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/ 26 April 2005

Eastern Cape stuck in a rough patch

Schooling is going ahead in fits and starts as provincial mismanagement makes itself felt in the classroom. Reports and photos by Julia Grey Incompetence in the Eastern Cape Province Education Department (Ecped) is taking its toll on the smooth running of many of its schools. Ntlalo-Ntle Senior Secondary in Steynsburg is just one school facing […]

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/ 26 April 2005

Bossy big brother syndrome?

Tempers are rising in some education sectors over recent decisions which are being made without proper consultation, reports Julia Grey The Department of Education (DoE) has been accused of bypassing consultative processes and simply delivering final decisions to stakeholders. Both the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and the National Professional Teacher’s Organisation of South […]

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/ 25 April 2005

An everyday horror

The alleged incidents of rape in a primary school classroom in the township of Kagiso in Gauteng last month are so shocking that it’s an effort not to be left speechless by them. The story is this: the Grade 3 class had allegedly been left unsupervised for a week because their teacher was on study […]

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/ 25 April 2005

Out of the mouths of babes

As you may recall, my last editorial was a whinge about how difficult it is to be a journalist covering education — mainly because it’s a real challenge not to repeat yourself to death because change happens so very, very, very, very slowly. But let me tell you about some perks of being a journalist. […]

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/ 25 April 2005

What really counts is day-to-day schooling

The fuss and fanfare that the highstake matric exams attract from the public and education departments alike is quite hard to fathom. It’s as if we all agree to buy into the idea that the results really are a reflection of the health of our education system, despite the many sides that are masked by […]

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/ 25 April 2005

A safe place to get wacky

So you dream about taking a little bit of dis and a little bit of dat and recording your groove on your very own CD? Well, you may as well dream of flying to the moon because you have to be rich or plain lucky to have that kind of technology available to you – […]

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/ 25 April 2005

Have you checked the children?

My route to work takes me past the bottom-end of Hillbrow in Johannesburg. Every morning a very disturbing sight awaits me: on an island in the middle of a busy intersection, a group of wretched children begs from motorists while sniffing from glue-filled containers. Two things always strike me. One is what future these children, […]

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/ 25 April 2005

A new business of education

For most youngsters, deciding on a career path is a daunting process. With little self-knowledge and even less experience of the world, it’s no surprise that figuring out a future is a terrifying prospect. Add to this financial constraints and an education system that is yet to clearly align itself with the world of work, […]

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/ 25 April 2005

Can Papa Action make it happen?

The Review of the Financing, Resourcing and Costs of Education in Public Schools represents two months of intensive research and analysis by departmental officials into the structure of state funding and the costs of education that are so often compromising the child’s basic right to an education. It was motivated by concerns of Minister of […]

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/ 25 April 2005

Right and wrong is not the point

The latest war is on, like background music, on TVs and radios in all corners of the world. It’s high drama, reality TV with enough fly-encrusted corpses to turn the head of even the most dumbed-down couch potato. I’m not one who can watch it for long. I soon find myself scowling with the effort […]