Life Science learners from three schools in Cape Town, Luhlaza Secondary School (Khayelitsha), Manzomthombo Secondary School (Mfuleni) and South Peninsula High School (Dieprivier), reconnected with biodiversity during a recent visit from Iimbovane Outreach Project.

Iimbovane is a science education project that uses ant species to teach high school learners about biodiversity and to help them develop practical science skills.

Despite changes to the 2021 school year and very limited class time, schools and educators made the necessary arrangements to accommodate a visit from the Iimbovane Project team in May and June.

A huge thanks to all our Iimbovane educators!

Learners, together with Iimbovane Project team, took to the school grounds with their shovels and smiles, where they identified sampling sites and were immersed in a pitfall planting practical to collect ant species.

“It was a great for the learners to be out and about in their own school grounds since most extracurricular activities were not allowed in 2020 – depriving them from learning valuable practical scientific skills,” says Londiwe Msomi, Education Outreach Officer of the Centre for Invasion Biology (C∙I∙B).

Samuel Posie, who is currently completing his MSc degree at the Centre for Invasion Biology (C∙I∙B), Stellenbosch University, joined the Iimbovane Project team on these schools visits. He shared his experiences as a post-graduate student with the learners and explained to them the various methods he uses to collect field data.

The Iimbovane Project is funded by the Rand Merchant Bank Fund and the Het Jan Marais Fonds.