The Eastern Cape Department of Transport held its Cacadu District Mathematics and Science Awards at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Missionvale Campus on 12 October 2011.
Maths and Science project is a departmental programme that seeks to improve and enhance learner’s proficiency in these subjects and its main aim is to create a pool of students who will be eligible to study in scarce skills areas such as Engineering, Transport Economics, and Aviation.
These awards which form part of the October Transport Month campaign are intended to serve as a motivating factor for high school learners to do well in their learning areas in order to access most of the opportunities on offer in the Transport sector.
Having partnered with Engine and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s (NMMU) school of Engineering, the department held Saturday classes with the aim of providing learners an opportunity to interact and share knowledge and experience's related to Mathematics, Science and other learning areas.
The awards were awarded per Grade in the following categories:
- Best 3 performers in each subject, including First Language English
- Overall top performer
- Most improved learner in each subject
- 100% attendance
Speaking at the event was Khanyiso Kena a beneficiary of the project and currently doing his second year in Electrical Engineering at NMMU, he told the learners that Education is the key to success and our future depends on us. He added that by dedicating only one hour of their time to school work they’ll be able to perfect something and by working harder today they have a greater chance of becoming better people tomorrow.
Acting Chief Director for Corporate Services Nomvuyo Bono said the focus of the project is based on the future of the kids, “it’s about attaining what the government would like to see and that is learners who do not just leave schools and become unemployable with qualifications, but learners that get employed and contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country”, said Ms Bono.
She further explained that the department was there because it wants to get the learners into the world of transport, as the department has compromised and sacrificed things so that they can become better people tomorrow and that listening to their parents and teachers the world will become a better place.
Professor Pat McGrath from the NMMU School of engineering encouraged the learners to work hard, saying that good communication skills both verbally and written as well as being able to talk and write good English will take them very far.
