The SHINE ACADEMIA Program is a professionally run educational intervention for Grade 11 & 12 learners, based at Groote Schuur High School, with the aim of becoming a renowned school of excellence in core academic areas such as Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, English Home Language and Afrikaans First Additional Language. SHINE ACADEMIA is a Mathematics and Science initiative which is aimed at providing learners with an opportunity to improve their academic results through a quality teaching experience in small intimate classes (approximately 15 learners) with an effective curriculum (IEB & CAPS) which is in alignment with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). SHINE ACADEMIA has become one of the prestigious and successful programs in Western Cape through the team’s concerted hard work, devotion, enthusiasm and passion for education and upliftment. Lessons are taught by proficient, experienced and committed educators who have produced excellent results over the past years. Our educators are past Principals, current Deputy Principals and Heads of Departments and they are recipients of accolades and awards. This initiative is aimed at providing educational support to learners, “catch up” and rebuild solid foundations/reinforce learning materials so that they can deliver their absolute best (significantly improve their results) and achieve their academic aspirations.
Our goal is to inculcate a love for Maths and Science among the learners in order to provide South Africa with a labour force that is well-educated and competent. Through our combined efforts, we can surely contribute towards building a better country by providing quality education for our children. The SHINE ACADEMIA product/service offering provides curriculum support in core academic areas and the services are rendered by 14 professional educators, sourced from the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). SHINE ACADEMIA, in partnership with the support of Groote Schuur Management wants to make a difference in the lives of 160 learners in 2024. To date SHINE ACADEMIA delivers this service across two platforms. Firstly, the Saturday School Programme: where 65 Grade-11 learners are selected by their academic potential and commitment from their schools. These learners come from selected partnering schools from under serviced communities (e.g. Cape Flats; Townships).
Secondly, the SHINE Programme: A social entrepreneurship initiative that is geared at sustaining the Saturday School Programme. The learner base ranges between 100-130 Grade 11 and 12 learners, from any/all social sectors and from any/all schools in the Western Cape Metro pole – these learners are charged an economically competitive fee for their tuition. Learners convene on Saturday mornings for briefing at Groote Schuur High School Hall.
Both Programs have intense focus in core academic areas and are structured platforms that runs on most Saturdays throughout the year. Strict measures and systems are in place to optimize learners’ attendance and academic performance. SHINE ACADEMIA has developed a unique approach that has enabled it to build trust and cohesion to achieve academic excellence. The team consists of a Director, an administrator and 14 educators and we continuously oversee, monitor and evaluate both programs to render a better service to our learners. One of our targets is to visit the selected schools, build partnership and provide professional academic/curriculum support to committed/interested Grade 11 and 12 learners who meet our criteria. From the statistics it is evident that learners who attend SHINE Classes make remarkable academic progress. We provide workbooks and are committed to teach diligently to complete the curriculum, revise past exam papers and prepare learners thoroughly for final exams.
