Christian groups clashed with Minister of Education Kader Asmal over Curriculum 2005, report Marianne Merten and Edwin Naidu The revised National Curriculum Statement has seen Minister of Education Kader criticised in print and broadcast media for his “undemocratic” and “dictatorial” behaviour. Opponents of the statement, including Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, MP, and leader of the African […]

Next month the role of teachers will be marked through a number of activities organised by the thousands of men and women who make a difference in classrooms throughout the world. World Teachers’ Day is observed on October 5 with the theme: “Qualified teachers for quality education”. It is a day ordinary South Africans should […]

Headmasters from all over the country are to discuss the impact of HIV/Aids on the teaching profession, writes Edwin Naidu Against a background that HIV/Aids will wipe out most teachers in Africa within a decade, principals from around South Africa will meet in Cape Town this month to address various concerns in education. The Manifesto […]

The incorporation of teacher training colleges into the tertiary system will add to the shortage of educators in the country, writes Edwin Naidu The closure of 105 teacher training colleges and the merger of certain institutions within universities and technikons will have serious repercussions for the profession in the long term, warns Johannesburg College of […]

South African schools are home to many faiths and all of them must be respected, writes Edwin Naidu Thou shalt not use public schools to preach about any particular faith, but rather about respect and the need for celebrating South Africa’s diversity as a nation. This was Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena’s message to […]

Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena has a lot on his plate, writes Edwin Naidu One of the strangest anomalies in South Africa, according to Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena, is that tertiary institutions are threatened by closure due to dwindling student numbers while construction of new jails is booming. “That’s a terrible reality. […]

In one of his first tasks since his appointment as MEC in charge of Education, Culture and Sport in KwaZulu-Natal, Lindumusa Gabriel Ndabandaba has begun proceedings to dismiss an educator who was absent from school for a long period claiming he feared for his safety. Ndabandaba said he will adopt a hard-line against educators who […]

Forty-five years after thousands marched in protest against pass laws, women are still second class citizens, write Julia Grey and Edwin Naidu South African women are still fighting to be accepted as equals and given the same opportunities as males in the workplace, including in the teaching profession. Discrimination continues to undermine the status of […]

Dear Hansie Cronje I am sorry to hear that your appeal to the high court to have the life ban on your plying your trade in South Africa was unsuccessful. The law must be respected, and given the severity of your crimes, it would be difficult to disagree with the ruling. But ours is a […]

A Christian-based group and Kader Asmal lock horns, reports Edwin Naidu Minister of Education Kader Asmal has become embroiled in a bitter row with home schoolers over Curriculum 2005. Asmal has been the target of attacks since the release of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) in July. Parents and educators claim his behaviour regarding the […]