About
The PSP is a registered South African non-profit trust working to improve the quality of primary school teaching and learning in the critical subjects of Maths, Science, Language and the Environment in disadvantaged communities of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape. Our projects annually benefit an average of around 2.000 teachers and over 120.000 children from 160 primary schools.
Our Mission
& Vision
Our Mission & Vision
Vision
Excellent primary schooling for all South Africa’s children, where all educators are highly skilled, committed and confident, and are well prepared and resourced to teach.
Mission
To improve the quality of teaching and learning of the Sciences, Mathematics, Language and the Environment by supporting teachers and advocating for their professional development.
We believe that everyone is entitled to quality education and that every teacher should have access to appropriate professional support.
PSP’s core competencies in the field of primary education are:
– Highly qualified staff who are specialists in science, language, mathematics and the environment, and are skilled and experienced classroom practitioners.
– An inclusive and collaborative approach to working with all stakeholders.
– A deep and sensitive understanding of the communities and contexts in which we work.
What Teachers Say
“The workshop was very insightful. The practicals we did are realistic and at the level of the learners. The workshop taught me the other way on how to work with children step by step.
To identify the nouns and verbs.”
Tandeka Njocela Grade 5 at Abedare Primary School.
PSP's Position in Education in South Africa
PSP's Position in Education in South Africa
One of South Africa’s greatest challenges in the post-1994 period is to address past inequalities, and to provide quality education to all children, especially in gateway subjects, such as Maths, Science and Language, essential for economic growth and social development.
Many teachers in public primary schools in South Africa have inadequate content knowledge and lack appropriate teaching skills, resulting in chronically poor learner performance in international and national assessments. This highlights the need for teacher development and support programmes, such as the PSP.
PSP promotes quality primary school education through the professional development of teachers and school management teams, providing children with
a strong foundation on which to build.
PSP promotes practical teaching and learning to help teachers and learners understand complex concepts and relate these to the world around them.
PSP promotes Maths and Science as being FUN and accessible to all learners.
PSP promotes the integration of language across all subject areas to assist teachers to be proficient in their school’s language of teaching and learning.
PSP promotes environmental education to encourage an understanding of the link between learning in the classroom and the sustainability and health of the environment.
What Teachers Say
”The workshop was very insightful. The practicals we did are realistic and at the level of the learners. The workshop taught me the other way on how to work with children step by step. To identify the nouns and verbs.”
Tandeka Njocela Grade 5 at Abedare Primary School
Communities
We Serve
Communities We Serve
The PSP offices are based at the Edith Stephens Nature Reserve, Philippi, in the heart of the Cape Flats in Cape Town.
For more than 30 years our work in teacher development has been driven by commitment, passion, and a ‘can-do’ attitude towards improving the quality of teaching and learning in some of the most disadvantaged and under-resourced primary schools. Our projects annually benefit an average of 2.000 teachers and over 120.000 children from 160 primary schools in rural and urban areas of the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape.
We believe our integrated, practical methodologies and classroom strategies make the PSP unique, and enable teachers to provide quality education to those children who need it the most.
What Teachers Say
“The facilitators understands the subject and their passion for it makes it easier for teachers to grasp the core knowledge of the subject.”
Mongezi Qutira Grade 4 at Marconi Beam Primary School
Meet the Team
Staff
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Zorina Dharsey
Director of the PSP
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Glenda Shupinyaneng
Sales, Marketing & Office Manager
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Glenda Barnes
Finance Manager
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Mareldia Dollie
Finance and Admin Assistant
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Kerry White
Fundraising Manager
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Florence February
Foundation Phase & Intermediate Phase Language, Mathematics & Science Facilitator
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Nadiema Gamieldien
Senior Intermediate Phase Science & Mathematics Facilitator
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Novosti Buta
Programme Manager
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Rose Thomas
Senior Science Facilitator & Materials Developer
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Nontsikelelo Mahote
Intermediate & Senior Phase Mathematics and Natural Sciences Facilitator
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Vangiwe Makhubalo
Foundation Phase & Intermediate Phase Language Facilitator
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Sandra Rossouw
Senior Rural Foundation Phase & Intermediate Phase Science, Mathematics and Language Facilitator
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Sarah Kleinsmith
Foundation Phase Maths Facilitator
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Mandisa Xobongo
Foundation Phase Maths Facilitator
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Tracy-Lee Murray Stevens
Foundation Phase Maths Facilitator
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Rugaya Essa
Intersen Science Facilitator
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Yanga Grey
Centane Foundation Phase Maths Facilitator
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Mascha Ainslie
Part-time Materials Development Co-ordinator
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Yanga Manyakanyaka
Workshop & Materials Assistant
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Siyabonga Mama
Caretaker
Board of Trustees
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Mascha Ainslie
Trustee
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Gcobisa Mbili
Chairperson
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Sinazo Jikijela
Trustee
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Sam Rolland
Trustee
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Germinah Nyikana
Trustee
Advisory Committee
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Nomakhaya Mbeki
Ntwasahlobo Primary School
Site B, Khayelitsha
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Vincent Belu
Wallacedene Primary School
Kraaifontein
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Theola Farmer-Philips
Firgrove Primary School
Firgrove
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Aeyesha Sardien
Douglas Road Primary School
Wynberg
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Grant Pillay
Dietrich Moravian Primary School
Philippi
Education Experts
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Wendy Hitchcock
Environmental Education
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Diane Donaldson
Senior Maths Facilitator
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Lameez Gasant
Educational Psychology Support
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Glaudi van der Sandt
Foundation Phase Maths Support in the Overberg
History of PSP
The PSP has a history of responding to the needs of teachers and schooling within the wider political, social and educational context of South Africa.1983-1984
- The PSP is initiated by Anne Griffiths to address inadequacies in Science education in Black primary schools and set up as a project of the Urban Foundation in Cape Town.
- Programme: Co-operation with the Department of Education and Training leads to Science kits being provided to selected schools, enabling group work in large classes, and teachers receive training.
- The PSP expands to four additional centres: Durban (1984), Port Elizabeth (1984), Johannesburg (1986) and Bloemfontein (1987).
- Cape Town PSP moves to Gugulethu to be more accessible to target schools.
- Programme: An annual mass planning forum is instituted, where teachers identify and prioritise key focus areas requiring support. This informs PSP’s programme for the following year. Language development is integrated into Science courses. Science content knowledge and teaching methodology workshops and teachers handbooks are introduced.
1990-1997
- PSP is registered as a non-profit Trust, with a national office and national manager based in Johannesburg.
- The National Education Department seconds 36 experienced teachers to work with the PSP in projects in all nine provinces of the new South Africa and PSP assists the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to clarify the syllabus and give practical suggestions for implementation.
1998-2002
- PSP Cape Town is selected to join a consortium of NGOs to work with the Western Cape Education Department to support teaching in Mathematics, Science, Language as well as the management of schools in urban and rural areas in the GETinSET project.
- The National PSP Trust closes down, due to lack of funding (June 1999).
- In the Western Cape the PSP is re-established as the Western Cape Primary Science Programme Trust and receives requests to run seminars and practical workshop sat many schools to explain the structure of the new National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and to interpret the requirements of the new Outcomes Based Education (OBE) Curriculum.
2002-2005
- PSP moves to the Edith Stephens Nature Reserve in Govan Mbeki Road, Philippi,
- PSP launches the Cluster Project in collaboration with education districts to support the planning, teaching and assessment of Natural Sciences in clusters of schools
- The Hands-on-Environment Project (HOEP) is initiated to encourage teachers to bring children to the Edith Stephens Nature Reserve on environmental education outings. This project was funded by the National Lottery for the first three years.
2007-2009
- The regular programme of courses becomes known as the PSP Innovation Project and is expanded to offer courses in Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Environment and Language.
- The PSP appoints a new Director and staff grows to 13. Two three-year projects, the Zenex Spark Project and the PSP Cluster Project are concluded, with the positive external Evaluation Report on the Cluster Project released in August 2009.
2010-2011
- PSP restructures due to a serious cash flow crisis
- PSP initiates and co-ordinates the Joint Mentorship Project (JMP) in collaboration with the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) Districts MEPP (Mathematics Education Primary Programme) to mentor 20 first-time teachers from UWC in their first two years of teaching. This pilot project is researched through Action Research methodology.
2012- 2015
- A new PSP director is appointed.
- The national Department of Basic Education contracts the PSP to develop the new national CAPS curriculum (Intermediate and Senior Phase) for Natural Sciences.
- The JMP is selected as one of the 2012 Global Best Award winners fin the theme "Partnerships that Inspire Young People in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in Africa" by the International Education Business Partnership Network (IPN), in collaboration with MIET Africa and The Conference Board of Canada.
- The TeachSmart handbook is produced for first-time teachers and school management teams
- PSP develops its first teacher-support book in Mathematics. 'Practical Maths for the Foundation Phase' is warmly received and also translated into isiXhosa and Afrikaans.
2016 – 2018
- PSP increases the scope of teacher support and introduces regular courses for School Management Teams (SMTs) on curriculum management and to assist with development of School Improvement Plans (SIPs).
- PSP reach expands to over 2 500 teachers, 380 primary schools and more than 124 000 children in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape.
- PSP raises funds to extend training facilities to accommodate large numbers of teachers at courses. A pre-fab building and ablution facilities is erected at Edith Stephens Nature Reserve in collaboration with the City of Cape Town.
- Development of teacher-support materials and classroom resources continues. Natural Sciences & Technology books, Grades 4 – 7 in English and Afrikaans is completed as well as two Geography activity books Grades 4 – 7. A collaboration with BOTSOC produces an environmental handbook called: Learning about Cycads.
- PSP becomes actively engaged in national advocacy forums: Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) reviewing and re-developing pre-service science teacher education across Higher Education Institutions in South Africa; NGOs in Education Committee improving the impact of NGO work in education; National Round-Table conference responding to DBE promotion of teacher induction and mentorship for novice and newly-appointed teachers.
- Awards: Four times the International Business Education Partnership Network (IPN) awarded the PSP its Global Best award for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) category in the African region, in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
- PSP develops a strong focus on Foundation Phase Mathematics development and support, working with 27 schools through various collaborative projects.
