Club helps kids keep up with the future

WITH coding, robots and heavy scientific engineering and mathematics techniques and lessons, pupils at Zwelethemba High School get to experience a glimpse of the future.

Maths teacher and Stem Club patron Kudakwashe Takawira said that when the club started, he and the few pupils that were part of the club had nothing but faith and enthusiasm.

“What started as a club has grown into something we haven’t fully realised. The school principal, alongside the district education office, advised us to roll out a coding and robotics curriculum, not just for the club, but for the entire school, until neighbouring schools in the community also approached us to consider a few pupils from their school.

“I am forever grateful that our idea worked. The club started with only 30 pupils with absolutely nothing but faith and zeal. Our pupils had to embark on a vicious fund-raising campaign, just to resource our project and surprisingly, it worked. Now all schools around want to send kids to us, just to see the miracle of how we started and join,” said Takawira.

The project was adopted by pupils from surrounding schools and coding and robotics was registered as a GET subject for grades 8 and 9 this year.

“From an African perspective, we thought that science and innovation needed greater attention. We thought it was time be in tune with all the technological gadgets, equipments and scientific apparatus. However, the sad reality of it all is was that this equipment does not come cheap.

“Because we don't have much, we sold chicken braai, did car washes and asked for R5 donations to fuel our project. We didn’t have money, but we had the zeal, passion and determination” said Takawira.

School Turnaround Foundation director Dr Corvell Cranfield said through the Stem Club, pupils were exposed to a solid intervention that delivers exceptional academic results, especially in mathematics and the sciences.

“The high-impact intervention is based on a school turnaround methodology that is rooted in a core belief that all pupils were created to be successful and within this belief, we provided the educational steps and processes for all our schools to achieve this objective,” said Cranfield.

For more information about the Stem Club, contact Kudakwashe Takawira at kudakwashet4@gmail.com