Pretoria – A learner from Refilwe, a township outside Cullinan east of Pretoria, has stood at the top of the world.
Ntsako Sithole of Chipa-Tabane Comprehensive High School represented South Africa on Icebreaker of Knowledge, a 10-day Arctic voyage aboard the nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy, which returned to the Russian port of Murmansk on 13 August.
“We have successfully completed the seventh voyage of the Icebreaker of Knowledge Arctic expedition,” stated Captain Ruslan Sasov of the nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.
“The crew always approaches this project with special enthusiasm: such voyages truly contribute to the development of the next generation.
“The brightest and most talented young people join the expedition – and once again, we’ve seen this for ourselves.
“Many of them dreamed of visiting the North Pole and seeing polar bears, and I am very glad that Rosatom and our crew helped them make that dream come true.”
There was a rich scientific and educational programme on board the nuclear-powered ship for the participants of the Icebreaker of Knowledge expedition, which included a real aerospace laboratory.
As part of the expedition, the participants, together with scientists, prepared and conducted two unique experiments.
They launched a radiosonde to provide communication in hard-to-reach areas of the Arctic and along the Northern Sea Route, as well as to test the world’s first recoverable stratospheric platform.
Reaching this stage of the expedition was itself a remarkable achievement.
About 5 000 students from 22 countries – including South Africa, Tanzania, Namibia, Rwanda, Egypt, and others across Asia, Europe and Latin America.
They competed for a place aboard the icebreaker through a rigorous three-stage selection process that tested participants’ knowledge of natural sciences, nuclear energy and Arctic exploration, and included creative projects on the theme “How Nuclear Technologies Are Changing the World Today.”
On the day the North Pole was reached, a symbolic event was held – the northernmost and most international circle dance around the 90-degree point.
At 90 degrees north, there is no land, only about four kilometers of ocean beneath a crust of drifting ice.
While Pretoria was in the middle of a dry Highveld winter, Ntsako was on deck in near constant daylight, surrounded by drifting sea ice.
The voyage entered the record books as the 200th time a surface vessel has reached the North Pole.
“This trip still feels almost surreal to me,” shared Ntsako Sithole, expedition participant from South Africa.
“The sheer scale of the Arctic ice caught me off guard – no photo could have prepared me for it.
“I’ve studied nuclear energy for years, but it was only here, next to a ship that has run on nuclear power alone for years, that I truly grasped its potential.
“This expedition only strengthened my desire to build my future in this field.”
Ntsako is from Chipa-Tabane Comprehensive High School in Refilwe.
His return home was its own event.
Chipa-Tabane Comprehensive High School received him as a national hero, with a parade held in his honour and the wider community turning out to celebrate a learner who had gone from a Refilwe classroom to the top of the world.
“We have to give credit where it’s due; Ntsako earned this through pure merit,” said CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa Ryan Collyer.
“He beat out thousands of other applicants to claim the only spot for South Africa.
“Yet, my favorite memory remains the day he came home.
“Watching his community rally around him, listening to him share stories of nuclear icebreakers and polar bears, I realised that these programs aren’t just about the science or the travel—they are about the hope a single young person can bring back to their home.”
Ntsako’s place on board came through Rosatom’s international education and skills programmes, which are open to students across the continent.
In March 2026, Rosatom and Necsa signed a memorandum on personnel cooperation that opens additional places for South African students and young specialists at leading Russian technical universities.
Programmes like these help build the pipeline of scientists and engineers South Africa’s own energy and research sector will need.
Fact Sheet:
The scientific and educational project Icebreaker of Knowledge is organised with the support of Rosatom.
It is aimed at promoting natural science disciplines and technologies of the nuclear industry, finding and supporting talented and gifted children, developing their abilities and offering career guidance.
The project brings together school students and students of secondary vocational education programmes aged 14–16 from around the world.
The top performers join a scientific and educational expedition to the North Pole aboard the nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy.
The international selection process began on May 5 and consisted of three stages.
During the first stage, participants answered questions in a science quiz, testing their knowledge of natural sciences, breakthrough technologies, nuclear energy, and Arctic exploration.
The second stage included a series of webinars delivered by nuclear industry experts.
Participants learned about Rosatom’s advanced solutions, including technologies used to ensure the safe and sustainable development of Arctic shipping, as well as the role of nuclear energy in the future of the global economy and science.
Based on the total scores for both stages, ten finalists in each country were selected.
They advanced to the final round, where they presented creative projects on the theme “How Nuclear Technologies Are Changing the World Today.”
In the final round, it was important for the participants not only to demonstrate their knowledge of the topic but also to demonstrate their ability to think outside the box, construct a compelling argument, and present the material in an engaging manner.
The finalists’ works were evaluated by an international jury composed of representatives of the nuclear industry, science, education, Arctic affairs, and science communication.
Over the course of seven seasons of the Icebreaker of Knowledge project, more than 470 talented schoolchildren from around the world have participated in Rosatom’s Arctic expeditions to the North Pole.
The project offered them a unique opportunity to see an operational nuclear-powered icebreaker up close and learn about advanced scientific and technological developments in Russia’s nuclear industry.
This article is republished from The Bulrushes under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
