Protea Heights Academy makes it to science finals

A WESTERN Cape School has secured its spot in the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement National Schools Debate finale competition, to be held in October.

The annual competition aims to stimulate interest among pupils to study towards careers in the fields of science, engineering and technology by researching and debating high-level science topics.

Protea Heights Academy finished first among the top three schools in the provincial competitions, which consisted of 10 schools. It was followed by Livingstone High School and Oaklands High School, respectively.

For the provincial finals, pupils researched and debated on the topic: Can hydrogen fuel cell technology (HFCT) be an important contributor to solving the energy needs of schools and other organisations with high societal importance?

Organisers said they chose the topic of hydrogen because the chemical is particularly relevant to South Africans because the country is ideally placed to benefit from the hydrogen economy, especially platinum, which acts

PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO CRITICALLY ANALYSE AND UTILISE SCIENTIFIC FACTS

as a catalyst and is an integral part of HFCT.

The agency’s Michael Ellis said that through debates they hoped pupils would develop skills that would stand them in good stead in a rapidly developing world that was moving into the fourth industrial revolution.

“Our hope is that, in the future, participants will be able to critically analyse and utilise scientific facts and ideas to develop eloquent and logical arguments that will have a great impact on the world around,” he said.

The competition has been open to learners from grades 9-11 who are critical thinkers. – Staff Reporter