Johannesburg - Chemicals and energy company Sasol has launched a schools competition aimed at raising awareness on the use of renewable and sustainable energy.
The company’s Energy Innovation Schools competition is geared for Grade 4 to 11 learners from schools in Sasolburg, Secunda and Ekandustria.
Sasol said the competition aims to raise awareness of renewable and sustainable energy usage and stimulate wonder and curiosity about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education among school learners.
According to Sasol, the competition further enables the learners to innovate, build critical thinking, problem solving and interpersonal skills.
“The aim of the Energy Innovation Schools Project competition is to stimulate a sense of wonder and curiosity about science, technology and energy among learners to enhance the intermediate phase, senior phase and FET phase curriculum in the relevant subjects of natural sciences, technology and physical sciences in pursuit of solving real-life problems related to energy sustainability,” said Noxolo Kahlana, head of the Sasol Foundation Trust.
“Sasol is using this opportunity to bring the idea of alternative and renewable energies closer to schools while supporting the solar car teams, which are competing in the Sasol Solar Challenge.”
According to Sasol, the competition is divided into two categories, for primary and high schools, and runs in three phases, which are school, regional and final.
Grade 4 and 7 learners are required to present a non-experimental project on renewable and alternative energy, create a poster and orally present it, and Grade 8 to 11 are required to apply scientific methods to investigate a renewable and alternative energy topic, create a prototype and present a project that works on renewable and alternative energy.
“Our goal is to advance chemical and energy solutions that contribute to a thriving planet, society and enterprise. The Energy Innovation Schools Project is one step towards that goal,” said Kahlana.
“The competition is also our way of giving back to our fence-line communities by investing in engineers, scientists and thought leaders of tomorrow through education and skills development. Both these elements will play a major role in the development of sustainable solutions to address energy challenges in our fence-line communities and countrywide.”
Patience Mthembu from Botjhorisong Resource Centre in Sasolburg said the centre was excited to be part of the initiative and invest in young people by giving them an opportunity to test their abilities and the limits of STEM education.
“We are involved in the competition as co-ordinators, and we are also supporting the schools in carrying out the competition. We therefore look forward to reviewing and learning more about each project designed and developed by the learners,” Mthembu said.
The school-level competition ended on Friday with participating teams from Sasolburg, Secunda and Ekandustria. Sasol said the regional competition will be held on August 27 in all three regions and the final competition will be held on September 8 in Carnival City Casino where the winners will be announced.
The Star