Botoka Secondary – 16-05-17

Clean Energy Education – Potchefstroom

An early start with the temperature hovering round 5 degrees. An area was identified at the back of the hall which was in the full morning sun and with access to electricity. The learners arrived on time and the demo began. To avoid potential problems learners were asked as to who was planning on careers in Pharmacy, Doctors, Physiotherapy, Accountants, Lawyers, etc. These top careers would be excluded from their choice if they took Mathematics Literacy as they would not get into university. The other key topic which is raised at the start was the issue of teenage pregnancy and allow girls the chance to reach their full academic potential. This was handled in a very indirect way rather than being very frank with the group.

There was a lot of interest in the demonstrations but nobody was able to produce solutions to the challenges. Cultural differences and even confidence in the use of English are acknowledge as stumbling blocks but this has not stopped other schools from offering solutions. There was a great deal of interest in the Demonstration equipment.