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It.s all over the news and everybody is talking about it: The fact that South African learners perform at well below the international standard in Maths and Science. It.s an issue we at the Shuttleworth Foundation see as a challenge . together with educators, parents and learners we believe that we can ultimately turn things around. Parents, in particular, are key stakeholders that are often overlooked, but can play a critical role in improving this situation. The Paarl Association of School Governing Bodies (PASGB), an association of school governing bodies in the Paarl and Wellington regions, is a shining example of how parents can become actively and constructively involved in the development of their children. With the financial support of the Shuttleworth Foundation, the PASGB is taking proactive action to improve the performance of their children in Maths and Science. Their project involves the placement of Maths and Science assistance educators in schools to help educators manage the overcrowded classrooms as well as provide assistance with practical investigations and project work. As a result the learners in the 42 schools involved have, for the first time, been able to take part in a multi-tiered science expo - organized, facilitated and managed by the governing body association. Apart from organising the expos, the association also manages the science clubs in 5 schools. These clubs are run by the assistant educators together with 12 mentors and are open to all interested learners from the participating schools. In 2004 the association achieved a series of successes: they have managed to recruit 29 assistant educators and registered all of them at UWC with funds from the EDTP SETA; they have recruited 12 mentor educators who assist with the mentoring of the assistant educators and 2 of the learners from the region have managed to win a silver medal at the Eskom Science Expo for Young Scientists in Pretoria. The project initiated by the PASGB is an excellent example of the role school governing bodies can play in the development of education. It has shown us that:
And the Shuttleworth Foundation has discovered that all we need to do is to provide the right kind of support for school governing bodies that have the initiative and drive to make a difference. In 2005 we are looking forward to investing in more innovative proposals looking at involving parents in the education of their children, language as it relates to Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship and Maths; with a strong focus on educator interventions.
CDE LAUNCH .From laggard to world class: reforming Maths and Science education in South Africa. is a research publication produced by the Centre for Development and Enterprise, and launched in November 2004. The publication is a culmination of three years of intensive research and thousands of interviews and discussions that reflect on South Africa.s school based system of Maths and Science education . the most in-depth analysis of the system yet produced. Some of the key issues raised in the report characterized South Africa.s school based Maths and Science education as being a national crisis. According to the report, the South African school system faced a drop in higher grade mathematics enrolments and achievements, and positions the maths and science education as being a huge obstacle in the way of achieving almost all of the government.s ambitions to open up new areas of opportunity particularly for black South Africans. In response to this, the report recommends that a number of initiatives be adopted by the private and public sector that, amongst others, increase the pool of capable and qualified maths and science educators with the ultimate achievement of doubling the number of higher grade maths and science passes over the next five years. Naledi Pandor (right), Minister of Education delivering the keynote address at the launch stressed the importance of viewing the situation highlighted by the report as a challenge instead of a crisis (as this will have a major impact on how we address it). SHUTTLEWORTH FOUNDATION REACHES 80th tuXlab TARGET 2004 has been a busy year for the Open Source team and our various partners. We started out the year with the target of installing 80 tuXlabs by March 2005. Well, we have done it! We have accomplished, what some thought impossible, and the 80th tuXlab was installed at Masiphumelele Primary school in Khayelitsha on the 13th of November 2004. This means that thus far we have reached 100 000 learners and about 1600 teachers in 80 schools in the Western Cape . a feat that would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our SLUG volunteers. This unique social innovation opportunity has attracted Pick .n Pay, who have donated over 800 workstations that will allow the Foundation to establish a further 20 tuXlabs in the Western Cape Province before February 2005. Speaking at the Masiphumelele tuXlab launch, Jonathan Ackerman from Pick .n Pay, re-affirmed their involvement and support for the tuXlab project. He also announced Pick 'n Pay.s commitment to fund wireless Internet connectivity for all the tuXlabs, which will hugely impact the capabilities of educators and learners in all tuXlabs.
Computers4kids also attended the event and have committed to working with the Foundation to provide curriculum content to all the primary schools equipped with tuXlabs. David Son, Chairman of SLUG, thanked all the volunteers for participating in the project and showing their dedication through the last couple of months and 80 installations. Representatives from the EMDC South and from the Education MEC.s office were present, and both stressed the need for the staff of the school, together with the governing body to continue to work together to ensure the effective use of the tuXlab, which should benefit both the school and the community at large. Well done to the tuXlab team. INNOVATION BAZAAR 2004 The Innovation Bazaar, hosted by the Shuttleworth Foundation and PetroSA at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre on 25 October 2004, lived up to its name of creating an atmosphere of lively interaction and a platform for building relationships between .buyers. and .sellers.. The Innovation Bazaar is an example of a social investment exchange or a marketplace . a place where fundseeking organisations set up stalls to promote their project-based work, and funders browse around the stalls interacting with these organisations. The first attempts at setting up social exchanges came from the developed countries of the West, but the last few years have seen a number of pioneering initiatives emerge which establish markets for organisations from the developing world . the Innovation Bazaar is one such market. Evidence suggests that such marketplaces radically reduce the transaction costs for both funders and fundseeking organisations. It does so by creating a platform where on a certain day, at a specific time, all under one roof, community based organizations are able to bring their project based ideas to the .market.. At the same time, funders are able to mingle amongst a wide range of validated projects to interact with, compare and select according to their own criteria. A great place for any individual, organisation or company wishing to make a contribution to development in South Africa. Building on the success of last year, this years' Innovation Bazaar expanded dramatically to showcase projects from 39 Gauteng and Western Cape organisations. In 2003 buying activity took place not only during the actual Bazaar, but also after the event as a result of interactions on the day. In 2004 no buying took place on the day, although R10.2 million in funding was committed. Thus the outcome was totally different with the focus this year being very much on interactions, establishing relationships and networking. In an attempt to understand the most appropriate nature of the Innovation Bazaar and to plan the most realistic way forward, every year the Foundation does a thorough evaluation of the event. Some of the following comments were made by participants: From the funders perspective, the overwhelming feeling is that the Bazaar, as a meeting and market place, is a great opportunity for them to interact with vetted organisations showcasing relevant projects. The event, albeit with room for improvement, met their needs. When asked what would need to be in place in order for buying to take place on the day, funders reported that they are limited in their ability to buying on the day because of their internal processes that require them to meet with projects first. Funders also emphasised that they are only able to fund registered organisations. Fundseekers., however, were all very disappointed that no buying took place on the day as their expectation was built on the outcome of the 2003 Bazaar. A lot of time and energy went in to the preparation of their stalls and they felt that the concept of the Innovation Bazaar needs to be better accepted by funders so that they are aware that projects are ready for .sale. at the event and that buying on the day should be encouraged. The Foundation is currently planning for Innovation Bazaar 2005.
SCIENCE OF SOUND Let the drums roll! We are pleased to announce the winner of the Science of Sound competition hosted by the MTN ScienCentre Gateway in Durban. The winner is none other than Sazi Ngcobo, a grade eleven learner who hails from Estcourt High School. Sazi who is passionate about music and wants to pursue a career in music refused to accept the competitions. constraint of only schools being able to enter. Being the only interested participant from his school, he insisted on being accepted as an entrant and proved himself by going on to win the competition. At the awards evening held on 23 September 2004, Sazi was awarded with a Hip2b2 prize from the Shuttleworth Foundation as well as a bursary to study Sound Engineering from Damelin College in Durban, on the condition that he produces satisfactory results in grade twelve. A close runner up to the competition was Carmen Fourie, a grade eleven learner from Grosvenor Girls High. Positions three, four and five went to Davyn Gene Fourie from Grosvenor Boys High, Mike Mpeko from Thomas Moore High School and Rhonda Leigh-Naidoo from Northlands High School respectively. The Science of Sound project invited 2400 learners from a variety of schools to attend workshops and training sessions on the Maths and Science of Sound. Using patterns to deconstruct trigonometry and waves to demonstrate Science concepts, the said subjects started appealing to learners who showed a positive change in their attitudes towards these subjects. AFRICA MEETS AFRICA .Indigenous styles of making beadwork involve mathematical thinking. The ability to fit circles into squares and triangles, the number of patterns, sequences and series that determine which bead of which colour comes next, is in fact what learners are struggling with when thinking numerically. Beadwork in the classroom can bridge the gap between the concrete and the abstract. Beadwork can also develop creativity in learners, encouraging them to use other theoretical and abstract sequences to create new beadwork designs. This kind of engagement could cover almost half of the current syllabus prescribed by the Revised National Curriculum Statement for Mathematics., wrote Mathematics educator Cynthia Malinga, of the Sci-Bono Mathematics and Science Discovery Centre in response to the Africa meets Africa Project.s educator.s resource Making a Living through the Mathematics of Zulu Design. The Africa meets Africa Project focuses on indigenous knowledge, as found in objects made within various Southern African cultural traditions and these concepts help educators and learners approach the sometimes daunting learning area of Mathematics, and specifically Geometry, in a familiar context. This resource, the second in the Africa meets Africa series, focuses on the Zulu tradition of beadwork, weaving and pottery, in which extraordinarily complex patterns and sophisticated examples of symmetry occur. In the Africa meets Africa resource pack design knowledge and mathematical knowledge are integrated and explored. The resource includes a 52 page A4 size book, in full colour and a 90-minute video in three parts, which serves as a teaching tool in the Mathematics and Visual Arts classroom. It also explores how, through sheer entrepreneurial drive, South Africa.s indigenous craft industry is expanding from rural community based activity to the contemporary international design market. The resource is being implemented in collaboration with provincial education departments in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, through a series of introductory workshops for educators in Mathematics and Visual Arts and Design. A specialist team of educators will design learning materials for the classroom using the Africa meets Africa resource as source material, and linking Outcomes and Assessment Standards from the RNCS in both learning areas. These will be distributed during workshops and will also be available on the Africa meets Africa website, which is being developed at present.
CODE BREAKER: COMPETITION WINNER Time has flown by in a flash bringing the 2004 Code Breaker competition to a close. We had a mountain of entries for the final draw, but could choose only two winners. The individual prize consisting of a Sahara personal computer and printer, a HIP2B2 digital camera, two HIP2B2 beach towels, caps and jewellery was won by Fatima Mahomed of Lenasia, Gauteng. The school prize of R25 000 worth of digital solutions was won by Grant La Fleur for his school, Fish Hoek Middle School. Congratulations! But Code Breaker isn't over! It is coming back in 2005 with even more mystery, intrigue and action than before. We're going to reach more people, have more fun and break more rules... um... codes. Don't miss it! Your life could depend on it! TV SHOW Knowledge may be power, but television turns knowledge into power with style on Mondays at 15h45 on SABC 2: Welcome to the hip Technology, Maths and Science show, HIP2B2 (powered by Eskom). The HIP2B2 TV programme is for learners of all ages introducing various Science and Technology topics in an interactive and fun manner to stimulate our inquisitive natures on how the world works: light, rainforests, sound, volcanoes, astronomy, etc. Our ultra-HIP presenters will showcase fun experiments to try out, discoveries and inventions, phones, timepieces, tyres, fact files and .did you know's. . all of which will expose you to different careers where Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship and Maths can be applied.
Remember that, if you have an interesting and innovative pilot project which aims to assist in the development of Science, Technology, Entrepreneurship and Maths, in education in South Africa, please send your proposal to: , or fax (021) 970 1201. Visit www.shuttleworthfoundation.org for more information or contact (021) 970 1200. If you are a corporate or business that wants to get involved in the funding of projects and programmes on a national scale, you are also invited to give us a call.
 P.O.Box 4163, Durbanville 7551, South Africa Tel + 27 21 970 1200 ? Fax + 27 21 970 1201 www.shuttleworthfoundation.org ? Please contact to be added to or removed from this mailing list, or visit our website. This newsletter is constructed and managed with Ubuntu Media's E-Bean publishing system |
