Young scientists excel in Olympiad

Winner of the first ever Natural Science Olympiad for grades 4 - 9, Masande Shumane of Mandela Junior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape (centre), with one of her many prizes. With her are four of the other top 10 learners, N P Lupholo from Tsandzanani Primary School in Mpumalanga, J A de Beer and A J Oosthuizen of Hoër Volkskool in the Eastern Cape, and S Mhlabeni of Mandela Junior Secondary School in the Eastern Cape.

Gauteng was abuzz with young science boffins from across South Africa attending the first ever Natural Science Olympiad Award Ceremony for learners in grades 4 - 9 in January 2012.

Over 18 000 learners from all nine provinces participated in the Olympiad, with only the 59 top achievers selected to participate in a two-day visit to Gauteng and the awards event.

And the winners were ...

The ten best performing learners were from four provinces: the Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga. In first position was grade 9 learner Masande Shumane from the Mandela Junior Secondary School in Mhlontlo, Qumbu (Eastern Cape), with a 100% pass. Fellow grade 9 learner Siphamandla Mhlabeni scooped joint second position with a 98% pass, together with eight other learners.

When asked about her achievements and future plans, Shumane shyly responded that it took hard work and lots of studying to achieve her 100% pass rate. She hopes to become a medical doctor when she finishes school. Her advice to learners who want to participate in the next round is to study hard and stay focused.

The rest of the winners sharing second place with a 98% pass rate were:

Four learners from Fichardtpark Primary School in Bloemfontein (Free State)
Two learners from Hoër Volkskool in Graaff-Reinet (Eastern Cape)
One learner from Laerskool Eureka in Kimberley (Northern Cape)
One learner from Tsandzanani Primary School in Matsulu (Mpumalanga)

Prizes

The prizes received by the winners included laptops, iPods, digital cameras and book vouchers. Schools with the greatest number of participants and top performing schools received laboratory equipment and vouchers for library books.

Top achievers and their educators were treated to two days in Gauteng, visiting the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, University of the Witwatersrand's Planetarium and the Johannesburg Observatory ahead of the awards ceremony.

Aims of the Olympiad

The aims of the Natural Science Olympiad are to identify and nurture talent in Natural Science, Life Science and Accounting; increase the number of learners who opt for Physical Science, Life Science, Accounting and Mathematics at high schools; and act as a feeder for SAASTA's National Science Olympiad for grades 10 - 12, which is now in its 47th year. The competition is managed by SAASTA with CNA, part of the Edcon (Pty) Ltd Group, as main sponsor.

"By running this competition, SAASTA and CNA aim to contribute towards an increase in graduate output in careers where there are shortages of skills," commented Dr Jabu Nukeri, manager of SAASTA's Education Unit.