Over 30 Learners win laptops for finding Fun in Maths and Science

Friday, 10 October 2008

Over thirty bright South African Grade 10, 11 and 12 learners have won laptops after entering Engens exciting Find the Fun in Maths and Science Competition.

Nine of the winners received their awards at a special ceremony at Moyo at Zoo Lake in Johannesburg recently, with the remainder collecting their prizes at separate ceremonies in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

To win, grade 10 learners had to draw a concept diagram of the actions and choices they make daily that increase their carbon footprint and list ways to reduce it. The grade 11 pupils had to describe the process of refining oil and write a report on the uses and importance of the by-products of oil refining, while the grade 12 students researched and quantified the factors that determine the fuel price. All learners had to work with a classmate to take part in the competition.

Engen Corporate Social Investment Manager, Khanyisa Balfour, praised the dedication, passion and teamwork that went into the entries.

We are also thrilled to see that there are many winning entries from under-resourced rural schools, and particularly from school girls in a country where they are not always encouraged to go to school. This is something we should really recognise, says Balfour.

Zintle Nxadi, a grade 11 pupil from Unathi High School in the Eastern Cape, who flew on a plane for the first time to attend the awards, thanked Engen for giving him the opportunity to take part in the competition.

The Find the Fun in Maths and Science Competition has not only taught me so much but also assisted me with passing the current outcomes-based syllabus. I will now be able to train myself on a computer, which I didnt have access to at school, in order to study civil engineering at a tertiary institution, says Zintle.