It is a no-fee school of specialisation that has maintained a 90%+ matric pass rate for the last three years. The name? Mpilisweni Maths, Science & ICT School of Specialisation based in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni is yet another school of the future.
Today, the Gauteng MEC for Education and Youth Development, Matome Chiloane, officially launched the school which will focus and specialise in manufacturing and logistics because of its location. It is in the Economic Development Corridor, 28km south-east of Johannesburg, between two other townships, Tokoza and Vosloorus, which are all next to the N3 highway.
“Accordingly, Katlehong is a large township in the Gauteng province of South Africa. We intentionally streamline our schools to match the focus of their Economic Development Corridors, thus responding to the skills gap of each corridor,” Chiloane said.
The excited and eager to impress learners of the school showcased a wide range of advanced skills at today’s opening. These included a smart truck that they built, which uses solar power instead of petrol, extensive knowledge in DNA profiling; using biotechnology and gel electrophoresis to analyse DNA.
They also showed off the driving simulator which is able to simulate other real-world environments.
More inventions included a solar tracking panel that detects light sources similar to a sunflower, as well as a Li-Fi connected sound system, but the creation that stole the show and also promotes entrepreneurship according to the department, was demonstrated by the girl learners: A smart factory using smart automation to operate and produce bread. The MEC viewed the factory and had a taste of the bread which the school sells to other schools in surrounding areas at only R9.90 a loaf.
The development of the factory is a result of the partnership between the Gauteng Department of Education, Sifiso Edtech and Albany which provides baking expertise. This gives the learners practical knowledge that do not only result in mere loaves of bread but nurtures their minds and bodies.
“These learners at Mpilisweni Maths Science and ITC School of Specialisation are extremely equipped with knowledge and resources to shape the future. I am so proud of these innovative minds,” said Chiloane.
