Local mathematics and physical science educator Kevin Gounder is making a contribution to improving the skilled labour force by offering learners a community mathematics and science programme.
Local mathematics and physical science educator Kevin Gounder is making a contribution to improving the skilled labour force by offering learners a community mathematics and science programme.
"I’m passionate about teaching as I grew up in a home full of teachers and I saw them making a difference. So I also want to make my own difference and assist in bringing more children into the system who are equipped with mathematics and science," he said.
He added that this was important as equipping children with these subjects would mean utilising our own skilled people in the country rather than taking them from abroad.
The programme involves after-school lessons in mathematics and physical science for Grades 9 -12. It was started two months ago in an effort to address the challenges that learners encounter in mathematics and science.
"There has been a trend where a learner may take pure mathematics in Grade 9 and then when they reach Grade 12, they flunk and move to mathematics literacy," because of their inability to grasp the subject, says Gounder who has been an educator for about 12 years.
He said Grade 9 is such an important grade as it builds the foundation for these subjects and if a learner understands the required concepts, they are likely to do well in those subjects in matric.
Each session is made up of a group of six learners so they have the opportunity to receive individual attention.
The fee is at a cost of R40 per session and two seats of a session are reserved for disadvantaged learners. Gounder said that disadvantaged learners can request bursaries to participate in these sessions.
"Most of my learners are from Graeme College, but I don’t want to keep it exclusive to them as that is not why I started this programme in the first place," he said.
Grade 12 learner, Luke Scharneck aspires to study Law and he says it is important for him to get good marks in mathematics.
He has been in the programme for five weeks and already has seen some improvements in his work ethic and an improvement in his maths and science.
Another Grade 12 learner taking part in the programme is Seviano Jasson who said that the small group’s interaction and Gounder’s patience have contributed to his overall improvement in science and mathematics.
Grade 9 learner, Chavandrê Jacobs said they have just started learning Algebra at school and initially he was not too confident with it.
"I wanted to change to mathematics literacy next year, but then I heard that it won’t take you anywhere," he said. He added that the extra lessons have helped him not to quit mathematics just yet.
The community mathematics and science programme is held at Shalom Bed and Breakfast on Fitzroy Street. Any enquiries can be forwarded to Kevin Gounder on 076 480 6990.
