With Stellenbosch 肆客足球's (SU) focus on social impact awareness in July, this series of profiles celebrates remarkable individuals and teams who make a meaningful contribution beyond the 肆客足球's walls. The recent inaugural Social Impact Awards recognised academic and professional administrative support services (PASS) staff at SU who are driving positive change in diverse spheres of life. Dr Ebrahiem Botha and Jabu Lukhele won an award for their dedication to a programme that provide high school leaners and teachers access to practical chemistry laboratory work.
It takes two very special men to not only put their heart and soul into a programme that helps high school learners and teachers excel in chemistry, but to also constantly strive to honour the legacy of the formidable woman who started one of SU's flagship community outreach programmes.
When Dr Ebrahiem Botha and Jabu Lukhele talk about SUNCOI (SU Chemistry Outreach Initiative), their passion for sharing the wonders of chemistry with young people is tangible. Both credit Dr Rehana Malgas-Enus, who tragically passed away in 2022, as their inspiration to dedicate time over weekends and after hours to nurture a love for chemistry in learners.
Lukhele, Principal Technical Officer of the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, says Malgas-Enus was his friend, mentor and supervisor. “Dr Rehana was one of the most remarkable and driven people I ever met. I learned so much from her. When I joined SU in 2014, she told me about the chemistry outreach idea and asked me to come on board to help with technical aspects of the laboratory work."
'How do schools do it?'
A lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science at the time, Malgas-Enus started the programme in 2013 with the idea to give grade 12 students from five underprivileged schools access to the laboratory facilities at SU to fulfil the practical assessments that are necessary for physical science.
Lukhele has a vivid memory of the inception of the SUNCOI programme. “Dr Rehana and I were looking at one of the matric question papers. The students were expected to name different laboratory equipment such as pipettes and burettes or beakers. We looked at each other and wondered how the learners were supposed to know about such things. Both of us went to schools where we didn't have labs, we only got to interact with such equipment when we came to university," Lukhele says.
The question “how do schools do it?" led Malgas-Enus to reach out to subject advisors at the Department of Education. Not receiving a satisfactory answer ignited her drive to find a solution. “We contacted local schools to understand what they needed, and we got hold of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document for Grade 12," Lukhele recalls.
Teachers said they needed help with complying to CAPS guidelines, so Malgas-Enus and colleagues decided to design a series of CAPS compliant physical sciences experiments for Grades 10 to 12. It was well received and with an endorsement by the physical science subject advisor, approved by the Western Cape Education Department.
Help for learners and teachers
Although the collaboration with local schools began with the CAPS workbook, soon another need was identified. Many teachers lack the know-how to conduct chemistry experiments. To address this, SUNCOI started organising annual workshops for teachers from around the Cape Winelands, training them to perform the experiments. The teachers are incredibly grateful for this hands-on experience, Lukhele says.
Recognising that physical science teachers would still face challenges in their own schools, the SUNCOI team developed a cost-effective kit that contains chemical reagents and basic lab consumables for the different experiments the teachers need to conduct in the classroom.
The initiative started with laboratory workshops for Grade 12s only, but quickly expanded as Grades 10 and 11 teachers, and eventually others, also expressed interest. SUNCOI's programme now covers experiments from Grade 4 through Grade 12, with each experiment supported by a purchasable kit for classroom use.
Over the past ten years, thousands of learners and their teachers have donned white lab coats and safety spectacles to perform the prescribed experiments in several of the Chemistry Department's fully equipped laboratories.
?Inspirational role models
Botha started working at SU in 2020 and didn't hesitate to join the SUNCOI programme shortly after. “I teach the Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) students. This course is designed for matrics who need to improve their marks to be able to enrol in a mainstream degree programme," he explains.
After Malgas-Enus' passing, Botha put up his hand to take on the role of coordinator of the SUNCOI programme. “I wanted to honour her legacy by continuing the work. Jabu and I make a very good team. We both have a passion for chemistry and teaching. Our energy resonates with each other," he says.
Botha's own journey as an academic serves as an inspiration to students. “I was one of those learners who didn't do well in school," he shares. “Through the 肆客足球 of the Free State, I completed a bridging year at a satellite campus in Oudtshoorn to improve my matric marks. I then went all the way through university to complete my PhD in chemistry. I want to be an inspiration to students, especially those who didn't do that well in school, to show them if you just work hard, you can also become successful."
Lukhele notes that Malgus-Enus had a similar background. She grew up in Mitchell's Plain and her mother, who was widowed at age 31, worked in a steel factory to support herself and her two daughters. “Dr Rehana's mom inspired her to believe she could be anything if she set her mind to it and worked hard. Part of her drive was to go back to her community and tell kids: 'Don't look at your circumstances, don't look at what you don't have. We're here to help you achieve your dreams'.
“I also grew up in a township. Stellenbosch is worlds apart from my childhood circumstances in Johannesburg. I'm fortunate and grateful that people like Dr Rehana believed in me and gave me support to establish a career in science. It inspires me to do the same for others," Lukhele says.
For the love of science
Most of SUNCOI's workshops, for as much as 100 learners at a time, happen over weekends but the two chemistry boffins never complain about the extra load. “Nobody is forcing us to do this," Botha emphasises. “We do it as volunteers for the love of science. Luckily, we have a very dedicated team of about 15 postgraduate students and support staff from the chemistry and polymer science department who assist us in the laboratory when we conduct the workshops."
Some of the participants in the SUNCOI programme have been so inspired that they've continued to study at SU. Lukhele loves the thrill of encountering former SUNCOI learners in the chemistry laboratories as SU students.
Since it started, the popularity of the SUNCOI programme has had a ripple effect. Other universities have expressed interest and asked for assistance from SU to implement similar programmes. “We've collaborated with the 肆客足球 of Pretoria and Nelson Mandela 肆客足球," Lukhele mentions.
They recently also received a request from the Cape Peninsula 肆客足球 of Technology (CPUT) for assistance. “One of our postgraduate students who's now a lecturer at the CPUT wants us to help implement the programme there. Another student who completed his PhD at SU recently reached out from the 肆客足球 of Johannesburg to collaborate," Lukhele says with a proud smile.
The SUNCOI team has even been approached by one of the world's largest scientific societies, the American Chemical Society, to organise a workshop.
At the heart of what these two men do at SUNCOI is a passion to motivate learners not to give up challenging subjects. “We encourage learners to stick with maths and science subjects, because it can open so many doors in future," Lukhele says. “Our department's motto is 'chemistry is life'. Chemistry is everywhere. We tell learners when you buy chocolate, there's chemistry behind it. If you're making coffee or tea, by adding all those things, you're doing chemistry. It's that simple and magical."
PHOTO: Prof Nico Koopman (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Social Impact, Transformation and Personnel), Dr Ebrahiem Botha, Jabu Lukhele and Dr Leslie van Rooi (Senior Director: Social Impact & Transformation) at the Social Impact Awards. (Photo taken by Stefan Els)
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