SABC Education and the Plastics Federation of South Africa have launched a fantastic plastics competition for grade 10, 11 and 12 learners to promote environmental awareness among schoolchildren. The competition fits in well with worldwide initiatives to encourage communities and companies to curb activities that increase environmental pollution.
Macmillan South Africa, one of the leading publishing houses, has announced a groundbreaking empowerment initiative to help the Gauteng education department tackle problems around literacy and the mobilisation of resources. Called READ Empowerment Trust, the initiative is Macmillan’s broad-based BEE structure that is intended to benefit learners and teachers in Gauteng.
Cadbury South Africa and the national departments of sports, recreation and education joined hands to launch a sports initiative that will “get our youth active” by taking part in sports activities. The launch comes against the backdrop of increasing rates of obesity among school children mainly because of a lack of physical activity.
Scores of teachers who work far away from their homes are faced with the difficult dilemma of having to choose between keeping their jobs and being able to support their families, and quitting their jobs and facing economic ruin. Both are difficult calls to make. Some of these teachers are victims of the education department’s re-deployment policy, while others are just not lucky enough to find jobs close to home.
The Gauteng department of education is the only province that is steaming ahead with the implementation of a comprehensive literacy initiative to address the problem of poor reading and writing skills among learners. The programme is called Accelerated Programme for Language, Literacy and Communication.
Confusion and shock marked the opening of some schools in Limpopo and the Western Cape, where teachers’ bungles led to the revocation of promotion of some grade 11 learners. In Limpopo, 11 grade 11 learners were affected, while in the Western Cape the number was 43.
Efforts to strengthen literacy and numeracy at South African schools received a major boost when the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Pretoria donated more than R69-million for a research programme spanning 2007 to 2011.
Marang Centre, a multimillion-rand maths and science facility based at the Wits education campus in Parktown, Johannesburg, is reaching out to students on the continent with its new academic research programmes.
Managements of most tertiary institutions dread the beginning of the academic year, as it is often accompanied by disturbing scenes of toyi-toying students.
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/ 28 February 2007
Nikiwe Bikitsha is one of very few talented female “newshounds” in the world of TV journalism. She is confident, eloquent and comes across as well-prepared and sussed about her subject matter. She was born in Cape Town but grew up in Umtata before the family moved back to Cape Town.