LYDENBURG – On May 22 Skhila Secondary School participated in an exhibit where learners showcased their scientific entrepreneur skills.
It was held at Bushbuckridge and they had the opportunity to display their hard work, determination and enthusiasm, all in the name of science. With their eagerness it came as no surprise that Skhila was the only school of which its seniors scooped gold in all categories.
Not to be outdone, the juniors also walked away with silver and bronze.
According to their teacher, Mr Samuel Munekani, South Africa had the biggest economy on the continent.
“It’s sustainability and exponential growth hinges in the ability to support the abundant mineral resources with skilled workforce. Nigeria has overtaken this because it has both the natural and human resource, the most important to work and develop the natural one. That has made it a very conducive investment destination. As a school, we have come up with an programme to try and bridge the gap.”
He explained that science and technology remained the mainstay of every thriving and stable economic environment. “Skhila believes in inculcating these entrepreneur skills in the new generation to secure the future.”
The learners’ mental strength will be put to the test once again as they move to the next expo at provincial level. “We continue to encourage the active participation of the corporate world in such an event to improve participation of all schools. We still believe the Department of Education can foster synergies with the private sector to improve public participation, and use this platform to exchange notes with their counterparts to outline their expectations. It is our hope that the science expo in 2015 will be much bigger and better.”
Munekani said that the project will continue even after competition because the idea is not only to compete but to eventually commercialise and create employment from this initiative. “I am glad to announce that we will be able to launch this initiative during the third quarter of this year of which plans are already at an advanced stage for the procurement of raw materials and equipment. I believe the future lies in research and development in science and technology which the department of education and that the private sector should put resources in place to promote and encourage such initiatives at school level.”
The learners will in the near future participate in the provincial expo to once again showcase their entrepreneurial skills and science works.
