By Buffalo City Reporter
17 March 2008

A SATURDAY School of Excellence, focusing on mathematics, science and English, was officially opened in East London on Saturday, 15 March.

The school is a partnership between the Eastern Cape department of roads and transport and petroleum company Engen; it aims to alleviate the shortage of engineers in the transport industry in the province.

It was initially set up in 2003 in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. It later expanded to OR Tambo District in partnership with the Walter Sisulu University and Nkonkobe Municipality in partnership with the University of Fort Hare. Then, in his policy speech in 2007, the MEC for safety, liaison, roads and transport, Thobile Mhlahlo, emphasised the need to expand the project.

"The mathematics, science and English project is part on an integrated Skills Development Plan to address the shortage of engineers within the transport industry and to create a pool of competent maths and science learners for future recruitment for other career choices," Mhlahlo said.

Some 700 learners from Grades Eight to 12 are already benefiting from this project. They attend classes every Saturday and during school holidays, where they get specialised training from the partner universities to improve their results. This gives them better opportunities for bursaries usually offered by the department of roads and transport.

Department spokesperson Ncedo Kumbaca said that out of the 700 learners, 400 had already received bursaries from the department and were studying at various tertiary education institutions around the country.

In total, 150 learners from high schools across Buffalo City will benefit from the school opened in the municipality this weekend.