Marine Sciences might be one such new option. This field of study is not just about
swimming with turtles or tagging great white sharks in the big blue ocean. Cape Town’s
Two Oceans Aquarium has developed a Marine Sciences matric curriculum to attract young
people to careers in this field. This will lead to the protection of invaluable ocean resources
and the coastline.
Aquarium education head, Russell Stevens, said he hoped that the new school subject
would be piloted at the Lawhill Maritime Centre soon. This curriculum would follow the
format of Life Sciences. It will expand on material the aquarium has offered to high school
learners and volunteers since 2001. The Two Oceans senior teacher who developed the
curriculum with support from Stevens said, ‘The ocean is an unexplored area. If we get
researchers in there, they will help to ensure the sustainability of its resources.’
This centre’s main purpose is to support job creation and employment in South Africa.
It provides 15–18-year-old learners with maritime-related knowledge and skills while
they are still at school. It will increase their opportunities for post-school employment or
admission to related courses at tertiary institutions. About nine hundred learners have
graduated as ‘Young Biologists’ on completing the five-day course run by the Two Oceans
Marine Sciences Academy. Most continued to work as volunteers after their compulsory
thirty hours of working. This is the Two Oceans’ flagship course targeting Grade 8 learners
who train with microscopes, make collections and presentations and organise environment
clean-ups. The organisers make sure that the course is as hands-on as possible, with various
activities and outings included.
Shanet Rutgers, 26, who works with penguins at the aquarium, said, ‘The Young Biologists
course is very educational and opens doors for young students who would like to work
in the wildlife sector. ‘After doing it, I went on to study nature conservation and then
continued volunteering for as many hours as possible.’
Some of these graduates have progressed to the aquarium’s five-day Oceanography
course, preparing them for tertiary study. Four have been awarded Marine Sciences and
Oceanography bursaries so far.
The aquarium’s courses give learners a foundation in Biology, the language of Marine
Sciences and knowledge of what this involves. Rashida Manual, a second-year university
student in Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences, said the aquarium’s courses had
equipped her for her degree. ‘I have always been passionate about the ocean and how it
works, and this came together for me in the Young Biologists course.’
People have this romantic idea that marine scientists put on scuba gear and go swimming
with dolphins, when they are more likely to spend three weeks a year in the ocean and
the rest of the time doing research and analysing information. Young Biologists graduate
Bongani Mpele, 26, said he thought marine sciences at school would attract learners. If the
curriculum is approved, the aquarium would like to see it offered in about twenty coastal
schools, which could also cater for learners from inland. Russell Stevens has met subject
advisers, district managers and officials at the Department of Basic Education, as well as the
Independent Examinations Board. He has proposed that they manage the matric subject,
which would include Biology, Ecology, Oceanography and content on humans and the
ocean.
Developing this career field would complement the government’s Operation Phakisa, which
aims to reduce unemployment among people. This career field is intended to maximise the
potential of the coast and ocean for job creation and sustainability, said Stevens.
1.1 Refer to paragraph 1.
1.1.1 Name TWO factors that influence a learner’s career choice.
1.1.2 What advantage do matric learners have regarding career choices?
1.2 Why was the Marine Sciences curriculum developed? Give TWO reasons.
1.3 Refer to paragraph 3.
1.3.1 Quote ONE word to prove that Marine Sciences has not been introduced at all
schools.
1.1.1 Two factors that influence a learner's career choice are personal interests and job prospects.
1.1.2 Matric learners have an advantage regarding career choices because they have the opportunity to explore different subjects and interests before making a decision.
1.2 The Marine Sciences curriculum was developed to attract young people to careers in the field and to ensure the sustainability of ocean resources and the coastline.
1.3.1 The word "unexplored" proves that Marine Sciences has not been introduced at all schools.