Lesufi launches Nuclear Technology Schools

TheChamp

TheChamp

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MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi lauched specialist Nuclear Technology Schools at Edward Phatudi Secondary School and Phelindaba Secondary School in Atteridgeville to change the face of education in the province. The Department of Education and Necsa partnered to establish the specialisation schools. The project is about creating Maths, Science and ICT Schools of Specialisation in townships to focus on Nuclear Technology and its applications.

Lesufi visited both schools and made his last stop at Phelindaba Secondary School. He told the learners they brought knowledge directly into the classroom. "We are reaffirming that your life will never be the same, we want education that will contribute to the economy and allow you to be on your own." Lesufi said the forth industrial revolution of drones and technology would be part of the school. "This is the generation that will not solve social problems through social grants," he said.

He wants education to change in the province so when he meets the learners in future, when he askes them how much they earn they rather answer "I don't earn a salary, I pay salaries".

https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/lesufi-launches-nuclear-technology-schools-14621031
 
Someone please tell us, this is some kind of African joke. Well, now they can scare the students off by telling them - if they are going to burn the school down, radioactive materials will be released (or something like that)
 
TooFastTim said:
Oh jeez. It's all so simple isn't it?

Let's teach nuclear science to kids who have the second worst science results in the world. Get the basics right first.

Still SA could end up with something like this: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/02/domestic_cyclotron/
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Did you even read the article? He is an MEC for education in Gauteng not a national Minister, he can't do much about the standard of Maths and Science in the country but he is certainly doing something about it in Gauteng.
 
TooFastTim said:
Oh jeez. It's all so simple isn't it?

Let's teach nuclear science to kids who have the second worst science results in the world. Get the basics right first.

Still SA could end up with something like this: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/02/domestic_cyclotron/
Click to expand...

This is getting the basics right. Fixing things at school level and aiming for exellence too.

ɹǝuuᴉM said:
Someone please tell us, this is some kind of African joke. Well, now they can scare the students off by telling them - if they are going to burn the school down, radioactive materials will be released (or something like that)
Click to expand...

Yeah because radioactive materials will be kept on site. :rolleyes:


More garbage from people that would probably get destroyed by a nuclear physics course.
 
thechamp said:
Did you even read the article? He is an MEC for education in Gauteng not a national Minister, he can't do much about the standard of Maths and Science in the country but he is certainly doing something about it in Gauteng.
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By leaping ahead to university level physics? Perhaps he's do better to introduce bridging courses in Gauteng between the woefully inadequate national standard of maths and science and that which is required before the kids attempt to study university physics. Don't you think he's putting the cart before the horse? Or are you convinced that mere trifles like algebra and Newtonian physics are beneath the average South African Scholar whose inherent genius will overcome these inconveniences in a flash?

Knyro said:
This is getting the basics right. Fixing things at school level and aiming for exellence too.

More garbage from people that would probably get destroyed by a nuclear physics course.
Click to expand...

And your experience and expertise in nuclear physics is? Obviously others pale in the shadow of your nuclear expertise. Please enlighten us.
 
TooFastTim said:
/Looks at PhD in accelerator physics on wall...
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And you don't see the potential in this initiative?

High school physics is a joke, doesn't even use calculus for the most part, and with the right curriculum lots of kids could learn physics at the university level.
 
At whom will it be aimed? Rich kids attending private schools who'll do a degree in SA and leave for post-grad stuff or kids who can barely comprehend the concept that an apple falling to earth can be described by a (simple) equation let alone that atoms exist and can be described some very complex mathematics?

Initiatives like this presuppose a certain minimum level of expertise or education. Pitching it at the latter category is wasteful and the considerable cost would be better spent on upping the level of education with better teachers etc. The former category are doing quite nicely thank you and would certainly benefit from the proposed N.Tech course but will probably take that learning elsewhere.

Knyro said:
High school physics is a joke, doesn't even use calculus for the most part, and with the right curriculum lots of kids could learn physics at the university level.
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Sure, but leaping ahead to nuclear tech is a step too far, too expensive and too exclusive.
 
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Sipho is going to learn about the Hamiltonian. Let's hope he gets it right before some SJW complains that the stuff he is learning is because of white privilege.
 
TooFastTim said:
At whom will it be aimed? Rich kids attending private schools who'll do a degree in SA and leave for post-grad stuff or kids who can barely comprehend the concept that an apple falling to earth can be described by (simple) equation let alone that atoms exist?

Initiatives like this presuppose a certain minimum level of expertise or education. Pitching it at the latter category is wasteful and the considerable cost would be better spent on upping the level of education with better teachers etc. The former category are doing quite nicely thank you and would certainly benefit from the proposed N.Tech course but will probably take that learning elsewhere.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of smart kids from the township that go on to join those private school kids at university. Shocker: they graduate too.

This is obviously aimed at them.
 
Knyro said:
There are a lot of smart kids from the township that go on to join those private school kids at university. Shocker: they graduate too.

This is obviously aimed at them.
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Apologies I edited my post while you were posting.

No doubts. I've worked with a few who went on to great things (incidentally Gordon Sibaya is one of my heroes) but that would imply streaming which is inconsistent with the NDR. If you're going to stream wouldn't it better to do so BEFORE introducing an N.Tech programme rather than taking a shotgun approach?
 
JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says the launch of specialisation schools in Tshwane will help pupils understand the economy better and study subjects of relevance. Lesufi launched two schools in Atteridgeville on Tuesday specialising in nuclear technology. The facilities will be used by pupils between grades 10 and 12. Lesufi says the department plans to open 25 specialisation schools in the province.

“We are using the Necsa [South African Nuclear Energy Corporation of SA] plant for education. We are taking advantage of a huge plant of Necsa. Today we are launching the school of nuclear next month we are opening the school of aviation and we are also going to open a school that will specialise in automobile.”

http://ewn.co.za/2018/04/24/2-schools-specialising-in-nuclear-technology-launched-in-atteridgeville
 
TooFastTim said:
Apologies I edited my post while you were posting.

No doubts. I've worked with a few who went on to great things (incidentally Gordon Sibaya is one of my heroes) but that would imply streaming which is inconsistent with the NDR. If you're going to stream wouldn't it better to do so BEFORE introducing an N.Tech programme rather than taking a shotgun approach?
Click to expand...

I would assume there would be some kind of filtering as the schools are specialised.
 
thechamp said:
and we are also going to open a school that will specialise in automobile.”
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This I think is a very good idea. The Nats had schools like that too. They were called technical high schools. I attended one.

Knyro, how would you go about introducing your average township kid to concepts as abstract as nuclear physics?
 
Knyro said:
I would assume there would be some kind of filtering as the schools are specialised.
Click to expand...

I would hope so. As much as streamed or <gasp> grammar schools go against the socialist grain they, IMO, represent SA's best bet of getting back on that bandwagon that is leaving them behind.
 
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