1. DEVELOPING TEACHERS

South Africa still experiences the legacy of the Apartheid era's racially divided education system: teachers in disadvantaged areas tend to be less qualified (if at all) than their counterparts in formerly White-only schools; the historical lack of opportunity has resulted in low levels of motivation among teachers; and, in critical subjects such as mathematics and science, appropriately qualified teachers with a thorough grounding in subject knowledge are rare.

Axium aims to improve the quality of instruction in local schools by upgrading the subject knowledge of teachers, improving instructional practice and increasing motivation. We are currently developing a partnership with the University of Cape Town's Schools Development Unit, who have over 20 years of experience in instructional improvement efforts and will help to guide our thinking about teacher development. Aspects of our approach include:

a.	Partnering with teacher certification centers to enable under/unqualified teachers to obtain formal qualifications.
b.	Creation of learning teams and networks between teachers to encourage quality practice through observation and critical feedback.
c.	We are also exploring a partnership with the School of Education at the University of Cape Town to offer a unique practicum opportunity for student teachers in a rural setting. Not only will fresh faces stimulate good teaching in local schools, but the student-teachers themselves would go away from the experience with a unique insight into the issues in rural schools.
d.	Subject-specific workshops and seminars in the critical areas of math, science and English.

Approximately 30% of our time and resources will be allocated to this aspect of our strategy, including 1 full-time staff member and the use of our four member expert teaching team.

2. IMPROVING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

School leaders are critical players in ensuring resources allocated to schools find their way into the hands of teachers and learners. For a number of years in the Eastern Cape, educational budgets were not spent - this in spite of the fact that many schools lack basic facilities. Educational leaders also play a pivotal role in guiding the instructional life of schools. The fact that absenteeism is such a problem among South African teachers, together with the overall poor quality of classroom teaching in schools suggests that leaders do not perform this role well.

Axium Education aims to build the capacity of school leaders: 1) to better access and manage resources; and 2) to lead instructional improvement initiatives at their schools. Our work with school leaders will include:

	Partnering with the South African Government's ongoing efforts to build leadership capacity through formalized certification programs.
	Supporting leaders in their strategic planning processes through legal and grant-writing assistance.
	Leading learning initiatives that bring together local school leaders to discuss and reflect on challenges, barriers and opportunities that affect learning in their schools.

Approximately 10 % of our time and resources will be allocated to this aspect of our strategy.

3. EKUKHULENI MATH, SCIENCE AND ENGLISH CENTER FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

Few rural high school students have access to the opportunities requisite for them to acquire the skills and knowledge needed for further study. For most students English is a second or third language. Instruction in the key subjects of math and science is limited and access to technology almost non-existent.

Axium will offer quality after-hours instruction to a select group of students at the Ekukheleni Math, Science and English Center. Students will remain at their local schools where they become knowledge hubs, providing tutoring to their peers in a structured program. In this way the influence of Axium Education's expert teaching team will be felt far beyond one classroom. Students who go on to tertiary education will be encouraged to return to the community to serve in health care, education, engineering or accounting, where their skills are desperately needed. This will be the first strike in breaking out of the rural poverty trap and will be a key factor in rejuvenating local schools through young, well-educated teachers.

Axium's approach to teaching includes:

	Setting high expectations for students;
	Using appropriate technology to enhance learning;
	Individualized learning plans based on careful assessment and use of data;
	Using language as a key lever for conceptual understanding in math and science;
	Documenting and writing up successes and failures as ongoing research-in-practice.

We anticipate investing 60 % of our resources and time at Ekukhuleni, with four full-time teachers (math, science, English and Xhosa) and three support staff.

Of course, it is unrealistic to expect all graduates to return to a rural community with limited career opportunities; however, even if only 10 - 20 % of students returned after tertiary study this would yield between 75 and 150 highly skilled teachers, medical professionals, engineers and accountants over the course of ten years. This, coupled with our efforts in improving the quality of teaching in schools, would go a long way to rejuvenating the entire school district.