Reach and impact

SAASTA aims to replicate Primary Science Day PSD to all the provinces eventually.

In 2005 we focused on 50 primary schools in each of Gauteng's 12 education districts. A total number of 600 primary schools benefitted from this project. Working on an average of 200 learners and two educators per school, the intended target reach was approximately 120 000 learners and 1200 educators.

The target audiences for Primary Science Day 2006 were in Gauteng, Limpopo and Eastern Cape provinces. The project involved well over 75 000 learners, more than 1000 educators and 500 schools in nine different districts.

PSD 2007 will be held on 18 September 2007 in KwaZulu-Natal.

It is recommended that the Primary Science Day Project be continued and expanded to include activities during the year and culminating in competitions / projects which end on Primary Science Day itself.

Amid all the challenges experienced and milestones achieved during the first two years of implementation in Gauteng, Limpopo and Eastern Cape, the evaluation report and the informal conversations (anecdotal data) held with the stakeholders, it is strongly recommended that the project be expanded.

Monitoring and Evaluation

To ensure quality and also to inform the system, the project team will monitor the project (during workshops, on Primary Science Day, and post Primary Science Day). Evaluation of the project will be done to determine the educational experience of both teachers and learners.

SAASTA will conduct both the monitoring and evaluation of the project.

SAASTA will build capacity among educators in schools in order to ensure sustainability and replicability of the programme. One of the principles behind the project is that there will be a buy-in by Provincial Departments of Education, district offices, schools, SAASTA and other stakeholders as well as Business. Attendance by DoE officials and funders – Venetia Mine at meetings, educator workshops and visits to schools on ”Primary Science Day” will have a positive impact on the project.