Inside Education Reporter
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane officially launched Sikhululekile Maths, Science & ICT School of Specialisation with a focus on Research and Innovation on Thursday, 8 February 2024, at Temba, Hammanskraal.
The focus of this School of Specialisation is based on the Economic Development Corridor in Tshwane, which has Research, Innovation (Knowledge) Nuclear Science & Technology and Automotive industries.
Learners from the school demonstrated an array of innovative scientific solutions for issues faced by their community. Grade 9 and 10 learners created a smart farm from a dumpsite on the school premises, where they cultivate a wide variety of vegetables using their very own four-switch water irrigation system. Grade 11 learners developed their own biofuel using bioethanol, which will be utilised by the school as an alternative sustainable energy source.
Learners also created their own water purification system following a cholera outbreak in the community. They also developed a water testing kit which can be sold to the community for only R80. All of these innovations emanated from their own research into issues affecting the community.
The school is also fully equipped with smart classrooms, 3D printers, virtual reality/augmented reality headsets, science labs, and a maths park.
Schools of Specialisation are a legacy programme that was started in 2014 following extensive research on contemporary curriculum. A need to provide a more advanced curriculum that equips learners with skills that are pertinent in today’s economy, and increasingly prepares them for diverse careers upon exiting our system, was identified.
The answer to this was re-establishing existing schools into institutions that specialise in Maths, Science and ICT, Engineering, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Performance and Creative Arts, and Sports respectively.
The specialisation, and focus, within each of these is determined by the economic corridor they reside in. Therefore, the Department forms partnerships with industry-leading companies to enhance the provision and credibility of these skills.
Sikhululekile Maths, Science & ICT School of Specialisation is the 31st School of Specialisation to be launched in the province, and the first of six such schools that will be launched between February and March 2024. The province aims to have 36 School of Specialisations in total.
“With the launch of this school, we are not only cementing our commitment to quality education and youth development, but we are also building highly skilled learners whose knowledge and innovation has the capability of revitalising the economy of Temba, and the province at large. They need to be the beacon of hope for the community, the country and the world. This is what we seek to achieve across our province, equipping our learners to compete on a global scale and become industry leaders,” said MEC Chiloane.
INSIDE EDUCATION
