NaMaSci Project yields positive results
Learners from disadvantaged, under-resourced schools in both rural and urban areas are benefitting from the NaMaSci (Namaqua Maths and Science) project in the Namakwa District . The NaMaSci Project is a contributor to the eradication of injustices and aimed at improving underprivileged communities through quality educational support.
The primary aim of the NaMaSci Project is to prepare and support historically disadvantaged learners from the Nama Khoi, Richtersveld and Kammiesberg areas of the Namakwa District with access to Tertiary Education by ensuring:
a) that they are successful at school;
b) that they successfully enrolled for further studies at a Tertiary Education institution, and;
c) that the gap from school to tertiary education is bridged, thus ensuring access with success.
To ensure sustainability, the project will also aim to enhance the capacity of currently serving Mathematics and Science Teachers from school attended by these learners – thus ensuring that quality teaching continues after the intervention has come to an end.
The Programme is a collaboration between the Northern Cape Department of Education and the University of Stellenbosch designed to improve access to tertiary study through a free Grade 10 and 11 subject tutelage and career guidance programme. Qualified and experienced educators are contracted to tutor learners in core (‘gateway’) subjects such as Mathematics and Physical Sciences during holidays in Springbok.
The NaMaSci Project focusses on the following activities:
Learners
· Providing tutorials in Mathematics and Physical Sciences for a cohort of 30 grade 10 and 30 grade 11 students. The model of the holiday schools are implemented for this learner group.
· Learners who attain a mark of 70% and above at the end of grade 11 will be invited to join the Hope@Maties Programme holiday school in Kimberley. These students will receive extra tuition in university gateway subjects, be exposed to various study options at Stellenbosch University and be supported with the processing of university and bursary application forms.
· A learner tracking system to monitor and track the performance and attendance of leaners will be implemented.
· Learners who fail to obtain a mark of more than 70% will continue to receive tutorial support in Springbok and will be supported to access tertiary education institutions other than university (e.g. FET College).
Teachers
· Providing continuing Teacher Professional Learning activities for Mathematics and Physical Sciences teachers to enhance the quality of teaching in these subjects.
· A decentralized training centre will be developed in Springbok for the presentation of a Teacher Professional Learning Programme focusing on Maths and Science.
· The Teacher Professional Learning intervention will utilise a Practise-based model of Professional Learning comprising of face-to-face contact sessions,telematic sessions and on-going learning and support via the use of social media and tablets.
· A cluster mentoring component, aimed at supporting teachers with practical implementation at school, will form part of the Teacher Professional Learning Programme.
Through this initiative, talented young learners will be supported who may otherwise not be able to gain entry to institutions of tertiary education due to lack of support and guidance.
Through further study, they can improve their own life circumstances by increasing their potential job earnings, while contributing to the knowledge base of South Africa. At a second level, they are also improving the status of the communities from which they hail and can act as role models for others who face similar challenges.
It is a generally accepted fact that competent, motivated teachers play a vital role in supporting, guiding and motivating learners to attain the outcomes mentioned above. Teachers are furthermore primary role-players at the level of each classroom in each school who could take this process forward.
We are confident that with proper and sufficient support envisaged for both learners and teachers the impact of this intervention will still be felt many years from now, when those who have successfully come through it are making a difference in their communities, in the country and on the continent.
The importance of quality education and quality educational support is widely promoted. Good support can help learners to meet their specific needs, and accelerate their development as they acquire additional skills.
The programme does not only benefit the participating learners, but also our communities at large. In our commitment to the development of this country, we care as much about the individual learner as we do about the communities of which they are part off.
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