Local Maths and Science teacher explores space education
23 October 2020
Memory Dizha, a Mathematics and Science teacher at Manzomthombo Secondary School in Mfuleni, dreams big and works hard to achieve her goals.
Dizha has been admitted to the Post Graduate Diploma Programme in Space Science and Technology at the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTEE). She received a scholarship from the United Nations.
Dizha said she attended a NASA conference in 2012 and it ignited her passion for space science. “I used to take learners to science centres and the observatory where there are telescopes to look at the stars. I have been applying for all these years for the programme in space science. I received an admission letter on 17 September 2020 and am still in shock at the acceptance. I had to submit my proposal and was accepted for studying for nine months from October 2020 until June 2021.”
Dizha’s love for Mathematics and Science has been innate from a young age and she is adept at juggling work and various tasks to make her scientific goal a reality.
“Science for me was a release into a world of understanding the everyday world, regardless of my humble background or that life has never been easy to navigate.”
Her teaching journey started in Zimbabwe and led her across the Limpopo to Manzomthombo Secondary School in the Western Cape.
She is currently studying towards a Master of Education Degree at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Through UWC, she is also involved with Ledimtali, a project where mathematics teachers, mathematicians and curriculum advisers work collectively and collaboratively to develop good teaching of mathematics.
On weekdays after school and on Saturdays, she is an online mentor for student teachers from different universities around Cape Town as part of a project for the Capitec Foundation. She also facilitates mathematics classes for Grade 8 and 9 learners at three high schools in Mfuleni as part of Diski Development Projects.
She was the Western Cape Secretary of the Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa (AMESA).
Some of the other projects she worked with includes Stellenbosch University’s SUNCEP programme, the City of Cape Town’s Ecowise Programme, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Schools Enrichment Centre (AIMSSEC) and Women with Integrity (WWI). She was also a coordinator for the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) at her school.
“Working and being part of other projects helps one to get more knowledge,” she concluded.