We visited the Center of Science and Technology, COSAT, in the Khayelitsha Township not far from the Cape Town airport. Approximately 1.5 million blacks live in the township. There are about 175 10-12th grade students chosen on the basis of math and English tests given in 8th grade. Many of the students are disadvantaged, coming from the informal shack communities. The photos show the kind of living facilities many of these students come from. They receive a meal from the COSAT soup kitchen and go to school from 8 AM to 4:15 PM. They all take the same courses- Isixhosa, English, Maths, Information Technology, Physical Science, Life Science, and Life Orientation. The teachers are well qualified and the school has a 100% rate of 12th graders going on to the university. Because these students come from homes where there may not be electricity or water or even a parent home (some parents are gone away to work a month at a time or some are ill with AIDS) the school provides a lot of academic and social support. The school tracks their graduates and many follow science, engineering, and computer science fields. After a brief presentation by the Director of the school, delegates were led on a tour to see the facilities. At the end, we were treated to another fine performance of song and moving narrative by the students.
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