The Masiphumelele Library was a flutter with excitement on Saturday afternoon when it was announced that a very special visitor was coming to see the library and to converse with the organizations working in the library.
Welcome Camilla Parker-Bowles, The Duchess of Cornwall, wife to Prince Charles!
She arrived at 1pm, and was barely visible through the hoard of paparazzi and officials. However, when she did emerge from the crowd, she chose to sit at the table with several hard-working Ikamvanites! With heads down studying diligently for their pending matric examinations the Duchess was obviously impressed with their commitment.
Phindi Buhlungu, Vuyelwa Adonisi, Khanya Gutyana, and Anathi Bekiswa were the lucky ones who had a good chat with Camilla. They spoke about the IkamvaYouth programme, how their exams were going, how often they come to the library, why they come and what they want to do in the future. They were all impressed with her and said she was very friendly and they were proud to speak to her about IkamvaYouth.
We waved the Duchess goodbye but not before we managed to sneak a copy of Flying Colours to her! I am sure it will be viewed by the entire royal family – The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla all snuggled up on the sofa on a Sunday evening!
Whether or not it does get viewed and whether or not she will remember the learners she spoke to, her visit highlights the importance of the Masiphumelele Library and recognises Susan Alexander’s, Thando, and Veronica’s hard work in making the library a vibrant centre of community activity. IkamvaYouth is proud to partner with the library. A big thank you to the Library Team!
UCT master’s student Thobela Bixa has won the prestigious Telluride Sidgwick-Miller Scholarship for 2011/2012, an award that will allow him to further his career at the University of Michigan in the US. Based in the Department of Chemistry, Bixa is conducting research on asymmetric synthesis, which involves the use of what’s known as chiral catalysts to synthesise biologically active compounds that are potential drug leads. “The two projects (from UCT and UM) will give me a broader experience, understanding, and knowledge of asymmetric synthesis, a current hot topic in the field of organic chemistry research,” commented Bixa on the scholarship. In picture, Bixa appears with his UCT supervisor, Prof Roger Hunter.
From UCT’s News In Brief
Life is made up of monumental moments. From your first step to your last breath you can identify a series of ‘landmarks’. In the last 2 weeks the Matric Ball has been one of these landmarks for many Ikamvanites. The event marks the end of a long and arduous journey, but it is also the celebration of the next step. The preparation and excitement was overwhelming, and I must admit I was rather bemused at the money and time spent designing, making, and buying all manner of clothing, shoes and accessories.
However, any bemusement and judgement I was harbouring vanished when I saw the smiles and glowing eyes of our grade 12s as they exited the limo that was kindly sponsored by ERM, and took a walk down the red carpet through a rabble of screaming fans – this was a monumental moment!
The very fact that these learners are matriculating is monumental. In a country where only 67.8% people matriculate, and where the majority of learners from previously disadvantaged communities drop-out before the final year – it is astonishing that these learners have made it this far, especially given the obstacles along the way.
Our learners have their own home challenges to face including; teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence etc. In addition there a multitude of community problems that play in to the tangled web of implausibility.
At the Nyanga branch there have been constant gang fights and high crime rates, which have driven many of the learners away from the library, particularly in the winter months when the journey home after tutoring in the dark was treacherous and a number of our learners were victims of theft and muggings. Other mindless crimes that we are battling with are office petrol bombs and internet cables being stolen on a regular basis.
At the Makhaza branch, a number of learners who attend Chris Hani High School were caught up in the protests that resulted following an incident in which a learner was badly beaten following a disagreement with the principal (please see the article about the event). The principal remains in his position and the learners’ fury is simmering. There is daily commotion and an unsettled atmosphere, which is not conducive for a learning environment. There is very little respect left for the principal and when we are looking to teachers to provide positive role models for these young people, these actions are unacceptable.
In this context it is a wonder that these learners have the resolve to even attend school, let alone IkamvaYouth. The schools themselves aren’t making it any easier for the learners and this threatens the results and futures of many of our Grade 12s.
Extra classes have been scheduled for everyday after-school at all Western Cape schools, which has limited the learner’s access to the IkamvaYouth programme. While it is a positive step to increase teaching times at the schools, this has been done in order to complete the curriculum and exam material (that should have been completed in school time) rather than offering any additional support. There is the feeling that these classes are just replicating the model that isn’t working, while limiting access to a tutoring programme that is.
There has also been the demand on learners to attend extra classes throughout the holidays and at weekends. An ‘all work and no play’ method that seems like the only option open to the department of education at this stage.
Despite all the extra hours, many Grade 12s remain severely behind as they haven’t been taught the entire curriculum yet. This is particularly the case where learners have not had a teacher for much of the year; at one school learners were left without a physical science teacher for 11 weeks. The tutoring sessions have thus become impromptu lessons rather than targeted individual tutoring, and tutors are less able to develop the learner’s deep understanding.
At all branches there has been additional tutoring sessions in an attempt to rectify the knowledge gaps. At Makhaza the ‘Matric Success’ project was established, which focuses entirely on mathematics for matric examination success. At Nyanga and Masiphumelele the tutors are in full force and learners are attending the library as much as they can for cramming sessions. One wonders, if at this stage it is too late.
IkamvaYouth doesn’t exist in a vacuum – there are a multitude of societal, economic, political, cultural and educational problems that we are grappling with at every step. 2011 has been a tough year with numerous obstructions, both internally and externally, but there is still an optimism in the air the Ikamvanites can once again perform an unprecedented miracle.
It is in this context that a Matric Ball becomes something far more than just a school dance and instead represents the commitments made so far and the decisive steps that must be taken now to ensure the realisation of a better future; a better South Africa!
Of course it is also about the rare chance to dress up; the hair, make-up, shoes, sunglasses, suits, ties, and dresses…and of course the after party! Thank you to everyone that helped to support the Masiphumelele Grade 12s to attend their Matric ball and make it into a happy memory.
There was reason to celebrate once more this week as resident accounting genuis and Ikamvanite Shelton Chadya achieved 1st Place in the Regional Competition of the SAIPA National Accounting Olympiad.
Shelton has been one of Ivory Park IkamvaYouth’s most committed learners and is also the Grade 12 representative on the local Branch Committee. This award is truly an exceptional achievement and few people deserve this more than Shelton whose hard work, perseverence and commitment is paying off handsomely. Of course, this week Shelton’s focus is on Maths and English as the matric exams start in earnest and he is confident his exams will go well.
Next Year Shelton plans to be studying (as you would expect) BCOM Accounting and has been accepted at both UJ and WITS. As things stand he is looking for ways to finance his degree. If, perchance, you are reading this and you know someone looking for a worthy candidiate for a scholarship, you really should look no further. We could not possibly recommend Shelton more highly so please get in touch. This is one investment that we can guarantee signfiicant returns on. Email: andrew@ikamvayouth.org for more info.
Over the next few weeks 20 students from Makhaza will be embarking on a pilot programme by the Khan academy. This academy is on a mission to provide free world-class education to anyone anywhere.
The Khan Academy, an educational NGO created in 2006 by Bangladeshi-American educator Salman Khan, uses over 2600 videos covering anything from basic mathematics, history, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, economics and computer science.
Championed and managed by Andrew Einhorn, a Potter scholar at UCT the Makhaza lab has had a complete overall, kindly co-funded by the Potter Foundation, the US Embassy and WIT.
Students can make use of the extensive video library, practice exercises, and assessments from any computer with access to the web. They can start at 1+1 and work their way into calculus or jump right into whatever topic needs some brushing up. Each problem can be broken down step-by-step through watching a related video
At Makhaza we are piloting this innovative system with the grade 9’s and 10’s involving the math part of the system. We are doing this because of the low basic numeracy skills of township learners. Our learners will cover the basics and ensure that they have the grounding they need to tackle grade-level mathematics.
Huge thanks for Andrew Einhorn, the Potter Foundation, US Embassy, and WIT for making this happen!!
Here are a few pictures of the lab upgrade in action..
Lloyd Lungu