Schools of specialisation will help Gauteng produce the skills necessary for the high-tech era in which we live in.
Soweto’s Mohloli Maritime School of Specialisation (SoS) is the first inland school to offer maritime studies.
Principal Nokwanda Mtayise said Mohloli which is situated in Sharpville is a maths, science and ICT school of specialisation with a maritime focus. It is the school’s performances in maths and science that resulted in it being converted to a SoS. Mohloli has routinely achieved a matric pass rate of over 90 percent and a 100 percent pass rate in mathematics.
“The awarding of the maritime status to our school is a privilege as the school is in a township. As a township school, we have been performing very well in the fields of maths and science. We have done so for a number of years and consistently so, to a point where our matriculants were obtaining 100 percent passes in maths, closely followed by science,” Mtayise said.
Nautical sciences, maritime economics and coding and robotics have been introduced as new subjects.
Successful pupils will not only receive a matric certificate when they graduate, but also a trade certificate.
Mtayise said: “This opportunity gives them a broader career path. Pupils in the past would only study the more common subjects whereas this gives them a wider career scope,”
The 1 267-pupil school has introduced maritime studies to its Grade 8 and 9 classes, with a planned full implementation by 2020.
“The economics part will allow for the development of entrepreneurship skills. By the time they finish, they will have certificates in swimming, engineering and economics,” said Mtayise.
At the opening of the school recently, Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson, Steve Mabona, said the school is one of 35 in the province to be converted into a SoS.
“The department intends to launch SoSs in each of the five corridors in Gauteng, responding to the skills needs in the region, the province and the country.”
SoSs offer a highly specialised curriculum and seek to nurture the development of top talent in South Africa across key disciplines.
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