In one of his first tasks since his appointment as MEC in charge of Education, Culture and Sport in KwaZulu-Natal, Lindumusa Gabriel Ndabandaba has begun proceedings to dismiss an educator who was absent from school for a long period claiming he feared for his safety. Ndabandaba said he will adopt a hard-line against educators who […]
The Eastern Cape finally seems to have come up with measures to improve education delivery. Julia Grey reports The steep learning curve that the Eastern Cape Department of Education has been struggling along may at last be leading to some stability, as weaknesses in the system are tackled in earnest. Efforts to weed out corruption […]
Important agreements reached last month in the Education Labour Relations Council promise to bring more stability to a profession that has long been plagued by insecurity. The four resolutions will have major implications for the most vulnerable in the teaching force, including temporary teachers and underqualified teachers. The main implications for the teaching profession are: […]
Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena has a lot on his plate, writes Edwin Naidu One of the strangest anomalies in South Africa, according to Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena, is that tertiary institutions are threatened by closure due to dwindling student numbers while construction of new jails is booming. “That’s a terrible reality. […]
M J Lee finally gives in to the computer age Some of us arrive later at modern technology than others. The elderly, familiar word-processor had just declared terminal illness, work was piling up all around, and there was no escape. I had to take that fateful step into the computer age. So here I was, […]
Fast-talking 5fm breakfast show host Mark Gillman does not have many fond memories of school, as Cheryl Naidu discovered Tell us a bit about your school days. Gosh, well I barely remember the name of my school. I was in a convent school. I went to schools in Cape Town and in Howick. What were […]
The University of Fort Hare is helping teachers to embrace change in the new curriculum, writes Julia Grey When the University of Fort Hare started its distance education project (UFHDEP) in 1997, a staggering 40% of 60 000 teachers in the Eastern Cape were not adequately qualified. Mark Evans of the UFHDEP believes the project […]
The blueprint to instil a strong sense of patriotism in the educators and learners of today, in order for them to become better citizens of tomorrow, was released late last month. Entitled Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy, the document encourages all South Africans to embrace the spirit of a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South […]
Despite having human rights-friendly laws relating to the protection of the youth, South Africa has failed to nurture its children, according to AndrŽ Keet of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). Unfortunately, Keet says, South Africa is still described as a nation that fails to nurture its children, particularly in a recent report issued […]
The community of an Eastern Cape school have worked miracles, writes Janette Bennett You won’t know you have found Sandi Senior Secondary School. There is no sign at the gate, and it looks like any other school in the deepest rural areas of South Africa. Like the others, Sandi, perched on a hill with a […]