The programme of the Transformation of the Schooling System in KwaZulu-Natal is aimed at totally changing the system of education in the province. This bold and daring programme was started by MEC Senzo Mchunu to ultimately benefit school going people in the province.
Among the many interesting sub-programmes of the Transformation of the Schooling System, is the establishment of Maritime Schools in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. These schools are aimed at ensuring that there is an increase in a number of learners who can access employment in the maritime industry.
The first school to be established under this programme is going to accommodate local learners and interested learners from all parts of the province and is going to be situated at Action Road, near the Dokkies Training Academy in Durban.
The maritime school will start from Grade 8 in 2014 and enrolment will be increased until all grades are included in 2018. The total enrolment in 2014 will not exceed 120 learners made up of three classes of 40 learners per class.
This is to ensure that employed teachers are gainfully utilised. Learners are going to be recruited from all primary schools in the province that performs well in the Grade 6 ANA results. Only learners who have outstanding results in Mathematics, Natural Science and English will be recruited to study in the Maritime School.
As this will be a completely new facility, it is also going to help create employment. The department is going to work with the Durban University of Technology to capacitate and reskill teachers to teach maritime subjects.
The department is also going to work with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Edgewood Campus) to equip these teachers with proper method of teaching maritime subjects. The department will also look at giving bursaries so that teachers can study this scarce field.
Qualified teachers to teach Maritime Economics, Nautical Science, Physical Science, Mathematics, isiZulu, English, Life Orientation and Geography will be required in Grade 10 in 2016 and all preparation and training will have to be finalised in 2015.
The department also intends to develop Sithengile High School as a satellite with a fully-fledged maritime centre offering maritime subjects in 2014. There are 6000 schools in the province of KwaZulu-Natal that offer the national curriculum policy from Grades R to 2. In the FET phase, there are 1 750 of these 6 000 schools, wherein Grades 10-12 learners specialise by selecting subjects in various learning fields. Only 0.003% learners have access to maritime education.
