The North-West University (NWU) is gearing up to host the first Vice-Chancellor’s (VC’s) Science Day at Mabeskraal near Rustenburg in the Moses Kotane Municipality on 31 July 2023.
According to the NWU’s principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka, this event serves as a platform for fostering partnerships and collaboration among educational institutions, government departments, private companies, civil society and other stakeholders in the province. “Our aim is to engage with school learners and prospective students from Mabeskraal and the surrounding villages in an effort to cultivate curiosity about science and promote academic opportunities for young people in rural communities,” he says.
According to Prof Thebe Medupe, NWU professor in Astronomy and deputy dean for Community Engagement at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, exhibitors, dignitaries, the local community and more than 1 000 high school learners from the area and neighbouring villages will attend the event.
Prof Thebe says that, in the future, the VC’s Science Day will be hosted at different locations where the NWU has a footprint.
“In particular, we are celebrating the fact that Prof Bismark Tyobeka is also a nuclear scientist. We hope to expand this initiative every year to different corners of the province so that we extend our reach as a faculty and as a university to make ourselves known among communities and to get more young people in our province interested in careers in science,” says Prof Thebe.
Various activities have been planned that are aimed at stimulating a passion and love for science in high school learners and to encourage them to consider careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
These activities include a science show showcasing scientific breakthroughs and their impact on society, a science competition to encourage students to think scientifically and to sharpen their critical thinking skills, and a careers fair.
In addition, staff from the university’s Marketing and Student Recruitment Department will assist learners with practical advice on how to apply to the NWU for admission.
Kgosi George Mokate Mabe of the Batlhako ba Matutu Royal House in Mabeskraal has praised the NWU for choosing to host the event at the historic Rakoko Senior Secondary School. It is the oldest school in the area and serves learners from neighbouring villages too.
