Lesley McDonough, group brand manager at Engen, said, "The company designed the rulers for Grades 10, 11 and 12 learners, obtaining input and endorsement from the DoE."
Featuring a funky design on one side and a range of scientific formulae and table of constants on the other, the ruler and pencil case represent a crib sheet, removing the need for lookups during class and homework, but play it straight enough to have garnered the Department of Education's approval.
Emblazoned in loud, white capitals on the tools are the words 'not for use during exams'.
"As part of our firm commitment to the youth of our great continent, we included staff, dealers and selected suppliers at our South African and African operations and invited them to place an order, either for their children, extended family, community school or any other school they are involved with," said McDonough. "The orders will be delivered to staff to allow them to further strengthen relationships in their communities."
She said the initiative is in line with Engen's community outreach programmes in areas where the company is active, and follows in the wake of the unprecedented success of its branded periodic table of elements, produced for learners in 2012.
In addition to the rulers, a limited run of 5,000 pencil cases have been ordered, intended for the exclusive use of Engen's high-achieving Engen Maths and Science Schools (EMSS) programme.
EMSS schools, which offer extra tuition in maths, science and English for senior school students, routinely outperform the national average in matric exam passes and university passes. The class of 2013 achieved a 95% national pass rate, beating the national average of 78% by a significant margin.
