Ster-Kinekor @The Zone got an early morning kick-start on 21 August as hundreds of pupils poured in to the cinema to receive interactive matric maths and science revision lessons as they prepare for this year’s preliminary and final examinations.
“We need immediate solutions, and the eduCate programme serves our children by motivating pupils to work harder and matriculate with maths so that they can pursue studies in fields with good employment prospects,” said Martin Sweet, managing director of Primestars Marketing.
Sweet acknowledged the presence of MEC Panyaza Lesufi from the Gauteng Department of Education and Koki Selepe, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology for taking the time to come out and support the programme.
“The burning issue at hand is that there is a dramatic shortage of skills in the hard sciences, and if we are to transform South Africa’s business sector, we must start by educating the youth in maths and science,” said Sweet.
The eduCate programme is sponsored by the Capitec Foundation, Sasria and the Telkom Foundation. It is a national intervention that has assisted thousands of matriculants in maths and science and utilises Ster-Kinekor cinemas as theatres of learning.
The programme is made up of 10 pre-recorded revision sessions, five in maths and five in science. Schools from across South Africa, mostly based in townships and under-serviced areas, were invited to participate with the support of the Department of Basic Education. Pupils are registered, indemnified and transported from their schools to their designated cinema complex and back to their schools after the screenings.
Pupils are allowed to interact with teachers and tutors who are available to address questions.
This year, the sessions are running over 10 consecutive Sunday mornings, having started on 24 July, in all nine provinces. The filmed content is simultaneously broadcast to a network of digitised Ster-Kinekor cinema complexes.
Over the course of the first four weeks of the programme, more than 12 000 seats were occupied across participating cinemas.
