(The English Section winning team from
Harding High School with Caroline Smart who judged the competition and Lettie
Miles, programme manager for Zenex)
Over 100 G 10 and G 11 learners drawn from 10 KwaZulu-Natal
high schools recently gathered on the Durban-Westville campus of the University
of KZN to present their maths, science and English projects in a bid to secure
top honours in the Inkanyezi Project Club Competition.
The Inkanyezi Project is a school support initiative funded
by the Zenex Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and BANKSETA. Now
in its sixth year, the project provides selected learners with potential in
maths, science and English an intensive academic, mentorship and leadership
skills programme. Participating schools have also benefited from teacher
development programmes linked to the project.
The Club Competition was conceived by the project organisers
as a way to encourage the establishment of Maths, Science and English clubs in
the participating schools. Learners are given the task of working in small
teams to conduct research projects in science, investigate mathematics beyond
the curriculum and develop a dramatic performance piece.
The final competition event, organised on behalf of the
funders by the education NGO CASME (Centre for the Advancement of Science and
Mathematics Education), culminated in the awarding of trophies and medals to
top achievers with the best teams in each subject category taking home a Mecer
8 inch Tablet.
Learners who participated in the project competition are
encouraged to build on the experience, hone their skills and take these forward
to other regional and national competitions.
Dawn Harrison was the consultant for the English section.
The learners had to take a scene from the musical, Sophiatown, and embellish this with original poetry, song and
dialogue. The winner in the English section was Harding Girls High School,
followed by Pinetown Girls High School
and Ixopo High in second place.
Those attending enjoyed a fascinating keynote address from
guest speaker Noel Powell.
For more information visit http://www.zenexfoundation.org.za/the-inkanyezi-project