HIGH SCHOOL FERDINAND POSTMA
School in Potchefstroom

Check out our latest photos of sports, events and other social activities. Here we are using the Module Class Suffix to insert some Text before the Module comes, this works with every Module. A shortage of technical, engineering and technology skills is threatening the future economic growth of South Africa. So dire has the situation become that the Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande, has challenged universities to double graduates in these sectors. Now North West University (NWU) has come up with an innovative problem- and project-based learning strategy which it believes will go a long way to meeting the challenge. The North-West Department of Basic Education is a valuable partner to the project, which will come on stream in The strategy is an initiative of the Faculty of Engineering, in collaboration with the faculties of Health Sciences; Agriculture, Science and Technology; Natural Sciences; and Education. The scale of the problem is evident if one looks at the number of children who have passed through our education system. Universities have tried putting money into remedial programmes at university level, or to increase the length of a degree course by adding a foundation year. Taking the long term view means beginning the training of our future engineers while they are still at school. In order to make that happen, the Faculty of Engineering is establishing a science, engineering, technology and health (SETH) academy at the Ferdinand Postma High School in Potchefstroom. The SETH-Academy is the culmination of many years of involvement with similar programmes and represents a collaboration between the Faculty and industry and education partners. NWU expects that the SETH-Academy will contribute to a number of its Key Strategic Objectives. Each year another grade will be added so that in five years, the school will be offering SETH classes on all levels. The learners will follow the normal school curriculum but will also be given extra classes in SETH subjects such as applied mathematics. In the afternoons they will take part in an enrichment programme at the university where they will implement the theory they have learned in a practical manner. The collaboration from industry is an important part of the programme, and will ensure that the learners are mentored.