The Department of Basic Education (DBE), in partnership with the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), continue to make headway in terms of increasing Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) intakes in the Education Sector to target learners in Quintile 1 to 3 schools in South Africa.

The DBE’s MST team and provincial officials responsible for the effective implementation of the MST Conditional Grant, converged at the Hunters Rest Protea Hotel in Rustenburg in the North West Province from 20 to 21 September 2018, to fast-track provincial progress in line with the promotion of MST participation and throughput rate in the country.

The two-day meeting was used as a platform for provinces to share a common goal in terms of the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Action Plan 2019: Towards Schooling 2030, which emphasises the importance of accelerating MST participation and the success rate in the education sector through the effective implementation of the MST Conditional Grant. The MST Conditional Grant responds to the MST targets set in Chapter 9 of the NDP and Goals 1 to 9, 16 and 20 of the Action Plan 2019: Towards Schooling 2030.

Project Manager for the MST Conditional Grant, Ms Espeth Khembo, said the meeting was critical because it enabled the MST team to discuss matters related to the Grant’s performance in compliance with the conditions of the MST Grant Framework. “A meeting of this nature allows us to share best practice on the implementation of the Grant. Hopefully our engagement with the provinces will improve performance of the Grant through collaboration with key stakeholders in government and non-governmental organisations, as well as professional bodies such as the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) and the South African Agency for Science and Technology (SAASTA),” said Khembo.

“The Grant will supply resources to 1,000 Mathematics, Science and Technology laboratories, as well as Technical School Workshops in line with the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS). It is also aimed at improving teacher competency through training in subject content and methodology in MST,” explained Ms Khembo.

The meeting concluded with a visit to Fields College, one of the MST technical schools, where the North West Province showcased best practice in the implementation of the Grant.