National Research Foundation Annual Report 2008 / 2009 [Part 2]

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10 NRFimpact report <strong>2008</strong>/09The AstroQuiz is more than just a Q&A session – it hopes tostimulate interest in learners to eventually answer South Africa’sneed for graduates in the natural and physical sciences.reaching for the starsRegardless of their culture or history, the night skies are a part of every South African’s life. For millennia,they have told farmers when the time is right to plant crops, they have told sailors in which direction tonavigate, and they have entranced and inspired children, poets and spiritual leaders.A partnership between the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA)and the Gauteng-based Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, is giving even more meaning to the stars for SouthAfrican learners. “South Africa has a dire shortage of specialists in the sciences, and it’s one of our goalsto encourage learners to understand the potential of careers in these fields,” says Shadrack Mkansi,acting manager for the Science Awareness Platform at SAASTA. “A world of possibility is open tothem now – school leavers have many more options than the teaching, nursing, policing oradministrative jobs from which their parents could choose.”SAASTA wanted to get students interested in astronomy, using it as a steppingstoneto other sciences, but understood that it would have to win this interestthrough activities that would encourage learners to conduct their own research,rather than through passive information campaigns that could be easily glossed over.“A competition is a great way to stimulate activity in the school environment,” saysMkansi. “It encourages engagement between the pupils, and builds on the senseof community in each learning environment. The pupils encourage one another, worktogether to prepare for the quiz, and they inspire excitement in the younger generations toShadrack Mkansi follow in their footsteps.”AstroQuiz lays the foundation for exciting careersA grant from SAASTA, a business unit of the NRF, brought both SAASTA and Sci-Bono together in 2006to launch the AstroQuiz – an astronomy quiz for Grade 7 learners located close to five of the country’sobservatories. The competition ran for the third time in <strong>2008</strong>, with 900 pupils from five provinces takingpart. Learners at participating schools compete in groups of four to answer a set of astronomy-relatedquestions. Discussion and debate is encouraged, and the winning team from each school proceeds toa regional quiz. Regional winners are hosted by SAASTA at an annual national final, with the winnersreceiving certificates and prizes for their school.
11While children prepare for the AstroQuiz they gain insight into the importance ofstudying mathematics and see how the seemingly abstract principles they learn inthe classroom help lay the foundations for an exciting career.
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National Research Foundation Annual Report 2008 / 2009 [Part 2]

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