Mohlomi Dintsho, is a youngster with no faith in life and little hope in his future.The 15-year-old from Freedom Park in Gauteng prefers to stay home, smoke dagga and sniff glue, rather than go to school. He dropped out of school when he was 13 years old in Grade 6.Mohlomi and his sister were orphaned […]
The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) has threatened to boycott the June examinations if the Department of Education (DoE) fails to meet its demands. Addressing about 15 000 learners at a march in Pretoria last month, Cosas president Julius Molema warned that Cosas will defy Minister of Education Kader Asmal in the same way […]
On the face of it, Morongwa Primary School in Mogwase, North West province, could be a model of inclusion. Every morning the school is flooded by learners who not only represent a variety of social backgrounds but also a range of learning abilities and special education needs. But in reality it is a case of […]
Education is widely acknowledged as a key element in alleviating poverty. It is also important, especially in developing countries, to advance the democratic transformation of society. As Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni put it, ‘It [education] expands abilities and opportunities. It is a great freedom in itself, and opens the doors to other freedoms.” The […]
Twelve-year-old Noluthando Mahlathi-Zikalala is one of them. She introduces herself as Xebisa, ‘my ancestral name”. Although she looks 10, she behaves nothing like a usual child. She spends her time with a woman in her twenties whom she trains as a sangoma. When she’s not treating patients, she spends her time beading bracelets as she […]
Clayton Sherry was having a jol with his friends, smoking dagga and sniffing glue at their usual corner, when suddenly a police van stopped in front of them. Fearing arrest, they fled in different directions, but the uniformed men caught up with them. This was the day that Clayton’s life changed forever. It was the […]
Political tempers are rising as the Democratic Alliance (DA) adds its criticism against the Department of Education’s (DoE) proposed changes to education laws. The Education Amendment Bill was released for comment in May, and was under discussion in Parliament last month. The underlying implication of several of the proposed amendments, says DA education spokesperson in […]
Recent predictions of a shortage of educators are to be reviewed by a newly appointed ministerial committee. The committee on teacher education was appointed ‘to develop a National Framework for Teacher Education, which aims to develop coherence around existing policies and strategies to sustain a continuing professional development culture among teachers,” says Michael Samuel from […]
A multimedia satellite television network called Mindset has launched a TV channel focusing on mathematics, science and English and an educator development programme. Channel Activate, accessible on channel 82 of DStv, is targeting learners and educators in the Further Education and Training (FET) band and broadcasts nine hours on weekdays. Mindset Network is a non-profit […]
Marianne and Cornelius Cloete gave up their life in noisy Johannesburg suburbia and moved to a farm in Magaliesburg, the North West, in 1990. The move opened their eyes to the realities of rural living, and not all of them were pleasant. ”Coming from a place where schools are all over, we saw how children […]