SARAO News

SARAO has partnered with the South African Association for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) to implement the 2018 National Schools Debates Competition in the Northern Cape and North West in August and September 2018.

The competition provides a platform for Grade 9 to 11 learners in South Africa to engage with information about science, technology and innovation research that impacts their everyday lives, and to contribute to the development of science policy and research (STI) in South Africa.

SARAO partners in the competition in order to promote the awareness, understanding and appreciation of SARAO, its instruments and science, but also, in the long term, to contribute to the development of learners into responsible citizens who carefully consider information and differing viewpoints, contribute to societal debate, make an informed decision, and hold leadership accountable.

The competition consists of three rounds, namely a training workshop held in each province, a provincial final held in each province, and a national final held in Gauteng. The objective of each debate is not for each team to propose/oppose a motion and win a vote, but rather for each team to propose and defend a different perspective on the STI development in question, i.e. Applications and Benefits, Economic, Political and Socio-Cultural.

SARAO implemented the provincial training workshops of the competition in the Northern Cape and North West on 18 August 2018. One hundred and eight learners from 18 schools, including Carnarvon, were trained in the structure of the competition as well as communication and debating skills that would enable them to innovatively communicate accurate and well-balanced content with clarity and charisma. Participating teams in all nine provinces were required to prepare debates as part of a qualification round for the provincial final, and the top 10 qualifying teams were then offered the opportunity to interact with content specialists in preparation for the provincial final.

Tshwaranang Letebele, a Grade 11 learner at Galaletsang Science High School, Mothibistad believes that robust debate is a very important part of democracy. “This workshop helped me and my team to develop the self-confidence we need to make our viewpoint heard.”

The top 10 teams in the Northern Cape gathered again for the provincial final on 25 August 2018 in order to debate whether hydrogen fuel cell technology can be an important contributor to solving the energy needs of schools and other organisations with high societal importance. Wrenchville Secondary School in Kuruman talked their way into the national final, while Carlton-Van Heerden High School in Upington and Galaletsang Science High School in Kuruman placed second and third.  

The winning team of each provincial final will advance to the national finals in Gauteng on 3 October 2018, where they will debate how the investment of public resources in a mega-science project such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) can contribute to the eradication of poverty and sustainable development in South Africa and the African continent.