October 5, 2005
By Sipho Maduna
NOT many students choose to study mathematics and science, but Wits University has come up with a solution - the Marang Centre for Mathematics and Science Education.
Maths and science graduates are vital for South Africa to keep pace with world technological progress.
The centre was officially opened at the university's Education Campus on Tuesday, 4 October by the vice-chancellor, Professor Loyiso Nongxa, and Standard Bank's chairman, Derek Cooper.
Coming at a cost of R5,2-million, the centre is aimed at improving the quality of mathematics and science education, to look at the low number of African candidates in particular obtaining university entrance passes in the two subjects.
"The Marang Centre will provide a unique model for combining excellence, innovation and leadership in research and teacher development," said Professor Mamokgethi Sesati, the director.
Marang is a Setswana word that means radiation, light, sunbeam and illumination.
It will also target research in multingualism and learning maths and science at school, mathematical literacy, public awareness about science and effective methods for teaching maths and science.
The centre will run a range of teacher education programmes in the disciplines.
Students can read science and maths for a Bachelor of Science Honours at the centre, which targets science teachers in secondary schools to expand their knowledge of their subjects they teach.
Setati said the centre would focus on finding solutions to the dire problems dogging maths and science education. These solutions lay in enhancing leadership in maths and science, and improving teachers' subject knowledge in ways that would improve the quality of their teaching.
Standard Bank has donated R4-milllion towards the centre over the next three years and Wits University has contributed R1,5-million.
"Standard Bank's financial commitment to this project was aimed at ensuring that the Marang Centre becomes a centre of excellence for educators throughout South Africa," Cooper said.
The bank had been closely involved with a range of education and heritage projects. Through these, it had always sought to develop a common thread that would contribute positively towards creating a better life for all.
Nongxa said "we aim to focus attention on boosting high levels and scarce skills".
He said the university would build on its "capacity to meet society's skills needs in areas of the sciences, engineering and advanced technology".
The centre was an important project, as it would help the university to realise its objectives in maths and science.
"Marang will look at the lack of successful role models in mathematics and science education," said Shirona Hassim, senior media relations officer at the university.
"It will look at the role of English in teaching mathematics and science and the need to transform leadership."
The Marang Centre will develop best practice guidelines for multilingual classrooms. According to Setati, there was a significant relationship between language and learning and between proficiency in the language of instruction and success at school.
She ended with a quote from philosopher Karl Popper, "Science is forever a search, never really a finding. It is a journey, never really an arrival."
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