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Science2Go-Ford (EC)

Project Objectives

Objectives of the Project:

1. Enhance Teacher Skills: Address the shortage of science laboratories and lack of necessary skills by providing hands-on science activities, teacher workshops, and ongoing support to improve teacher competency.

2. Curriculum Alignment: Align provided science activities with the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) to ensure relevance and compliance with the prescribed science curriculum.

3. Increase Exposure to 4IR-Defined Education: Provide tools and knowledge that enable teachers and learners to engage in real-world, experiential science education, fostering exposure to Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)-defined concepts.

4. Promote Learner Passion for Science: Achieve a significant impact on learners by increasing their passion for science, as evidenced by improved enrollment in grade 10 science classes and enhanced learner pass rates.

5. Expand Project Reach: Extend support beyond the initial 11 schools to additional districts, including Alfred Nzo, Amathole district, Sundays River, and Sara Batman, to reach more teachers and learners within project funding constraints.

6. Financial Investment: Allocate a total investment of 4,066 million Rands over three consecutive years (2022-2024) to sustain and expand the project, reflecting financial commitment to achieving its objectives.

7. Sustainability: Facilitate the sustainability of project schools that have shown significant improvement, allowing them to continue independently while replacing them with new schools to benefit from the project support.

8. Introduce Mathematics Teacher Support: Improve the project's impact by including mathematics teacher support through workshops and school-based support visits starting from 2024.

9. Foster Corporate-Community Collaboration: Leverage support from the Ford Global Grant and local Ford personnel to enhance the project's reach, including arranging site visits for learners to the Ford plant in Eastern Cape Province, promoting collaboration between corporate entities and the community.
Despite the limited availability of science laboratories in South African schools, the prescribed curriculum includes both theoretical and practical components. According to the National Education Infrastructure Management System (NEIMS) Standard Report, only 18.27% of regular public schools have scientific labs, with even fewer fully operational due to a lack of necessary skills, particularly evident in the Eastern Cape at 5.74%. This underscores the demand for teacher skill development and intervention in schools.

In response to these challenges, the Science2Go mobile resource project, supported by the Ford Global Fund Grant, provides a network of schools with access to tools and knowledge essential for effective science lessons and increased exposure to Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)-defined real-world and experiential science education.

The Science2Go mobile resource center visits each project school three times a year, offering hands-on science activities aligned with the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and Annual Teaching Plan (ATP). Additionally, Natural Science teacher workshops are conducted each term, focusing on teacher development. In its third year, the project has demonstrated a significant impact, evident in increased learner passion for science, improved enrollment in grade 10 science classes, and enhanced learner pass rates.

With an investment of 4,066 million Rands over three consecutive years starting in 2022, the project initially supported 11 schools in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province. In 2024, this support expanded to 15 schools, including the replacement of three schools that have progressed sufficiently to sustain their learnings independently.

To extend its reach, the project includes once-off weekly visits to districts beyond its designated area, such as Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Sundays River, and Sara Batman. Recent improvements include the integration of mathematics teacher support through workshops and school-based visits, starting in 2024.

Despite being funded by the Ford Global Grant, the project has received substantial support from local Ford personnel in South Africa, including facilitating site visits for learners to the Ford plant in the Eastern Cape Province.