One of the senior SHAWCO projects, the Student-Mentored All-Round Tutoring (SMART) project is run with Grade 10 and 11 learners from four local schools in Khayelitsha.

The learners all take Pure Mathematics and Physical Science classes at school, and are tutored in these subjects by appropriately skilled UCT student volunteers. The sessions involve tutors and participants working in small groups, in which learning can be focused and intimate, through carefully developed curricula.

SMART participants also take part in weekly Careers & Communication sessions, designed to guide them towards the career path of their choice. Emphasis is placed on working through the practicalities of applying to tertiary institutions, as ultimately the mission of SMART is “to assist grade 10 and 11 learners from previously disadvantaged schools in Khayelitsha, who have shown academic potential, to advance to tertiary education”.

The SMART (in more ways than one!) project looks forward to 2009, to providing a comfortable and stimulating learning environment that encourages personal and academic development for both the participants and the volunteers.