Monday, 13 October 2008
Science-Education Commitment Also Seen in S. Africa
While in South Africa, we visited many construction sites and spoke with many engineers and public officials. The most enjoyable and rewarding visit was to a rural science center in Richards Bay, a new town developed over the past two to three decades to take advantage of the significant mineral deposits in the region and an excellent natural port. It is a site of the world's largest coal export terminal, a major aluminum manufacturer and a number of ore facilities, including Richards Bay Minerals that produce slag and other materials. It has a significant rural population made up of many impoverished families.
Created 10 years ago, the science center has grown from its lone founder to a staff of 20 and has increased their space tenfold. The purpose of the science center, which is entirely privately financed, is to introduce students to science, math and technology. Without this center, these students would not have exposure to these areas. Many of their homes do not have electricity and none have computers. Nor do many of the schools have electricity or computers. As such, this is their first introduction to information technology. The center serves more than 30,000 visitors and reaches another 70,000 students with its own science bus. They conduct a bridge-building contest out of materials similar to balsa wood and have a water distribution challenge. Local engineers from time to time serve as mentors at the facility. They also conduct training for schoolteachers to help them understand the relevancy of science and math.
A particular interesting program that they use is the Technology Research Activity Center, called TRAC South Africa for short. It is a national non-profit program, the objective of which is to support physical science, mathematics, and technology education in South African secondary schools. The program focuses on providing information technology-based equipment, computer and sensory devices supported by curriculum-relevant worksheets to enhance and simplify the execution and understanding of the practical components of the physical science curriculum.
TRAC programs are running in more than 20 locations throughout South Africa. In addition to the science- and math-based activities, the program provides information on what an engineer and engineering technicians do, plus offers guidance material for students' secondary education. It focuses on all facets on engineering, from civil to environmental, geology, metallurgy, agricultural, biomedical and many others. It is through these efforts and those of other science centers throughout South Africa that the long process of building a science, technology, engineering and math-literate citizenry has begun.
Created 10 years ago, the science center has grown from its lone founder to a staff of 20 and has increased their space tenfold. The purpose of the science center, which is entirely privately financed, is to introduce students to science, math and technology. Without this center, these students would not have exposure to these areas. Many of their homes do not have electricity and none have computers. Nor do many of the schools have electricity or computers. As such, this is their first introduction to information technology. The center serves more than 30,000 visitors and reaches another 70,000 students with its own science bus. They conduct a bridge-building contest out of materials similar to balsa wood and have a water distribution challenge. Local engineers from time to time serve as mentors at the facility. They also conduct training for schoolteachers to help them understand the relevancy of science and math.
A particular interesting program that they use is the Technology Research Activity Center, called TRAC South Africa for short. It is a national non-profit program, the objective of which is to support physical science, mathematics, and technology education in South African secondary schools. The program focuses on providing information technology-based equipment, computer and sensory devices supported by curriculum-relevant worksheets to enhance and simplify the execution and understanding of the practical components of the physical science curriculum.
TRAC programs are running in more than 20 locations throughout South Africa. In addition to the science- and math-based activities, the program provides information on what an engineer and engineering technicians do, plus offers guidance material for students' secondary education. It focuses on all facets on engineering, from civil to environmental, geology, metallurgy, agricultural, biomedical and many others. It is through these efforts and those of other science centers throughout South Africa that the long process of building a science, technology, engineering and math-literate citizenry has begun.
Posted by at 10:30 AM in Global Issues