Support for Human Capital Development through implementation of the Youth into Science Strategy (YiSS)

Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology

Date: 30 May 2012

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Outline

• Youth into Science Strategy (YiSS)

• Promotion of STEMI literacy

• Identifying talent and potential

• Talent nurturing

• Enhancing classroom perfomance

• Graduates supporting implementation of YiSS

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Youth into Science Strategy (2007)

• Purpose is to contribute to the development of the SET human capital pipeline by enhancing youth’s access to SET

• Strategic objectives:– Promotion of Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Innovation

(STEMI) literacy– Talent and potential identification, and nurturing

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Expenditure on Science and Youth Portfolio

• The 2012/13 transfer budget of the Science and Youth Unit of the DST is R63 million

• The budget reflects an annual average increase of 4.6% over the 2010/11 to 2012/13 Medium Term Expenditure period

• The 2012/13 expenditure is spread on the allotted budget according to the key thrusts of the Youth into Science Strategy is as follows:– Promotion of STEMI literacy among youth and general public: 39% (both

direct & indirect)– Identifying and nurturing youth talent and potential: 21%– DST’s National Youth Service programme (27%) which supports

implementation of both thrusts of the Strategy, – 8 DST adopted Dinaledi Schools (13%).

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Promotion of STEMI literacy among the youth (1)

• Existing periodic STEMI awareness campaigns:– National Science Week (NSW) led by the DST, which is an annual

campaign to showcase the importance of STEMI in people’s daily lives. 1,3 million people (86% learners) participated in the NSW from 2005 to 2011.

– 7 Science Festivals that are organized and/or conducted by other stakeholders, but receive support from the DST. The biggest is Scifest in Grahamstown attracting up to 70 000 people per annum . Others attract 3 000 to 10 000 learners per annum.

– STEMI career awareness, in the form of SET Career booklets that are distributed to learners, teachers and parents. 250 000 brochures distributed in 2011.

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Promotion of STEMI literacy among the youth (2)

• Existing permanent or continuous STEMI awareness campaigns only take form of a Network of science centres: – There are currently approximately 30 science centres aligned to

the objectives of YiSS and supported by the DST.– The DST plays its developmental role by providing science

centres with:o Annual development grants (Programmatic Support).o Capacity building programme (training and conferences).

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Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Promotion (1)

Institutional and systemic promotion– IKS AS PART OF THE NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK– ANNUAL IKS EXPOS AND WORKSHOP– DISTRIBUTION OF IKS POLICY BOOKLETS– THROUGH SCIENCE CENTRES AND IKS DOCUMENTION

CENTRES– ANNUAL SPRING LECTURES

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Indigenous Knowledge Systems Promotion (2)

• NATURAL JUSTICE BIOCULTURAL PROTOCOLS WORKSHOPS IN COMMUNITIES

• THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNITIES ON BIOPROSPECTING

• REGIONAL PROMOTION THROUGH BIENNUAL SADC IKS POLICY CONFERENCE

• PARTICIPATION IN AD HOC EXHIBITIONS SUCH AS AT PARLIAMENT BUDGET SPEECH

• PARTICIPATION AND HOSTING OF CONFERENCES

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Identifying talent and potential (1)

• Of the learners who selected Mathematics and Science as school subjects, those with talent and potential for SET careers are identified.

• STEMI olympiads & competitions are the instruments that are used to identify learners with talent and potential.

• STEMI olympiads & competitions are organized by other stakeholders with the support of the DST.

• The DST’s support for olympiads and competitions mainly focuses on development training for educators and learners’ coaching clinics.

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Identifying talent and potential (2)

• Annually, the DST provides funding to enable learners at the 500 Dinaledi schools to participate in the National Science Olympiad (NSO) (Talent identification tool)

• Learner participation levels in NSO over a 5-year period:

– 2011: 24 624

– 2010: 20 833

– 2009: 20 364

– 2008: 19 438

– 2007: 15 538

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Talent nurturing (1)

• Between 2004 and 2009, the DST in collaboration with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants conducted annual week-long holiday camps for learners

• Each province had its own camp designed to accommodate 200 learners (Grades 10 to 12)

• The camps programme has been reviewed and emphasis is now on quality instead of quantity

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Talent nurturing (2)

• From 2011, the DST in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand conducts a 2-week long camp programme that takes place 3 times a year

• The camp programme accommodates 300 learners (Grades 10 - 12) who have been selected through very stringent criteria

• The camp is held on the university campus and is designed to:– enhance curriculum content knowledge of the learners– Equip learners with skills necessary to cope with higher

education life

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DST’s contribution: Enhancing classroom performance (1)

• The DST’s support for DBE’s work takes the following forms:– Participation in the Adopt-a-Dinaledi School project

– Participation of Dinaledi schools in the National Science Olympiad

– Science centres’ support for under-resourced schools

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DST’s contribution: Enhancing classroom performance (2)

• The DST has adopted 18 Dinaledi schools (two schools per province)

• Support provided to the schools has two categories. Support based on schools’ needs:

o Supplementary tuition in mathematics and physical science for grades 10 to 12. In the 2011 academic year 3 590 learners are benefiting from the programme

o Training of teachers in areas of the curriculum which they consider to be difficult. 90% of the adopted schools indicated their need for this intervention. In the 2011 academic year, a three-day workshop was conducted by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

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DST’s contribution: Enhancing classroom performance (3)

• 44% of the adopted schools were provided with interactive white boards and necessary computer hardware and software

• 50% of the schools which indicated their need for apparatus and/or consumables for physical science experiments were supplied with the required materials

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DST’s contribution: Enhancing classroom performance (4)

– Support based on the objective of the Youth into Science Strategy where learners at the adopted schools receive preferential access to initiatives implementing this Strategy

• For example: adopted schools receive grants of up to R100k to conduct National Science Week activities (STEMI promotion)

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DST’s contribution: Enhancing classroom performance (5)

• Science centres supported by the DST assist under-resourced schools with curriculum-based science experiments

• In limited cases learners use laboratory facilities at science centres. There are currently about 7 science centres equipped at this level

• 10 science centres have mobile laboratory vans that are taken to under-resourced schools for science experiments

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Internship programme

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Work Readiness Programmes

• Responds to government priorities– (On-the-job) skills development– Reduction of unemployment– Providing decent work

• Objectives– To increase the pool of skilled human resources;– To provide work experience and increase graduates’

employability;– To provide exposure to research projects critical to NSI;– To attract graduates to pursue careers in the NSI; and– To build human capacity in NSI institutions.

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Workplace Readiness

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216

320

432

535

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12

Internship ProgrammeNational Youth ServiceTOTAL

Host Institutions

21

21

40

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2008/09 2009/10 2010/11

HOST INSTITUTIONS

Employability of Interns

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Policy position

• Development of the STEMI engagement and promotion Strategy

• Strengthening of the science centres as the key infrastructure for STEMI promotion

• Adoption of a five year implementation strategy for the NSW informed by the 10 year review recommendations

• Expansion of the SAASTA mandate

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Thank you

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