Kopano Monaheng
WHEN foreign countries care about your development, there’s hope for the future of Mzansi.
That was the spirit when the Chinese Embassy in Mzansi along with the Gauteng MEC for Education, Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Matome Chiloane officially opened the Science Center on Friday 21 November.
The Inauguration of the L.I.S.T.E.N Science Exhibition in Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, which coincides with South Africa’s historic hosting of the G20 Summit took place in Joburg, South Africa on 22-23 November.
The summit is the twentieth meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20), heads of state and government officials to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development, through annual meetings.
So the Sci-bono will manage the teaching programmes where pupils from different schools across the province will have an opportunity to utilise the centre.
Matome said the L.I.S.T.E.N Science Space Exhibition found within the centre, will inspire more pupils to want to take science as a career.
“While world leaders gather to discuss global economic and political cooperation, we are demonstrating a different but equally important form of international partnership, one focused on building human capital, advancing science literacy, and investing in the potential of our young people,” said the MEC.
L.I.S.T.E.N stands for Life, Information, Science, Technology, and Network which are the fundamental building blocks of 21st-century literacy.
“I commit, on behalf of the Gauteng Department of Education, to ensure our schools maximise this opportunity. We will develop structured school visit programs integrating L.I.S.T.E.N Science Space into our science curriculum. We will train teachers to prepare our learners before visits and consolidate learning afterward,” concluded Matome.
