On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate teachers and the central role they play in efforts to achieve quality education for all children. However, in many countries not all children have the opportunity to enter a classroom or gain basic literacy or numeracy skills, as there are simply not enough qualified teachers.

The word “innovation” has acquired special status in South Africa’s educational vocabulary since the introduction of the outcomes-based education in the late 1990s. Teachers, most of whom trained and taught during apartheid, have had to learn new rules of the game.

Michael Deibert sat down with Ivorian opposition leader Alassane Ouattara at the Rally of the Republicans’s headquarters in Abidjan earlier this month to get his opinions on the current state of the peace process ahead of presidential elections that many hope will take place in Côte d’Ivoire next year.

The phrase “Destination Durbanville” doesn’t exactly set one’s travel taste buds tingling — and a visit to Cape Town North hardly registers on the “must-do” list. But once the outrageous cost of accommodation in the Mother City has set your wallet shivering, the prospects for both look brighter.

Does Gems cover private hospitals? Can I use a doctor of my choice?
Yes, the Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) does cover treatment in private hospitals. Members on the Onyx, Emerald and Ruby options have access to any private hospital, while members on the Beryl option have access to a private hospital network. But members on the Sapphire option only have access to public hospitals.