Suzan Chala
Suzan Chala works from Jhb, Gauteng, SA. Editor of Sowetan Education, MSK and Matric Q&A. Former journalist: M&G. Love life and all its ups and downs
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/ 20 April 2005

Self-defence for schools’ most vulnerable

The national Department of Education recently launched the Crime Buster campaign, which aims to make training in self-defence techniques widely available to schoolgoers. Also known as the Ikusasa Lethu campaign (a Zulu term meaning ‘Our future”), the aim is to teach all girls learners, as well as boys under the age of 10, to defend […]

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/ 20 April 2005

Fanning the spark of enthusiasm

But Herker Vos, principal of Mamoratwa Farm School in Ottosdal in the North West province, says the dreams of her learners died before they even began: ‘A lot of children come to school to study for 12 years and then end up as farm workers. So they do not see why they should go to […]

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/ 20 April 2005

An African heart with an English name

KES was started in 1902 in a vacant cigar factory on the corner of Gold and Kerk Streets under the name, Johannesburg High School for Boys. It was established in 1902 as the first Government high school for boys in Johannesburg. It has since changed premises twice and undergone two name changes; firstly when it […]

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/ 20 April 2005

People’s power comes under fire

Five learners were allegedly shot by the police in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, according to media reports. This occured during a march this month by parents and learners demanding that the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) register their school. The learners suffered minor injuries. People’s Power Secondary School was set up earlier this year by Khayelitsha […]

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/ 20 April 2005

Embracing diversity

If anyone ever doubted that South Africa’s many different religions and cultures can coexist happily together, they should visit Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg. The Marist Brothers probably didn’t even think about accommodating diverse beliefs when they started the school in 1889 with five Catholic learners in Koch Street, Johannesburg, under the name of Marist […]

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/ 20 April 2005

Nkosi’s legacy

‘The teachers love me, the children love me. Some of the children were worried they would get Aids from me, but some of the others told them Nkosi is a gentle little boy, he will not harm you.” These are the words of Nkosi Johnson when asked in a radio interview whether he liked school. […]

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/ 20 April 2005

Soweto’s hill of hope

A hill in the heart of Soweto that used to be a dumping ground and a hub of criminal activity has been transformed into an art, culture and environmental centre called the Soweto Mountain of Hope – Somoho. Somoho was created by Mandla Mentoor, winner of the individual award in the Green Trust Awards last […]

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/ 20 April 2005

Raising ladies

It’s a world out of the ordinary: from state-of-the-art sporting facilities to a jam-packed extra mural diary, the girls at Kingsmead College can count themselves amongst the luckiest in the land. An independent school in Rosebank, Johannesburg, all the ingredients for an excellent education are on tap. Sporting facilities, for one example, include a gymnasium, […]

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/ 20 April 2005

A move towards improvement

The Department of Education’s (DoE) release of the Review of the Financing, Resourcing and Costs of Education in Public Schools this month has acknowledged some important weaknesses in the education system. The review, conducted last year, aims to improve efficiency and outcomes of education resourcing policies for public schools in the country. One key weakness […]

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/ 20 April 2005

Never too old to learn

They say one can never be too old to get an education. John Langa from Devland, Johannesburg is living testimony of that. He started school in 2000 at the age of 75, inspired by a story of a 101-year-old learner. ‘I heard a story on the radio about a woman in England who left school […]