Education

Service SETA, UCT launch skin care hub

Service SETA, UCT launch skin care hub

The Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have launched a one-of-a-kind facility aimed at strengthening African-led scientific capacity in skin health. The Africa Research Institute for Skin Health (ARISE) Building is a pioneering African-led, multidisciplinary hub for research, training, and skills development within UCT’s Division of Dermatology. […]

Mother-tongue education is failing

Mother-tongue education is failing

The numbers tell a politically uncomfortable truth. A survey of all Grade 4 children in Makhanda’s no-fee public schools this year found that 51% of isiXhosa learners taught in English can read for meaning.  However, for those taught in isiXhosa — despite it being their mother tongue and despite decades of policy emphasising the value […]

The politics of literacy

The politics of literacy

In November 2025, the R50 million Funda Uphumelele National Survey (FUNS) delivered the first comprehensive measurement of early-grade reading in all official languages. The findings confirmed what researchers suspected: only 31% of Grade 1 learners can identify 40 letter-sounds per minute — the minimum threshold for reading readiness. By Grade 3, 15% cannot read a […]