Scholars Development Programme
Introduction
The Scholars Development Programme, formerly known as the Bridging Programme was established in 2008. The programme was introduced to assist learners in grade 7, who stand a chance of being awarded the SSP scholarships, to adjust better in the schools they may placed in. Due to anecdotal successes of the programme, it was extended to the Eastern Cape and will be introduced in 2012. It is run in partnership with Sekolo Sa Borokgo (The Bridging School) in Gauteng and with Hudson Park Primary in the Eastern Cape. The programme prepares learners holistically; it focuses on both their academic and personal development. The programme is a one year scholarship worth over R10,000.00 per learner.
Selection
Recruitment for Scholars Development Programme groups is done in the year preceding the year of running the programme, that is, when the learner is in grade 6. Learners submit application forms; write the SSP entrance exams and those that pass are invited for interviews. Ultimately, the top ranked 100 learners in Gauteng and 30 in the Eastern Cape are selected to attend the programme. Criteria used to rank the candidates include academic performance, leadership potential and financial need.
The Programme
• Saturday classes: Lessons are conducted in the core areas of maths, science, English and computer literacy, with two educators dedicated to each subject. The class size is kept to approximately 12 learners per class
• Academic camps: These are week long (five days) camps taking place over the public school holidays, providing intensified additional academic support in the three core subjects of maths, science and English. While the focus of these camps is academic support, time is allocated to activities that develop aspects such as leadership, interpersonal and team work skills.
• Four Personal Development workshops: In the programme’s endeavour to develop the learners holistically, these workshops are meant to enrich their soft skills. These include Leadership Development, Diversity Management and Personal Management (time, conflict, stress, etc. management). They are facilitated by specialists in the area of the particular workshop.
The Scholarship
The programme is still part of the application process for the SSP scholarship. Learners in the programme are assessed continuously to ascertain their suitability for the scholarship. Assessments include academic, behavioural and academic. SSP partner schools rank learners they would like to have at their schools in the following year, based on the information provided by SSP. The SSP has the prerogative to place learners in the different schools, thus awarding them scholarships.
Should you require more information about the Scholars’ Development Programme, please contact Yvonne Lushaba – yvonne.lushaba@ssp.org.za
