Page 36 - 100 years of Anglo American

Success

in early

learning

The lives of 135 mothers
running early childhood
development centres (ECDs)
in Middelburg have been
changed for the better
thanks to an intervention by
Anglo American.
The women were
registered with Unisa to
learn how to teach better,
develop school admission
policies and learn financial
management.
Graduate Lindiwe Vilakazi,
Pupils are hard at work in the science centre at Parktown High School for Girls
now the principal of IK
Getting girls into Makuse Early Learning
Centre, says the programme
has changed many lives.
“Now I can produce a
SCIENCE training certificate, and I
know how to run an ECD
centre and look after
children properly ... I can
also continue with my
studies,” she says.
Modern labs ensure pupils find a passion for careers Lindiwe Legabi, the
assistant director for special
in male-dominated sectors, writes Msindisi Fengu programmes at Steve
Tshwete Local Municipality,
says they did an analysis of
science laboratory at a top public officially opened in November 2016 to the school’s the qualifications of local
school in Johannesburg is doing its 1 100 pupils. Now pupils in grades eight and nine,
bit to encourage girls to choose a who used to be taught science in normal ECD practitioners after the
career in science, with the support classrooms, are taught in a laboratory environment. announcement that more
of the Anglo American Chairman’s The effect of the science centre was almost Grade R teachers were
A Fund. immediate – 30% more Grade 9 girls chose the needed.
Parktown High School for Girls principal Tracey sciences as matric subjects. “We realised that most
Megom says the school’s science centre, which Although life science has always been a popular people in previously
consists of two laboratories across two floors, will subject, more pupils are now taking physical science. disadvantaged areas did not
encourage more girls to seek careers in traditionally “We’ve got close to half of our senior classes – have qualifications, even
male-dominated sectors. more or less 100 pupils per grade – doing physical though they spent 10 to 15
“I think it’s important for girls’ schools to produce science. It is benefiting an enormous number of years working in these
young women who can take up positions in girls in the school,” Megom says. centres,” she says.
engineering and medicine, which The spacious laboratories were designed in two Legabi says they started
is maybe not the opportunity they will get in sections – the first half is a classroom with chairs, looking for funding and
co-ed schools,” Megom says. desks and smartboards, and the second is fitted Anglo American Coal SA’s
“So we have a responsibility here to produce with laboratory equipment that pupils use to Goedehoop colliery assisted.
pupils who are really good at science, and I think a conduct experiments. The course ran for a year
facility like this will help us to do that.” This year’s matric class will be the first to benefit, and 135 of the 137
The idea for the centre was born 15 years ago, but but Megom says it’s too soon to tell whether the
the school initially struggled to come up with the laboratories will contribute to their final exam practitioners graduated.
“The children are no
money to build it, so parents started fundraising results.
and looking for partners. “But it will have an effect in the future ... There longer in ECDs to just eat
Anglo American, through its Chairman’s Fund, will be more children doing science and, obviously, and sleep – they are
came up with the balance of about R2 million in having access to a nice facility encourages them to stimulated and learn from a
January 2015. work hard. It empowers girls,” she says. young age,” says Legabi.
“Without that funding, it might have taken us The school, founded in 1923, has a consistent 100% One of the contributing
another three to four years to complete the project,” matric pass rate, a 97% bachelor degree entrance factors to poor matric
Megom says. rate and has been acknowledged by Wits University results is a lack of ECD.
Construction began in 2015, and the building was as one of its top feeder schools.
36 ANGLO AMERICAN 100 YEARS