sheds light on some of the challenges that we face:
The South African chemical industry is faced with many problems, one of which is the negative public perception, not only of chemistry but also of science and technology. The decreasing number of pupils studying science at schools shows this. Also fewer and fewer students are studying science and engineering at the universities.
As already alluded to, the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education is intended to address this challenge. Whenever I visit the Dinaledi schools my message is always the same, to encourage more pupils, especially girls, to choose mathematics and science as a part of their curriculum, to work conscientiously and consistently in all their studies and to improve their language competency in English through reading and more reading of the relevant materials.
I am indeed proud and happy to announce that the spirit of our young people out there is very positive. More and more young boys and girls are finding science and mathematics to be very interesting subjects, and many among them are pledging to become top scientists when they grow up.
The vision behind the strategy is that of scientifically literate, technologically fluent and mathematically literate society that is geared towards empowering more individuals to participate in the emerging knowledge-based economy and support sustainable development.
In order to develop our school principal and teacher cohorts, the department, in partnership with private and donor agencies, has been running autumn clinics in 2002 and 2003. The first autumn clinic took place in this venue last year while the second autumn clinic was held in Cape Town. Through these clinics, principals and mathematics and physical science teachers were given an opportunity to share their experiences, deepen their subject knowledge and sharpen their administrative and management skills. These are the skills that we hope will enable our teachers to be knowledge producers rather than just knowledge transmitters.
In order to develop the top scientists that are able to hold their own in the world, we need to find more sponsorships for similar retreats for the learners. Without additional in-depth training by practising scientists and engineers, our children will never succeed in international competitions and Olympiads that are a preparatory ground for future innovators in technology and science. Equally pressing is the question of expanding the reach of the strategy beyond the current 102 schools. There are in total more than 280 000 public schools that are educating more than 11 million learners. Clearly, the 102 schools are but just a drop in sea of need.
Programme Director, in its first year of implementation the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology is impacting positively on the 102 Dinaledi schools. We observed an improvement in the participation rates and performance in these schools, which exceeded the set national targets. The strategy is beginning to bear fruit and we should strengthen our resolve to broaden our reach and focus on our goals and vision.
In our march to a scientific, mathematical and technological nation, we must keep the basics in mind. And the basics of the twenty first century are reading and writing but they include communication and higher order problem solving skills, which are the thinking tools that will allow us to understand the technological world around us. The challenge for all of us who are involved in mathematics and science education is to always insist that these critical subjects are not only based on computation and murmuring concepts, but on analysing and interpreting qualitative situations, in generating models and in evaluating and verifying the results.
We are indeed encouraging to note that the business sector, in particular Eskom through its association with the ESST, are taking the responsibility and lead in improving the future and standard of mathematics and science education in our country. This initiative, which focuses mainly on the learners, will go a long way in addressing the human resource development needs of the country. The study tutorials for this programme will enable our mathematics and physical science learners to truly understand these critical subjects, internalise the concepts and principles on which these subjects are based, and most importantly, take the ideas learned in their classrooms, view them from their different perspectives, and apply them to other situations and contexts.
As a country, we are in dire need of mathematics and science teachers who able to go beyond the classroom lessons to help the learners discover the applications of science and mathematics that will open new avenues of research and inquiry into science and technology.
In closing, we would like to thank Eskom and the ESST for the role they are playing in promoting our national initiatives and wish them a fruitful working relationship. Through this support programme to our learners, they are bringing hope to millions of our youth and our people. While the curriculum and methods of instruction are the domain of those who are trained or employed to make such decisions, we are also convinced that the business sector has a very significant role in supporting such activities.
We are a nation with a penchant for innovation and desire for progress. Through collaboration and partnership between government and the business sector, we can ensure that our school education system produces enough learners who pass mathematics and physical science well. Joel Samof succinctly captures the value and impact of investment in education thus:
Occasionally voices continue to insist that education is liberating and that learning is inherently developmental. Most often, however, education is regarded as distinctively instrumental, an investment in a country's future, a production system that turns people with particular competencies and attitudes, and a delivery system that transfers wisdom, expectations, ways of thinking, and discipline to the next generation.
I thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Education
22 May 2003
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