Sinawo Jack|Published
A Grade 9 learner from Soneike High School has taken first place in the ninth annual Community Chest Science Quest, beating 80 participants from Cape Town schools in a competition designed to encourage young people to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Abigail Kiango said she was happy and surprised by her achievement, crediting her faith for helping her through the competition, which tested learners’ skills in coding, mathematics, robotics, chemistry and natural sciences.
The competition also saw learners from COSAT High School and Apex High School take second and third place, respectively.
Soneike learner takes first place
Kiango said she was pleased with her performance and had done her best.
“I’m very happy, and I’m really shocked, but I know I’ve put in my best, and I put it to my God, my saviour Jesus Christ,” she said.
Kiango received a laptop and Sony headphones, among other prizes.
She also appreciated the support among learners during the competition, describing an atmosphere in which participants encouraged one another.
Uyintando Mkonjeni, who placed second and attends COSAT High School, said his ambition to become a doctor had influenced his interest in science.
He expected his parents to be proud and excited when he returned home to tell them about his achievement.
Third-place Moegamad Nell from Apex High School said the result would help demonstrate what learners from the school could achieve in science.
“It’s going to put our school’s name out there. It’s going to show people that learners from Apex High School can do science and excel in subjects like these,” the learner said.
Nell said the result had come as a surprise, explaining that they had hoped to place in the top 10 but had not expected to finish among the top three.
Science Quest encourages interest in STEM
The competition brought together 80 learners from participating schools to test their skills in subjects including coding, mathematics, robotics, chemistry and natural sciences.
Organised through a partnership involving Community Chest and the Cape Town Science Centre, the initiative aims to make science engaging and encourage learners to consider STEM-related subjects when choosing their Grade 10 subjects.
Steven Sacks, chief executive of the Cape Town Science Centre, said the initiative had developed over its nine editions to respond to changes in the school curriculum, including the introduction of coding and robotics.
He said the programme was designed to have a lasting impact rather than provide learners with a once-off experience. Working with partners to select participating schools was part of the effort to strengthen its impact.
Sacks said positive experiences and challenges that learners could successfully overcome helped build their confidence in their own abilities.
This was important because learners returned to schools where teachers had different levels of expertise and access to specialist science support.
STEM clubs offer further opportunities
Sacks said learners could continue exploring their interests through the Cape Town Science Centre’s STEM Clubs, which offer extracurricular activities, resources, projects, assignments and competitions.
The clubs provide opportunities for interested learners to engage with science beyond the classroom and develop their skills over time.
Community Chest chief executive Peter Heeger said education was central to the organisation’s work and explained why it supported initiatives such as the Science Quest.
“One of the pillars is education, and we put a lot of effort into education,” Heeger said.