BMW South Africa’s Maths, Science and Technology Excellence Project outperformed the national average

,

BMW South Africa’s Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) class of  2013 has once again yielded outstanding matric results with 37  distinctions in Mathematics and Physical Science proving that  investment in education can deliver tangible results and change lives. The BMW MST Excellence Project, which has been in existence for more  than 20 years, deploys mobile…

BMW South Africa’s Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) class of  2013 has once again yielded outstanding matric results with 37  distinctions in Mathematics and Physical Science proving that  investment in education can deliver tangible results and change lives.

BMW South Africa

The BMW MST Excellence Project, which has been in existence for more  than 20 years, deploys mobile laboratories, known as BMW Centres of  Excellence, to participating schools, and has been implemented in 37  schools that serve historically disadvantaged communities. As a  result, more than 40 000 learners and 148 teachers are direct  beneficiaries of the project.

Bodo Donauer, Managing Director for BMW South Africa said, “The  performance of the schools in the programme has exceeded our  expectations and have improved on the pass rate averages from 2012 by  more than 13% and 25% for Physical Science and Mathematics respectively.”

“We at BMW are passionate about education in our country and fully  believe in equipping learners with the tools they need for their  careers. The aim of the BMW MST Excellence Project is to not only  achieve good pass rates but to encourage our learners to excel, which  is evident in the number of distinctions achieved over the past two  years  through our Project,” says Donauer. “Forming a strong  foundation at high school level is fundamental in ensuring learners  qualify for tertiary education and go on to cement their future,” says Donauer.

The MST Project also focuses on supporting scholars in their bid to  earn university educations. A key element of the BMW MST Excellence  Project is the provision of tertiary level bursaries for students who  wish to continue their studies in engineering, ICT and commerce. Upon  completion of their degrees, these students become eligible for a  position in BMW’s 24-month Graduate Trainee Programme, which often  results in full-time employment within one of the company’s many divisions.

Donauer added that in addition to the dedication and hard work of the  principals and teachers at the schools, the success of the programme  is largely attributed to the provision of high quality teaching and  learning resources as well as high intensity, direct, individualised  support to schools and teachers by the BMW MST team throughout the year.

 

Results    

In addition to the distinctions obtained, the core schools under the  wing of the BMW MST Excellence Project achieved the following results:

  • Overall pass rate 17% higher than national average for similar quintile 123 schools and 10.8% higher than national average that includes Model B and C
  • Physical Science pass rate 17.8% higher than national quintile 123 and 11% Higher than national average that includes Model C
  • Mathematics pass rate is 27% higher than national quintile 123 and  19% higher than national average that includes Model C
  • It is important to note that the class of 2013 BMW MST (88.8%) has outperformed the national average even though the national average itself improved in 2013 (78.2%) over 2012 (73.9%). These national    averages include the previous Model C schools.

“We are very proud of the progress made by the vast majority of  schools which are part of the BMW MST Excellence Project. As an  engaged and committed corporate citizen for the past 40 years, BMW  South Africa remains committed to the development and training of all  our teachers and the overall educational growth of our learners in  2014,” concludes Donauer.

BMW Education

BMW MST Schools

The BMW MST schools are divided into three groups – the BMW Core  Schools, Recovering Schools and New Schools – so that the project team  may better understand and contextualise the schools’ performance  according to their unique circumstances.

BMW South Africa has been working with a number of Core Schools for  more than three years and through the MST project has been able to  stabilise teacher development programmes and shift teacher skills to a  higher level.

The Recovering Schools have been identified as having severe problems  related to teacher skills. In addition, they serve communities which  have a particularly low average household income and parental  involvement. These schools were placed in a special recovery programme  and the issue of skills were addressed in 2012 with intensive  induction programmes for learners as well as robust mentorship and  professional development programmes for inexperienced teachers.

To add to the portfolio of schools BMW South Africa assists, the  Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education identified two new schools last  year which were in the most destitute of situations, both in terms of  teacher skills and extreme poverty levels which are compounded by  almost zero communications and roads infrastructure.

 

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is the leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and  motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As  a global company, the BMW Group operates 28 production and assembly  facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than  140 countries.

In 2013, the BMW Group sold around 1.963 million cars and 115,215  motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year  2012 was euro 7.82 billion on revenues amounting to euro 76.85  billion. As of 31 December 2012, the BMW Group had a workforce of  105,876 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term  thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established  ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,  comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to  conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.


Share :