A plan to promote science and technology literacy among the country's youth is to be launched at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown

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Plan to inspire young scientists The Youth into Science Strategy is a national government initiative to boost the number of young people choosing careers in the maths, science and technology sectors. September 28, 2007 By Lesego Madumo AN ambitious plan devised to promote science and technology literacy among the country's youth is being launched at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown today. The Youth into Science Strategy (YiSS) is headed by the national Department of Science and Technology. Close to 100 tutors and over 500 learners from the nine provinces are expected to attend the event, which starts at 2pm on Friday, 28 September. Activities are expected to end at 5pm. It will be hosted by Enver Surty, the deputy minister of education. Siyabulela Xuza will be among the guests; the 18-year-old Grade 12 pupil from St John's College in Houghton, Johannesburg received two grand awards at the 58th Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the United States in May. Xuza's invention for a safer and cheaper form of rocket fuel won him the awards. He received first place in the energy and transportation category and the second award for best in its category. He will be joined by Bajabulile Shabangu, one of the top nine female matriculants acknowledged by the National Science and Technology Forum last year for their high maths and science marks. These two young scientists will deliver presentations at the launch. Safaa Saban, a geoinformatics practitioner at Eskom, will speak about her personal experiences of nurturing talent and potential in science outside the classroom. Explaining the YiSS, Nhlanhla Nyide, a director of communication in the national science department, said, "It has been designed to lure more young people into the science and technology sectors, and to create more opportunities that will entice [them] to take part in and benefit from science and technology activities." He explained that the strategy consolidated all the lessons learned through implementing the Department of Education's Human Resource Development Strategy and the Department of Science and Technology's National Research and Development Strategy. "The [science department] developed the YiSS as part of its goal to promote youth empowerment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics." Programmes today include a tour of the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre and an edutainment facility with mathematics, science, and technology activities. The strategy was expected to close the skills gap by supporting all efforts to improve the development of high-level researchers, scientists and technologists, Nyide noted. "While it focuses mainly on school-going youth and undergraduate students in the science field, other youth interventions are aimed at developing the skills through technical colleges and out of school programmes." Nyide added that the YiSS envisaged increasing the number of young people participating in National Science Week activities, and identifying and nurturing at least 5 000 talented youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds through the science department's maths and science camps, by 2010. For more information about the YiSS, contact Nhlanhla Nyide on 082 871 6767 or email Celeste Tema on celeste.tema@dst.gov.za. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za