The aim of SAASTA’s Education Unit is to build the supply of tomorrow’s scientists and innovators. South Africa is rapidly reaching the forefront of science and technology advancement in Africa and internationally, and has the potential to become a rich source of up-coming scientists, engineers and innovators.

Considering that South Africa was ranked very low in the 1993 and 1998/9 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, the work done by SAASTA’s Education Unit will be pivotal in preparing today’s youth to become tomorrow’s scientists and engineers.

This work can be divided into the following three broad areas:

• School science support, which includes educator and learner programmes; science enrichment projects; and competitions.
• SET careers, which exposes learners to career opportunities in science, engineering and technology.
• Science resources, which includes resources to support the school science curriculum; enrichment materials; web-based materials; and online learning.

Key facts

The aim of SAASTA’s Education Unit is to build the supply of tomorrow’s scientists and innovators. South Africa is rapidly reaching the forefront of science and technology advancement in Africa and internationally, and has the potential to become a rich source of up-coming scientists, engineers and innovators.

Considering that South Africa was ranked very low in the 1993 and 1998/9 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, the work done by SAASTA’s Education Unit will be pivotal in preparing today’s youth to become tomorrow’s scientists and engineers. This work can be divided into the following three broad areas:

• School science support, which includes educator and learner programmes; science enrichment projects; and competitions.
• SET careers, which exposes learners to career opportunities in science, engineering and technology.
• Science resources, which includes resources to support the school science curriculum; enrichment materials; web-based materials; and online learning.

National Science Olympiad
SAASTA funds and coordinates the National Science Olympiad running in its 46th year in 2010. Harmony Gold Mining Company is providing a sponsorship of R7,5 million over a three year period for this project. The Olympiad aims to promote the participation of Grade 10-12 learners in the sciences, with the aim of encouraging them to pursue careers in science.

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National Science Week
National Science Week (NSW), which will run from Saturday 2 – 7 August 2010, is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) which aims to excite the youth with science at an early age and to encourage them to develop an interest in studying mathematics and science subjects. While placing emphasis on the youth, awareness is also created among those sectors of society bearing an influence on the subject and career choices of learners.

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Primary School Science Intervention
Primary School Science Intervention (PSSI) is devoted to promoting science in primary schools. This intervention is aimed towards kindling an interest in, and understanding of, maths and science among young learners. The main objectives of this project are to:

• Demonstrate the importance of science in our every day lives;

• Illustrate that science can be fun;

• Develop creativity around science and technology in young learners; and

• Ignite interest in and promote positive attitudes in young learners towards science and technology.

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Role Modeling Campaign
The role modeling campaign is SAASTA’s contribution towards the recognition of professionals who excel in the critical areas of mathematics, science and technology education. The main objectives of this campaign are to:

• Expose learners to career opportunities in mathematics, science and technology; and

• Give learners an opportunity to interact with appropriate role models in SET careers.

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NSET (Nurturing talent SET)
The Main objectives of Nurturing SET Taletnt (NSET) are to:

• Improve learner participation and performance in mathematics, physical science, and life science;

• Expose learners to career opportunities in SET;

• Give learners an opportunity to interact with appropriate role models in SET; and

• Assist mathematics, physical science, life science and life orientation educators with the development of content and methodology.

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