Mr GN Ngcobo, Head of Department, KZN Department of Education;
Mrs WC Nzama, District Director: King Cetshwayo District;
Representatives of the National Education Collaborative Trust;
Traditional leaders including Inkosi Mbonambi
Officials of the KZN Department of Education,
Circuit Managers and Subject advisors
Principals and Educators,
I want to take this opportunity to thank the District and the District Director in particular for extending the invitation to us at the Department of Science, Technology and innovation. This is an important Indaba for the future of our children.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am encouraged by the theme for this Indaba, which is “Enhancing Maths Participation and Performance, 2024 and Beyond “ because it takes into consideration the challenges we have to tackle collectively as country.
Furthermore, the theme resonates with us as the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation because we have committed to support the Department of Basic Education, particulalry in endeavours to stimulate learners’ interests in pursuing the Mathematics subject
The Department leads a Science Engagement programme in the country, which aims to build a society that is knowledgeable about science, critically engaged and able to form independent opinions about science matters.
Science Engagement Strategy (SES) flows from the White Paper on Science and Innovation (2019), which adopted that the skills for the future of work, is foundational to the work done through the SES.
The DSTI’s science engagement has adopted a specific manner of how it relates to the basic education system. There is an overall agreement between the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Department of Basic Education, signed by the Directors-General. In addition to this, there are individual collaboration agreements between the DSTI and provincial departments of education, with seven provincial departments having since signed, including the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.
There are 5 areas of collaboration included namely :
- Improve learners’ attitudes towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects;
- Create opportunities for learners to physically and mentally engage in science, technology and innovation;
- Familiarise learners with intellectual property management and the innovation value chain;
- Enhance the learning and teaching environment; and
- Expose educators and learners to enquiry-based learning and teaching approaches that create a stimulating learning environment.
From 2004 to 2013, the DSTI’s support to basic education included matters which were the competency of the DBE. This included educator support and the adoption of Dinaledi Schools. Since 2014, the DSTI’s support was narrowed down and confined to complementing the work of the DBE using opportunities emerging from the implementation of the Science Engagement Strategy and other programmes across the entire Department. This include related opportunities that emerge from the work carried out by our entities such as the Council for Scientific and Industrila Research, Technology Innovation Agency, National Research Foundation and Human Sciences Research Council. This revised approach was developed into an implementation framework signed by the our Department, the DBE and the Department of Higher Education and Training.
On our side, the framework highlights the national science engagement programme which is led by the DSTI; and its contribution in enhancing the effective teaching and learning environment through technology and educational research.
To concretise the support for basic education, collaboration agreements are signed with individual provincial departments, including one with the KZNDoE. The agreement stipulates that the DSI and KZNDoe will facilitate access and/or participation of learners in extra-curricular initiatives that :
- Improves learners’ attitude to Mathematics and Science subjects.
- Create opportunities for learners to physically and mentally engage in science, technology and innovation; activities with
exposure to problem-solving and stimulating curiosity and scientific investigation - Familiarise learners with intellectual property issues and the innovation value chain – taking creative and innovative ideas to
commercialisation stages - Seek to develop a South African society which is knowledgeable about science, critically engaged and scientifically literate. With 23-25% of the country’s population in the schooling system, it is important for us to reach them
- Fund research projects and pilot technologies to improve learning and teaching environments
In a practical way the following matters are agreed upon with the KZNDoE are as follows:
- Impart skills and knowledge to teachers on inquiry-based learning
- Determine the model of rolling out science clubs in KZN schools and help develop activities of science club programme content
- Jointly develop and adopt annual implementation plans of collaboration
- Organise and support the provision of coaching and mentoring for nurturing learners’ problem solving skills which includes
participation in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation Olympiads and fairs. - Conduct a talent development programme drawing participants from public schools in the province.
I am excited that the HOD and Provincial authorities are present in this Indaba and these initiatives can start here in this District but need to be expanded throughout the province.
To move our learners into taking pure mathematics and Science subjects at lower grade level is no more a choice that our schools and the Basic Education system has in 2024. We need to direct our learners to do maths, science and accounting subjects, but Mathematics must be almost compulsory for learners.
I am saying this because gone are days where options for our children to pursue different careers without mathematics are gone. The economy is undergoing major transformation with technology disrupting all sectors, the new careers requires computing, innovation and massive applications. Industries are changing their recruitment requirements with bias towards STEM subjects.
Industries nowadays including those that are here in Richards Bay, attracts different types of engineering graduates, computer science innovation specialists, geologists, astronomy, Nuclear Sciencists and many more other niche careers. Engineering field for instance, is very crucial to country’s development. We have water crisis now and municipalities don’t have engineers to solve these problems by building systems.
Looking at countries like Germany, which has about one engineer per 200 people, it tells us how bad our situation is.
One persisting service delivery challenge in our country is with regard to improving citizens’ access to potable water. Our municipalities continue to struggle to provide this basic right to the people. It is no secret that if we do not successfully deal with the problem of engineering skills shortage in the country, we will never come anywhere closer to improving citizens’ access to water and delivery of other service delivery infrastructure.
So addressing the issue of mindset change to our learners but also to the parents. We must recognise that a shift in the current mindset regarding mathematics is necessary as we consider strategies to increase the number of school leavers with good Grade 12 marks who can enrol in critical skills programs like engineering. Such a mindset-shift campaign, which aims to instil a positive attitude toward mathematics, should target both educators and learners. The phrase "mathematics is difficult and only for the select few" has been bandied about for a while without much opposition. A considerable portion of learners nationwide have bought into this misconception about mathematics.
Minister Nzimande and I have agreed on working with you, as Basic Education to promote mathematics and make it fashionable to the learners like it is in Europe and the East. This Department will have a nation-wide campaign and interventions to support mathematics and other STEM subjects.
We have science engagement initiatives across the country, including in the KZN province.. The National Science Week(NSW), which I am sure you are all familiar with is a country-wide annual week-ling celebration of the importance of science in people’s daily lives.
In 2023, a total of 81 organisations were actively involved in organising and hosting NSW activities throughout the country. In KZN there were 19 sites of which 3 were self-funded. Unlike in the past years when the NSW use to be celebrated during the first week of August, the NSW 2024 will be conducted from 30 September to 5 October 2024. The NSW 2024 will be celebrated under the theme “Living in a high-tech world: Should we be concerned. We are also using this year to introduce a free-for-all approach to celebrate the NSW, departing from the past practice wherein public participation mainly depended on the number of available organised sites. Following the free-for-all approach, we encourage and invite every citizen in this country to use whatever is available to you or near you to appreciate the high-tech world we are living in.
Take stock of the technologies you interact with everyday at home, in the classroom and out there in the street. Think about how the smartphone technology has changed the way we do things. Above all, if you are a learner, be mindful of the fact that the high-tech world in which we live today and will live in in the future During creates a workplace that can only be survived by those who do not declare studying maths as an ememy.
Our Department will continue to and step up its effort to support the participation by learners in STEMI Olympiads and fairs. We are currently working with relevant stakeholders like the South African Mathematics Foundation, the Expo for Young Scientists and the South African Agency for the Advancement of Science and Technology, among others, to develop a strategy to massify learners’ participation in STEMI Olympiads and fairs. Through existing channels established through the collaboration agreements with provinces, such processes will include your Maths, Science and Technology coordinators because their inputs matter at an early stage of the process. We will also continue our support through science centres in this province. Close by, there is UniZulu Science Centre, which is our long time partner in this work through the work led by a very seasoned science communicator and mentor, Dr Derek Fish.
As I conclude, we noted your request for mathematics and science kits by the District Director. My office has referred the request to the relevant directorate in the Department, to investigate and advise on the way forward. The Officials of the department will communicate directly and deliver once it has been obtained. I commit that relevant training for curriculum advisors will be provided on the use of such kits, when acquired for use in the district.
In this regard, I want to wish this Indaba a profound success, and annual assessment of the mathematics infusion in our schools must be done so that we remain on target.
Thank you.
