The Sasol Foundation was established in 2008 with a single goal – to reform and improve South African Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
Today the foundation has become a formidable force in addressing the systemic challenges facing STEM education and skills development in South Africa. It has done so working in partnership with the Department of Basic Education and other key stakeholders in the education sector.
Over R850 million spent in 13 years supporting STEM education from Primary to Tertiary levels.
Developed over 180 workbook titles from Grade R to Grade 12 used by the Department of Education, available as open source.
Donated 11 mobile science laboratories to reach over 300 rural schools which do not have access to science laboratories.
Over R10 million learners accessed the Foundation’s open source workbooks in South Africa and beyond.
Initiated and Annual Technical Teachers' Conference (ATTC) reaching approximately 400 teachers yearly.
13 Technical high schools are supported in South Africa reaching over 7 000 learners annually.
Approximately 2 000 bursaries granted to students from low income household with a 65% throughput and approximately 1300 graduating from the programme.
Over 500 peer reviewed research publications produced by our research students from five universities.
South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals inform everything we do.
Postgraduate Science Fellowship Programme
“I could not have done my PhD without Sasol Inzalo. I owe them my gratitude. [My fellowship] opened up opportunities for me such as the work I am doing for the CSIR.”
Dr Masindi Vhahangwele – beneficiary of the programme
Dr Vhahangwele has filed patents in the United States, Australia and Canada for a zero-effluent discharge process to treat acid mine drainage. The process is currently being demonstrated at several mines.
From
Fiji
“Schools in Fiji came across our resources online and are now using them to support rural development. Things happen that we could not have predicted.”
“Because of the open licence, this project will continue forever. If Fiji wants to use our intellectual property, well, we are delighted.”
“Megan Beckett, in charge of learning research and analytics at Siyavula, an NGO that compiled science workbooks for the foundation.”
The far-flung Pacific Ocean islands weren’t the only ones to find and use the workbooks we have developed since 2013; two states in the United States also picked up on our ground-breaking materials.
To date we have produced some 180 workbooks. They’re open source, free to all (even Pacific islanders) and extremely useful.
Letter from Ms Annemie Stander, a science teacher in the northern border town of Musina, Limpopo. The following is an extract from her letter:
“We are using the Sasol workbooks for Natural Science and Technology (Gr 4-6) for the third year now. Although we have received new textbooks for 2015, these are not nearly as good as the Sasol books. Learners even enjoy working from these colourful books at home, doing their homework. The new textbooks do not cover half the set work according to CAPS whereas the Sasol books are so packed with useful experiments and videos about them that learners cannot wait to come to Science class.”
“I have had many years of teaching experience, of which 13 years are in natural sciences and technology and these are the best textbooks I have ever had.”
Mobile Science Labs
“This is a different kind of initiative. We are absolutely delighted that Sasol has come to the party so generously and that it is profoundly interested in building the capacity of our kids and encouraging them to follow careers in the sciences and engineering. We are wildly excited about this initiative but not nearly as wildly excited as the kids will be when they experience [the mobile science labs] first hand.”
Derek Hanekom, former Minister of Science and Technology, at the launch of the first mobile science laboratory.
We have deployed 11 fully equipped mobile science labs serving more than 300 underprivileged, often deeply rural schools.
TechSENet Programmes
“I came here because of the career path I want to follow, which is automotive engineering, and they provide those subjects. When I arrived, the school was using old tools and equipment but that has all improved.”
Andy Mguni, Grade 12 learner at John Orr:
The foundation piloted TechSENet at John Orr in 2011. The success achieved there spurred us to extend the programme.
NRF Partnerships
“The NRF’s partnership with the Sasol Foundation has grown significantly since 2014 and has presented the NRF with a unique opportunity to deliver on its key mandate to produce knowledge that is both globally competitive and able to transform the socio-economic landscape of the country.”
Dr Phethiwe Matutu, National Research Foundation
We co-fund postgraduate science scholarships at previously disadvantaged universities.
Postgraduate Science Fellowship Programme
“I could not have done my PhD without Sasol Inzalo. I owe them my gratitude. [My fellowship] opened up opportunities for me such as the work I am doing for the CSIR.”
Dr Masindi Vhahangwele – beneficiary of the programme
Dr Vhahangwele has filed patents in the United States, Australia and Canada for a zero-effluent discharge process to treat acid mine drainage. The process is currently being demonstrated at several mines.
From
Fiji
“Schools in Fiji came across our resources online and are now using them to support rural development. Things happen that we could not have predicted.”
“Because of the open licence, this project will continue forever. If Fiji wants to use our intellectual property, well, we are delighted.”
“Megan Beckett, in charge of learning research and analytics at Siyavula, an NGO that compiled science workbooks for the foundation.”
The far-flung Pacific Ocean islands weren’t the only ones to find and use the workbooks we have developed since 2013; two states in the United States also picked up on our ground-breaking materials.
To date we have produced some 180 workbooks. They’re open source, free to all (even Pacific islanders) and extremely useful.
Join us by volunteering your time and talents. Together we can do great things to catalyse positive change in South African education.
