Page 29 - SDG Report

BIODIVERSITY SKILLS PILOT PROJECT 2016-2018: YEAR 1
Life Sciences and exemption passes and five have registered for either Environmental or Life Sciences degrees at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Pilot Project has provided important insights into how eThekwini Municipality can partner with communities and academia to build confidence and maturity. Seventeen learners achieved matric exemption passes and five have registered for either Environmental or Life Sciences degrees at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Pilot Project has also provided important insights into how eThekwini Municipality can partner with communities and academia.
Additional support (i.e., vacation work opportunities, research open days, and engagement with practitioners in the biodiversity field, etc.) is currently being provided to the learners via the Durban Research Action Partnership between the eThekwini Municipality and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A long-term indication of the success of the project could be achieved if the individuals pursue careers in the environmental field, which was the purpose of the pilot project. This could only be determined in the next 4-5 years. In the interim, skills have been enhanced.
“The learners benefited greatly from the programme in terms of enhancing their skills in the Life Sciences and building confidence and maturity.”
In response to the challenges, EPCPD initiated the Biodiversity Skills Pilot Project in October 2016. The pilot project aimed to work with a select group of learners from previously disadvantaged schools, providing them with support, mentorship and skills development for the Life Sciences as well as exposure to the biodiversity field. A total of 24 learners in Grade 11 from five different schools (Cato Manor, Wiggins, Bonella, Chesterville, and Mayville Secondary Schools) in Cato Manor area participated in the pilot project. As part of the pilot project learners were exposed to a range of activities which included life science tuition lessons, life science classroom practicals, biodiversity field trips and excursions, career guidance and mentoring. The first year of implementation was completed in December 2017, and the learners who participated in the Biodiversity Skills Pilot Project have progressed into Grade 12.
BIODIVERSITY SKILLS PILOT PROJECT 2016-2018: YEAR 2
A second year of the pilot was focused on Life Science Revision Programme and the same range of activities offered in Year 1. The second year of the pilot was completed in November 2018. The final evaluation of the Pilot Project which was completed in June 2019 demonstrated that the learners had benefited greatly from the programme in terms of improved skills in the
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS GOOD PRACTICE 27