Description of project:

SAILI, "Scientific and Industrial Leadership initiative”, is an educational NGO based in Cape Town. Their mission is to increase the numbers of previously disadvantaged people in science-based industry in such a way as to benefit the economy and thereby the well-being of South Africa. SAILI is managed by the Western Cape Tertiary Consortium, a Section 21 Company. The Trust administers a number of education-related projects and SAILI operates as one of these, managed independetly. SAILI operates in 29 primary schools in the Western Cape.

The Shuttleworth Foundation’s involvement:

The Shuttleworth Foundation is funding a SAILI "catch-up" programme for 60 Grade 6 learners and 62 Grade 7 learners from the 29 SAILI operated schools in the Western Cape. The programme will take the form of a camp during the school holidays.

Aims and objectives:

This is done for the sole purpose of improving conceptual understanding and content knowledge in mathematics and science, to redress the deficit in mathematics and science and to improve the learner’s performance in the said subjects.

Updated Status (July 2003):

The learners who took part in the June Program in Betty's Bay continue to show a growing confidence and there is evidence that the deficit in maths and science is being steadily addressed. Though the process is slow, there is openness to learning new concepts and relearning those that have been misunderstood.

Updated Status (May 2003):

The learners who took part in the June Program in Betty's Bay continue to show a growing confidence and there is evidence that the deficit in maths and science is being steadily addressed. Though the process is slow, there is openness to learning new concepts and relearning those that have been misunderstood..

Current Status (October 2003):

The programme co-ordinator visited the project and found the programme highly interactive and creative. It attempts to deal with conceptual problems and understanding in a creative way. The programme's success tests with creative teaching strategies and its ability to pick the star performers in maths and science and develop them. SAILI operates on the models that track the progress of learners from school through to tertiary institutions.