According to SciMathUS Programme Manager, Nokwanda Siyengo, they had no idea that 2020 would bring so many challenges. “We fortunately were able to embark on some of the activities we had planned. The prestigious one being the welcoming ceremony where our Rector was a keynote speaker celebrating our 20 years of operations.
“Lockdown was announced as we were preparing to go into first term recess. By then we had already introduced the ethos of the programme to the students. When the students went home, they had working groups to communicate between themselves and with the facilitators,” she recalls.
The team quickly had to adapt to a new way by organising virtual learning for the students. “We initially made use of WhatsApp groups to upload documents and stimulate discussions among students, but later made use of the university’s virtual portal SunLearn to upload documents, videos, tests and assignments.”
Nokwanda says they did not only cover academic content, but the curriculum was adapted to support the students and focus on life skills such as stress and time management, as well as an extensive course on study methods and techniques – equipping them for the new study environment. Students also received individual support from one of the SciMathUS staff members, Elsje Beyers, regarding applying to higher education institutions for 2021.
Throughout this unprecedented year, challenges were ever-present for the students and facilitators alike. “They faced insurmountable challenges, but their willingness outweighed it. Some students did not have laptops or desktops at home and resorted to using their smartphones as a learning tool. Others struggled with connectivity. Because we were following a set timetable, some students could not connect during the day, but their connectivity would improve in the evening. This meant that facilitators had to be on standby for whenever students were able to connect.”
“Sometimes it is hard to believe that we've been in operation for 20 years,” says Nokwanda. “We have been blessed to witness how almost 1 700 students embraced the opportunity to access higher education to improve the quality of their lives.”
The team shares the same sentiments as Nokwanda. Dr Elza Lourens, one of the facilitators who has been with the programme since its inception said, “During the SciMathUS year the students grow and bloom in front of our eyes. They develop from shy, uncertain girls and boys into adults who know who they are and what they want. They have confidence and are able to stand up for themselves. As facilitators, we are grateful to witness this growth.”
Nokwanda wishes to acknowledge how SciMathUS has evolved over the past 20 years. “Not only in numbers, but in the quality of teaching and learning. We constantly evaluate our offering. An example is our selection criteria that constantly changes to align with the criteria of the different faculties within the university – i.e. in 2001 we accepted students who achieved 30% in matric, but had to change it to 45%, because the university was looking for a higher mark for both Mathematics and Physical Sciences.”
“In the past we were viewed as an academic bridging programme between high school and university. We then transcended into an access programme that formed part of Stellenbosch University’s initiatives of broadening access and participation for those who came from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. We approached access from the epistemological perspective where we offer support in all the challenges experienced by students, viz academic, psychosocial and contextual challenges,” she adds.
Over the years, SciMathUS has delivered a number of students who have made great strides in their chosen fields. They include, Dr Claudia Ntsapi, who is now a lecturer and medical researcher at the University of Free State, Dr Gerald Maarman, a lecturer in medical physiology at Stellenbosch University, and Dr Milton van Rooi, a radioactivity scientist at the National Metrology Institute of South Africa.
What is next for this much-needed programme? “Growth, growth and even more growth to put us on a path to help even more students reach their full potential,” says Nokwanda.
“SciMathUS is a programme of hope for students who feel that their NSC results have let them down and that their hope of ever studying in science or commerce-related fields of study is lost. I so wish that we could offer the programme to more students. At the beginning of 2020, when we were conducting the selection process, we received more than 1 000 applications for 100 spaces. The need for the programme is massive, but we cannot afford to increase the numbers, because we operate the programme with philanthropic funds that we receive from generous donors.
“My wish is that in the next five years, SciMathUS will grow to be sustainable and be able to offer the service to more students.”