THE name impendulo (the answer) says it all. While many spend hours talking about what should be done to improve the province’s underwhelming school results or the performance of rural pupils in maths and science, members of the Impendulo Foundation are not only preaching what can be done but putting this into practice.
Around October last year, a group ranging in age between 25 and 38 – the engine that drives the foundation - came up with a vision to improve rural pupils’ results in these two subjects.
To benefit from the programme, which was officially launched last week, five rural Eastern Cape schools – Zwelodumo Senior Secondary in Xhugxwala village, Zamukulungisa SSS in Qweqwe village, Maxwele SSS in Mandlovini village, St Patrick’s in Gxulu in Libode and Milton Mbekela SSS in former President Nelson Mandela’s home village of Qunu - were told of the after-school maths and science programme.
About 500 pupils doing grades 10 to 12 were subsequently introduced to the programme which sees them working with tutors, comprising maths and science and graduates as well as maths and science teachers, for an hour after school at least three times a week and again for an hour over weekends.
The foundation is the brainchild of businesswoman, author and musician Wendy Mpendulo who acts as chairwoman.
Other members include Kopano Moshoeshoe, a former teacher-turned businessman who is its director, entrepreneur , Sisa Mpendulo, who serves as project co-ordinator, businessman and church pastor Donald Ani who is the foundation’s charity director and Lunga Mpapela, a businessman who serves as senior project coordinator;
While the maths and science tutoring only began this year, the Impendulo Foundation was established in 2012 by Mpendulo to carry out a range of community upliftment projects, focusing primarily on primary school pupils, youth and women.
Interestingly, those who make up the Impendulo Foundation were born in Viedgesville and all experienced first-hand how difficult it could be learning maths and science in a rural school with very limited resources to one’s disposal.
But they feel the programme they have devised might actually represent a turning point in the fortunes of scores of rural pupils.
“You find classes overcrowded with up to 70 pupils which makes it difficult to have those one-on-one interactions with the teacher,” said Mpendulo.
Furthermore it was discovered that in some schools, a teacher is sometimes forced to teach four different learning areas, which makes it difficult for them to pay attention to each and every pupil.
Stories about rural pupils having to go through the whole year without having had the opportunity to be taught either maths or science because there is no teacher available, have somewhat become synonymous with some Eastern Cape schools, particularly those in Transkei.
Sometimes, it is the textbooks that have not been delivered or schools not having adequate resources such as laboratories to help pupils with their grasp of complicated science experiments.
All of this unfortunately has not only led to poor results in some schools, but it has led to the two subjects being branded “the enemy” by rural pupils who end up opting for other career streams. However this sometimes backfires as they opt for streams that their talents and strengths are not suited for.
Mpendulo says the programme targets pupils who have struggled in the two subjects. Not only do they ensure that those children get the attention they deserve, but they host regular career exhibition events where pupils are screened and advised on which career streams to follow.
According to Mpendulo some rural children make the wrong choice due to their limited knowledge of what streams they can take in high school with some quitting maths and science altogether and only finding out too late that they needed them for their chosen career path.
“We discovered that bachelor passes that allow them entry to a tertiary institution such as a university are few and far between in our rural schools. Basically we are trying to make them fall in love with the two subjects,” she said.
While the foundation receives financial support from the Bank Seta, its members sometimes fork out of their own pockets to help transport tutors to the five schools.
Each school has about three tutors who work with “struggling” pupils.
Moshoeshoe said they decided on the programme because South Africa in general lacks engineers and scientists mainly due to poor results in schools.
“We end up outsourcing skills from other countries.”
Wendy says their intention is to now introduce the programme to some of the deeply-rural and most remote parts of province where there are no resources, including places like Coffee Bay.
They are also in the process of looking for a sponsor to provide tablets which could be hired out to pupils involved in the programme.
Principals at some of the five schools say the programme has made a difference to their results already.
Zamukulungisa principal Samkelo Dawedi cannot hide his excitement when talking about the foundation’s maths and science programme.
He said the school had gone from 62% in its matric results in 2015 to a whopping 82.35% last year.
“I could say it’s down to that programme,” he added.
St Patrick’s deputy principal Alzinah Shinga-Gcasamba said many pupils had performed poorly in maths during the September trial exams but they managed several distinctions in the subject when the 2016 matric results were announced earlier this year.
“Almost 80% of our children are encouraged to do maths and physics and I believe with the calibre of the tutors they are using, it will bear results.”
Pupils like 19-year-old Grade 12 pupil Okuhle Somacala agree with Shinga-Gcasamba.
The youngster, who hopes to become a gynaecologist, said she had previously struggled with maths while she had no passion whatsoever for science.
But it all changed after she was introduced to the programme late last year.
Classmate Siseko Jack wants to become a doctor but thought his dream would come to naught as he always got poor grades, especially for maths and science.
But like Somacala, he is “head over heels” in love with the two subjects thanks to the programme.
Their science tutor Livingstone Kutamahufa said in the beginning it was not easy to work with the pupils as they had different abilities in absorbing and processing information.
But the programme divides groups according to their different learning processes so everyone is given maximum attention. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
BIG READ: Getting to love ‘enemy’ subjects
Around October last year, a group ranging in age between 25 and 38 – the engine that drives the foundation - came up with a vision to improve rural pupils’ results in these two subjects.
To benefit from the programme, which was officially launched last week, five rural Eastern Cape schools – Zwelodumo Senior Secondary in Xhugxwala village, Zamukulungisa SSS in Qweqwe village, Maxwele SSS in Mandlovini village, St Patrick’s in Gxulu in Libode and Milton Mbekela SSS in former President Nelson Mandela’s home village of Qunu - were told of the after-school maths and science programme.
About 500 pupils doing grades 10 to 12 were subsequently introduced to the programme which sees them working with tutors, comprising maths and science and graduates as well as maths and science teachers, for an hour after school at least three times a week and again for an hour over weekends.
The foundation is the brainchild of businesswoman, author and musician Wendy Mpendulo who acts as chairwoman.
Other members include Kopano Moshoeshoe, a former teacher-turned businessman who is its director, entrepreneur , Sisa Mpendulo, who serves as project co-ordinator, businessman and church pastor Donald Ani who is the foundation’s charity director and Lunga Mpapela, a businessman who serves as senior project coordinator;
While the maths and science tutoring only began this year, the Impendulo Foundation was established in 2012 by Mpendulo to carry out a range of community upliftment projects, focusing primarily on primary school pupils, youth and women.
Interestingly, those who make up the Impendulo Foundation were born in Viedgesville and all experienced first-hand how difficult it could be learning maths and science in a rural school with very limited resources to one’s disposal.
But they feel the programme they have devised might actually represent a turning point in the fortunes of scores of rural pupils.
“You find classes overcrowded with up to 70 pupils which makes it difficult to have those one-on-one interactions with the teacher,” said Mpendulo.
Furthermore it was discovered that in some schools, a teacher is sometimes forced to teach four different learning areas, which makes it difficult for them to pay attention to each and every pupil.
Stories about rural pupils having to go through the whole year without having had the opportunity to be taught either maths or science because there is no teacher available, have somewhat become synonymous with some Eastern Cape schools, particularly those in Transkei.
Sometimes, it is the textbooks that have not been delivered or schools not having adequate resources such as laboratories to help pupils with their grasp of complicated science experiments.
All of this unfortunately has not only led to poor results in some schools, but it has led to the two subjects being branded “the enemy” by rural pupils who end up opting for other career streams. However this sometimes backfires as they opt for streams that their talents and strengths are not suited for.
Mpendulo says the programme targets pupils who have struggled in the two subjects. Not only do they ensure that those children get the attention they deserve, but they host regular career exhibition events where pupils are screened and advised on which career streams to follow.
According to Mpendulo some rural children make the wrong choice due to their limited knowledge of what streams they can take in high school with some quitting maths and science altogether and only finding out too late that they needed them for their chosen career path.
“We discovered that bachelor passes that allow them entry to a tertiary institution such as a university are few and far between in our rural schools. Basically we are trying to make them fall in love with the two subjects,” she said.
While the foundation receives financial support from the Bank Seta, its members sometimes fork out of their own pockets to help transport tutors to the five schools.
Each school has about three tutors who work with “struggling” pupils.
Moshoeshoe said they decided on the programme because South Africa in general lacks engineers and scientists mainly due to poor results in schools.
“We end up outsourcing skills from other countries.”
Wendy says their intention is to now introduce the programme to some of the deeply-rural and most remote parts of province where there are no resources, including places like Coffee Bay.
They are also in the process of looking for a sponsor to provide tablets which could be hired out to pupils involved in the programme.
Principals at some of the five schools say the programme has made a difference to their results already.
Zamukulungisa principal Samkelo Dawedi cannot hide his excitement when talking about the foundation’s maths and science programme.
He said the school had gone from 62% in its matric results in 2015 to a whopping 82.35% last year.
“I could say it’s down to that programme,” he added.
St Patrick’s deputy principal Alzinah Shinga-Gcasamba said many pupils had performed poorly in maths during the September trial exams but they managed several distinctions in the subject when the 2016 matric results were announced earlier this year.
“Almost 80% of our children are encouraged to do maths and physics and I believe with the calibre of the tutors they are using, it will bear results.”
Pupils like 19-year-old Grade 12 pupil Okuhle Somacala agree with Shinga-Gcasamba.
The youngster, who hopes to become a gynaecologist, said she had previously struggled with maths while she had no passion whatsoever for science.
But it all changed after she was introduced to the programme late last year.
Classmate Siseko Jack wants to become a doctor but thought his dream would come to naught as he always got poor grades, especially for maths and science.
But like Somacala, he is “head over heels” in love with the two subjects thanks to the programme.
Their science tutor Livingstone Kutamahufa said in the beginning it was not easy to work with the pupils as they had different abilities in absorbing and processing information.
But the programme divides groups according to their different learning processes so everyone is given maximum attention. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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