PROTEC students excel in Maths Olympiad

2008-10-06

Ba-Phalaborwa continued its reputation for mathematics excellence at the recent Mopani District Maths Olympiad, thanks in large part to the PROTEC and Master Maths programmes, run by Palabora Mining Company/Palabora Foundation. Twelve of the 25 finalists in Level 1 (primary school) were from the Phalaborwa circuits, and eight of the 25 finalists in Level 3 (grade 10-12) were PROTEC and Master Maths students. These finalists will compete against other districts in Limpopo on 10 October at Jane Furse Comprehensive School. The Mopani District comprises Phalaborwa, Ga-Sekororo, Tzaneen, Sekgosese and Giyani areas.

At Level 1, Laerskool Phalaborwa-Noord (Red School) and Laerskool Phalaborwa (Green School) topped the lists. Top position at Level 1 went to Ryan Coetzee (Green School); at Level 2 (grade 8 and 9), the winner was Robertson Nollani from Frans du Toit High School; and at Level 3, first place went to Vundla Nkosilathi from Meridian College in Phalaborwa Town. Vundla Nkosilathi is also a PROTEC student who attends afternoon lessons in Master Maths, Physical Science, English, Biology and World of Work at the Palabora Foundation’s Leboneng Education Centre in Namakgale. Nkosilathi is a very dedicated and hard working learner who is poised to pass with flying colours in November’s matric examinations.

The purpose of the Maths Olympiad is to draw learners to study mathematics, to motivate them to excel in the subject and to encourage them to undertake careers linked with mathematics, whether as mathematicians, mathematics educators, scientists, computer scientists, economists or business leaders.

Congratulations to all the winners – we wish them good luck at the provincial competitions!

About PROTEC

In its ten-year history, PROTEC has produced hundreds of engineers in various fields, some of them now working for companies in Phalaborwa. In 2008 the PROTEC programe expanded to include grade 8 and 9 learners through Technokidz, a junior PROTEC programme. The PROTEC, Master Maths and Technokidz programmes are managed by the Palabora Foundation.

Palabora Mining Company, Foskor Ltd and Sasol Nitro are the major sponsors of the PROTEC programme in Phalaborwa. The other sponsors are Standard Bank, Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, Lepelle Northern Water, GAGE Specialists, Professional Career Consultants, Mopani South-East FET College, Phalaborwa Chamber of Business, Eskom and the Department of Education.

The Palabora Foundation is the corporate social investment arm of Palabora Mining Company. The Foundation’s infrastructure has recently undergone massive expansion, having first been built some 20 years ago. The Foundation runs a number of programmes to uplift local communities, most with a 100% success rate.

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