Gauteng MEC launches school of specialisation in Tshepisong
The school of specialisation aims to equip learners with a myriad of career opportunities within the maths and science fields.
Learners of a local high school are very excited about a new initiative that was launched at their school recently.
The launch of a new Mathematics, Science, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) school of specialisation (SOS) initiative was held on October 12 at Raymond Mhlaba Secondary School in Tshepisong.
The MEC for Education in Gauteng Matome Chiloane officially launched the initiative which places strong emphasis on mining.
“Raymond Mhlaba SOS with a focus on mining is the 29th school of this sort launched. We aim to empower learners to explore the myriad of career opportunities within the mining sector,” Chiloane said in an X (formerly known as Twitter) post.
According to a media statement issued by the Gauteng Department of Education, the school has emerged as a model of excellence in the fields of Maths, Science, and ICT, with a curriculum geared specifically to the needs of the mining industry.
The launch saw entities involved welcomed by principal Angie Mokiti who cited that the initiative was introduced to get learners to specialise. The department chose mining as a specialisation as there is a mine in the area and the aim is to get learners familiar with the mining industry so that at least some learners can branch out into and investigate careers in the mining sector.
According to the department’s statement, the conversion to a school of specialisation will significantly improve the number of learners doing mathematics and physical sciences as subjects as they are the most challenging subjects in the curriculum. This will also entail learners writing admission tests so that learners are academically competitive.
“Learners had to come up with mining-related projects for the SOS launch and they did wonders. It was a very beautifully executed launch and I’m very proud of my staff for this milestone,” Mokiti said.
Learners were generally excited as Hlamulo Chauke, a Grade 11 learner said that it is a great opportunity to fuel their passions in maths and science. Ishmael Sambo said the initiative encouraged them to explore careers in engineering, etc, while a Grade Nine learner, Thamsanqa Mpekana said the SOS unit offers them opportunities to express themselves as they did a roleplay on illegal mining.
