Simon's Town High School

Simon's Town School is one of only two schools in South Africa to offer two Maritime subjects. It was due to the initiative and foresight of Simon's Town School that the program came into existence. As a direct result of the effort of the Maritime staff, the Maritime Department received the "Lloyds List Salute to Youth & Training" award at a presentation at Lloyds in London in March 1999.

The sailing vessel depicted here is the 'Lawhill' which was the only large South African sailing ship. The Maritime Studies program has adopted the Lawhill as an emblem and our boarding house is also named after her. Only learners doing Maritime subjects are considered for places in Lawhill House.

Background

In view of projected shortages in personnel, the South African Maritime family felt the need to promote Maritime awareness amongst school learners in the country, and to equip them for careers in the Maritime industry, ashore and afloat. It was with this goal in mind that the Maritime Studies Department was started on an experimental basis in 1996. A committee, comprising of educationists from secondary and tertiary sectors, members of the Maritime industry and representatives from the Department of Transport, compiled the syllabus for two Maritime subjects. These subjects and their syllabi have been revised to comply with the new educational dispensation in South Africa.

Maritime Economics: This course is geared towards a career in the shipping industry ashore. Aspects covered include maritime geography, maritime economics, cargo handling and clearing, ship chartering, liner trades, bulk shipping, liquid cargoes, port studies, marine ecology, and various other topics. A significant number of graduates from our course have entered the maritime industry as trainee ship's agents, charterers, shipbrokers and in the clearing and forwarding sector.

Nautical Science: Involves the study of navigation (coastal and ocean navigation), seamanship and ship stability as well as other related topics. Practical work includes bi-weekly instruction in sailing and boat-handling, while selected learners proceed to sea for navigation training aboard ships on the South African coastal passage wher possible. Some of the instruction is computer-assisted with programmes covering Ship Stability, Rule-of-the-Road, Buoyage, Lights and Shapes, and Radar. For this course, learners are required to take Mathematics and Physical Science. From this Department, learners can proceed to tertiary pre-sea training establishments, the South African Navy, or in some instances, straight to sea for further training.

The courses have been approved by both National and Provincial Education Departments as fully recognized subjects for the South African Senior Certificate while the Maritime Economics Course has been validated by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, London.

Our Department has two dedicated classrooms for the subjects.

A number of our learners are involved in leisure yachting over week-ends, and in some instances, this is a requirement of the Nautical Science Course.

Teaching Methods

While certain elements of theory need to be taught, rote learning is avoided. Rather, given certain facts, pupils are exposed to elementary situations handled daily in shipping and freight offices. Some topics are used more as a peg on which to hang various other pieces of information. A module on the Suez Canal, for example, deals with elementary voyage costing. In covering the St Lawrence seaway, pupils are taught to use Lloyd's Register and to devise sailing schedules. They are also given simulation exercises to enable them to become aquainted fully with various procedures associated with the movement of cargo and ship management.

Selected learners often do vacation work in the offices of a number of Maritime related companies, and have also spent time at sea on SA Navy and Merchant ships where possible.

Public Interest

We believe that this programme makes a significant contribution towards Reconstruction and Developement within the country. Most of the 110 learners taking the course are drawn from disadvantaged communities, and the project can be viewed as one of upliftment and empowerment for employment. Indeed, we hope to make the Maritime Studies Department a show-piece for the wider Maritime family in South Africa, and are confident that as learners emerge from the three-year course, industry will find our school to be a source of knowledgeable and skilled potential employees. This in turn will provide significant savings in training (in terms of both time and money) because of the foundations laid here.