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46% of getS.E.T.go! readers think that the most important benefit of South Africa’s recent participation in the Shanghai Expo, will be the raising of our country’s science & technology profile on the global stage. |
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38% opted for “sharing of international best practices in maths & science education”; and 15% for “building an international network of contacts”. |
Almost 21 000 learners from around South Africa and SADC countries participated in the Science Olympiad this year.
The Public Understanding of Biotechnology (PUB) programme has taken a whole new approach to sharing its messages: by putting them on stage.
With the help of media company Provantage, PUB has launched a series of industrial theatre plays to share stories and examples of how biotechnology is being used – for example in forensics – with learners throughout Gauteng.
The original pilot programme was aimed at 30 Dinaledi schools in the Eastern Cape, as part of a Department of Education initiative to increase access to maths and science at higher-grade level in underprivileged schools. The Eastern Cape pilot fell through due to the teachers’ strike, but was subsequently concluded in Gauteng, where the team has now put on 23 shows to date.
But learners do more than just watch in wonder … the acting teams used by Provantage included both professionals and actual school pupils from the audience who play the parts of “bodies” or “culprits” in the show.
Numerous schools have asked the company for repeat performances, all of which are supplemented with a “Careers in Biotechnology” booklet that is handed out to learners after the show.
“This was a much-needed show, as the students are at the brink of choosing their subjects for next year,” says Mrs Elmarie van Zyl, Principal of Midrand High School. “It was also a good ice breaker before the exams. Educating via humour is a clever way for the learners to remember the message.”