Carnarvon pupils head to France for international conference
MINISTER of Science and Technology Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane lauded two young research stars from Carnarvon High School in the Northern Cape, selected to represent South Africa at the International Student-Teacher Conference in Nice, France.
Grade 11 pupils Amy-Lee Visagie and Chrislin de Koker left yesterday after winning the National Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP) competition.
The pupils submitted a research piece on astronomy tourism – how the Southern African Large Telescope in Sutherland and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) near Carnarvon contribute to the local communities.
Kubayi-Ngubane said the Department of Science and Technology (DST) was proud that young people were taking up the opportunities brought about by the building of the SKA, a major scientific development.
“It is encouraging to see the enormous impact scientific activities around the Karoo region are having on people’s lives.
“The two astronomy projects have seen many young people benefiting through scholarships and job opportunities here and abroad.
“It is now more encouraging to realise the tourism potential the projects have in South Africa as demonstrated by Amy-Lee and Chrislin in their research.
“The two will fly the South African flag high in France and their participation in the conference will go a long way towards attracting much-needed investment into our country in that regard,” Kubayi-Ngubane said.
The pupils, accompanied by their teacher Christo Fieland, will join national teams from 13 GTTP member countries at the GTTP International Student-Teacher Conference tomorrow.
The pupils were assisted in their research by the National Research Foundation, a DST entity.
The GTTP is a multi-country educational programme to introduce tourism students to career opportunities in the sector. South Africa is a GTTP member country and Carnarvon High School was selected as the winning school in the country for this year.
Other member countries include Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, Tanzania, and the UK.
The US is an affiliate member.