Background
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I am Shaheed Hartley, Head of Advancing Knowledge Non-Profit Company (AK NPC) and it is my pleasure to introduce you to this organisation. We are based in Cape Town but reach out to various provinces in South Africa. AK NPC is an outreach, support, training and research organisation for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. The AK NPC philosophy to improve the status of STEM education is to create an environment for STEM educators to improve the teaching of their subjects and at the same time supporting learning by providing attractive, interesting and challenging programmes for learners. It is our mission to prepare STEM education for the 4th Industrial Revolution.
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Prof. Shaheed Hartley
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Acknowledgement
In the Western Cape alone we are supporting science and mathematics educators by providing training in content knowledge, pedagogical skills and practical and experimental skills through training sessions, short courses and developmental programmes. AK NPC is also providing structured and accredited short courses to educators in science and mathematics in the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces. Learners are supported through tutorial programmes, science clubs, science shows, science competitions and exhibitions. Through this work the AK NPC Director, Prof Shaheed Hartley, was nominated and won the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) prestigious national award as the Science Communicator for Public Awareness for his contribution to mathematics, science and technology education evaluated over a five-year period. Prof Hartley also received the UWC Chancellor’s Award in November 2017, the highest award granted by the University to an academic in recognition of exemplary service and for making a significant contribution to higher education in our communities and towards nation building in South Africa.
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The AK NPC’s research into the needs of science and mathematics educators allow us to develop relevant outreach projects that address real needs identified by educators at the classroom level. To this end annual projects − like Women in Mathematics, Science Club development, the National Science Week by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Robotics, Avionics and many others − speak to the needs identified by research. The research projects of many postgraduate students supervised by Prof Hartley, Head of AK NPC, were based on the ‘live’ projects and served to feed back into the current challenges faced by the education community.
AK NPC supports educators and learners from disadvantaged schools in rural and peri-urban areas and strives to build, in many instances, a first generation of role models in science, engineering and technology. It is our intention to tackle the crisis in science and mathematics education in South Africa and to make a positive difference in the lives of our educators and learners.
AK NPC supports educators and learners from disadvantaged schools in rural and peri-urban areas and strives to build, in many instances, a first generation of role models in science, engineering and technology. It is our intention to tackle the crisis in science and mathematics education in South Africa and to make a positive difference in the lives of our educators and learners.