'Dream big' Minister Pandor tells Pretoria learners

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It’s become a day of goodwill, as citizens open their hearts to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day to honor the memory of former President Nelson Mandela.

Yesterday, the Department of Science and Technology joined the rest of South Africa to mark the occasion that has become an annual event. The global initiative aims to encourage people to take responsibility for improving the lives of others and addressing the world’s social injustices.

In this spirit, the Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor, donated learning material to the Tshwane Secondary School in the Pretoria CBD to help improve the learning of mathematics and science.

The material from the Department of Science and Technology and its entities included 30 laptops, 30 desktop computers, 30 tablets, lab coats, and first aid kits to be used in the school’s laboratory.

The Tshwane Secondary School is a public school with a learner population of 373.  It offers a variety of subjects including mathematics, science, tourism and commercial subjects. It also offers adult basic education classes after hours.

The school’s 2015 matric results reflected poor performance in Mathematics and Science, with an average of 29%and 53% respectively.

School principal, Ms Evah Aphane, welcomed the donation, saying this would motivate the learners to study more and assist them to do their research. "We are doing wellin other subjects but we're not doingquite as wellin maths and science,” said Ms Aphane.

Minister Pandor urged the learners to strive for excellence, as the country's future depended on their efforts.

Minister Pandor said government was depending on them to reach its target of producing 6 000 PhDs per annum by 2030. “We want you to study and get your degrees, and get your honor, but it doesn’t stop there you must get your PhDs.”

The National Development Plan sets out to achieve 100 000 PhDs by 2030, currently South Africa trains about 1 800 PhDs per annum. In order to reach the target we need to be training over 6 000 PhDs per annum.