Learners at work in the new Saint Charles College science laboratory, February 2023.

10 February 2023

Saint Charles College’s new science building hosted its first practical this week. The state-of-the-art facility will be used for biology, physics and chemistry practical sessions, and is able to accommodate multiple classes.

With an eye towards the next step in the education of the school’s learners, the laboratory is designed based on a university-style open plan model. It is able to host as many as 84 students at 14 benches, with each bench seating six boys, and equipped with sinks at either end, as well as a gas tap for each student.

A teacher demonstration bench at the front of the laboratory includes a fume hood. In case of emergency, the laboratory is also equipped with two safety showers and eye wash stations.

Deep in concentration, a Saints' boy enjoys the beautifully-equipped new science laboratory.
Deep in concentration, a Saints’ boy enjoys the impressively-equipped new science laboratory.

There are storerooms for physics and chemistry, and a preparation area for chemicals.

The new building is a timely addition to the Saint Charles College campus, with the sciences becoming increasingly popular. In grades 10 to 12, over 70 students per grade take physics, while 40 take chemistry in each grade.

While the laboratory is a significant addition to the facilities on offer at Saint Charles, it is also part of a project that will add two new lecture theatres, which can each accommodate 60 learners, and which can also be utilised for conferences, talks and combined classes.

The completion of the lecture theatres is imminent, with the end of February 2023 being their due date.

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