South Africa: Science Students Who Excel to Be Recognised At Olympiad
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BuaNews (Tshwane)
1 July 2008
Posted to the web 1 July 2008
Nthambeleni Gabara
Pretoria
Learners who outperform their peers in science will be recognised at the 44th National Science Olympiad awards ceremony on Thursday.
The countrywide science competition is made up of questions that are curriculum-based and includes learners' general knowledge on science and technology.
Pupils from all nine provinces and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Grade 10 though to Grade 12 compete in science or biology subjects.
This year, previously disadvantaged schools had been urged to enter their pupils who excelled in these subjects too.
Entrants competed by writing Physics, Chemistry and Biology examinations on 6 March. They then had to decide on which subject they would write on - Physical Science or Biology.
The 44th National Science Olympiad received more than 19 000 entries from schools in South Africa as well as Namibia and Lesotho.
South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) Executive Director, Beverley Damonse, who will host the ceremony, said: "The National Science Olympiad has stood the test of time and become one of the major drivers in enticing the youth to get interested in science and want to take up careers in science."
The olympiad aims to identify and nurture talent in Science, Engineering and Technology, recognise and reward learners who excel in sciences and motivate and encourage high performers and schools to engage with the sciences.
It also exposes learners to the science, engineering and technology fields, including careers and current trends.
The report released by the Centre for Development and Enterprise in 2004, indicated that the number of higher grade Senior Certificate passes in Mathematics and Physical Science in the country was steadily decreasing since 1999.
During his 2007 budget speech, Science and Technology Minister, Mosibudi Mangena allocated R323 million to address the "critical" human resource shortages in the science, engineering and technology career fields.
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SAASTA is a business unit of the National Research Foundation (NFR) with the mandate to advance public awareness, appreciation and engagement of science, technology and engineering in South Africa.
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