New lab brings science to life at West Rand school

Pupils from Lodirile Secondary School in Rietvlei, west of Johannesburg, will be able to put science theory into practice thanks to a new science laboratory.

The lab is a donation from the West Rand District Municipality and CONLOG, an electric metering company based in KwaZulu-Natal. CONLOG identified the school as one of its 2017 corporate social investment beneficiaries, based on a needs analysis.

The new facility will go a long way towards changing the face of science studies at the school, according to principal Mlanga Litshiyane.

“Previous to this our learners were exposed to more theory and had to rely on their imagination, especially when taught that mixing certain chemicals results in a colour changing to green or blue.” She is proud that those days are a thing of the past and that the learners are now in a better position to excel in science.

“This lab means a lot to us. It will certainly assist in enabling the school to produce more science learners,” Litshiyane added.

Encouraging the study of science

The school will ensure the lab is utilised efficiently and hopes it will influence other learners to take up the subject and not be discouraged by the previous lack of resources. The teachers were given two days training on how to use the lab effectively.

The laboratory is CAPS approved – it complies with the Department of Basic Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements – and includes all apparatus, furniture and skeleton models and other items.

Grade 12 pupil Aviwe Luthuli is happy about the lab: “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we are thrilled to have such facilities.

“I’m quite confident about this space as it will expose us to things we didn’t know before and learning will be much easier.

“It will be a great platform for all science learners,” Luthuli added.

West Rand District Mayor Boyce Maneli said the laboratory will improve the quality of science education at the school – over the years, the school’s results have never been less than a 90 per cent pass rate, and mathematics and science formed the core of these results.

“This is a testament that even in township schools we can produce good results in maths and science,” Maneli said.