The principals and teachers of the four primary schools – Alston, Berg Street, Allandale and Greenhill – were delighted to receive these comprehensive Edutrade CAPS-compliant resources for the benefit of their 3300 learners at a special function at Willowton headquarters in Pietermaritzburg. The science and maths kits will be used by learners from Grade 4 upwards so that they have a solid grounding of science and maths at each grade as they approach matric.

Willowton’s chief executive, Abdul Razak Moosa, has worked closely on this initiative with representatives of the Department of Education, New Africa Education Foundation and Edutrade, the supplier of the resource kits. Moosa is confident that the kits will be used correctly and play a major role in improving maths and science performance at these schools.

“We are strong believers in investing in our local communities and will follow the progress of the learners at these nearby schools with interest,” he said.

A further R500 000 will be spent on the latest CAPS-compliant physical science kits for 20 schools in the Umlazi district, south of Durban as part of a new eThekwini Municipality initiative which, in partnership with New Africa Education Foundation and Edutrade, will see a rollout of science and maths development in schools throughout KwaZulu-Natal.

The initiative was triggered by the poor performance of South African learners in the areas of maths and science as revealed in an international survey by the World Economic Forum in 2014 which placed South Africa last in a ranking of 148 countries.

This eThekwini Municipality’s plan is to introduce a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) programme targeted at Grade 8 and 9 learners that have not yet chosen their subjects to determine their career paths. The aim is to create an awareness of all the career choices available, with a focus on STEM-related subjects. It will highlight the importance of choosing pure maths, physical science, chemistry and technology studies and the need to perform well in these subjects to maximise career opportunities in medicine, engineering and science.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and the University of KwaZulu-Natal have both endorsed the project and members of their staff will participate in the road show.

An important part of this initiative is the provision of physical science resource kits and the municipality is relying on the corporate sector support to bring the project to fruition - hence the involvement of Willowton Group, after being approached by Ahmed Motala of New Africa Education Foundation and Edutrade.

Edutrade’s physical science kits cover the FET physical sciences curriculum for grades 10 to 12. Topics include mechanics; waves, sound and light; matter and material; and chemical change. They contain all the necessary chemicals and are housed in a lockable metal cabinet with topic trays. They come complete with a teacher’s guide and learner worksheets.

“The Willowton Group is proud to be one of the pioneers of this initiative,” said Moosa. “We see this as an investment in the learners who will become our country’s technical leaders of the future. It is an investment in the economic growth of our country. It is such an important initiative that we hope other corporates will come forward to support this worthy cause.”

Willowton Group opened its doors 44 years ago and has grown to become South Africa’s largest sunflower seed crusher as well as one of the leading competitors in the South African FMCG market. With manufacturing facilities in Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg and Cape Town, it produces a wide range of products. Its well-known brands include, among others, Sunfoil, Sunshine D, D’lite, Crown, Nuvolite and Allsome rice. Through its Sunfoil brand, Willowton is actively involved in the sponsorship and development of cricket in South Africa at a national and grassroots level.