PROGRAMME for Technological Careers(Protec), a South African educationalcharity is hellbent on nullifying themyth created by the erstwhile apartheidregime: Blacks can't do science. It is nowdetermined to rekindle Black children'senthusiasm for technology by introducing special school lessons. For the firsttime, technology is brought into dilapidated school classrooms, till recentlybranded as "only-Blacks".
There is a high level of technologicalilliteracy among South Africa's Blackpopulation. In a society that is 85 percent black, the science and technologyworkforce is 80 per cent white. Blackchildren are still uncomfortable withsubjects like maths and science, kepteffectively out of their reach for decades.Only about 16 per cent of the studentstake up these subjects in their schoolleaving exams. Now Protec is all set tobring in change. With the Mandela government's support, it has introduced atechnology course in 40 schools inEastern Transvaal. Protec workersorganise special 'Saturday schools' during holidays, offering 'enrichment'classes in maths, science and English.
The students get involved with practical projects where they develop aproduct from conception through marketing and selling - anything fromcandle-making to building a smallhouse. One group recently produced anew washing-up liquid under the guidance of a local soap manufacturer.
But the technology classes have tobe squeezed into an already tight curriculum. And the Protec workersbelieve, if the students regularly run outof time and end up with not-5o-goodresults, it would be tough convincingthem and their parents that technologyis not beyond their ken. But Protec,hopeful of success, is already planningto take its study courses to 2 otherstates - Northern Transvaal and theNorth Western province.