The launching of the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad) and targets set by the African Renaissance project have direct implications for education and training in South Africa and on the African continent. Both of them aim to put Africa at the cutting edge of global development in this century. To achieve this aim, Africa’s […]
Statistics say that 26 000 children are physically and sexually abused every month. According to the South African National Council for Child Welfare (SANCCW), 60% of abuse cases take place within the child’s family and community. It’s time to become activists on behalf of children. As teachers, you are in a position to contribute to […]
The first time I lit a cigarette and dragged the smoke into my lungs I was a 13-year-old schoolgirl with an idea that I must try something forbidden. Thirteen years later I was still smoking. I always knew that smoking can cause lung cancer but I felt immortal and thought: ‘Oh well, 50 is a […]
This is the first in a series of fact-filled health columns that will touch on many issues affecting the health of students. Our living organism operates on four levels: the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical. At school it is essential to ensure that all these levels are balanced because a deficit in one affects all […]
We received a letter from Isaac Mashabe of Motherwell, Port Elizabeth. He writes that HIV/Aids is a punishment from God because pastors of some African churches give their own image to followers who pray before them. ‘God became angry and poured HIV/Aids and other bad diseases at the world. You must go to these bishops […]
Q: Dear Charlene I teach Grade 11 and 12 children and our school has decided to start an Aids programme. But we need a brief explanation of Aids, what to do to prevent it, and how to live with it. Could you help us? – Q Karim, Durban A: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) is […]
I have been teaching various grades at my primary school for the past four years, so it was only recently that I had my first opportunity to attend a workshop on outcomes-based education (OBE) for Grade 6. What an experience! The eight learning areas were each covered in workshops over eight days. We easily met […]
I attended a workshop on HIV/Aids awareness for primary schools recently with other educators in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. The room was filled with an eager bunch, full of life and ready to face the reality of this pandemic in our country. But I detected a very relevant fear from the educators about this kind […]
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has embarked on a drive to educate parents about their rights regarding the education of their children and to ensure that pupils spend more time in school. These issues were highlighted at the launch of the Parents’ Educational Rights programme in May. According to Gauteng MEC for Education, Ignatius […]
There wasn’t a moment when Lisa Harding didn’t fear that her teenage son, Joshua, would be brought home in a body bag. Sometimes she even prayed that he would. ‘His sickness infected the whole family,” she says. ‘I didn’t understand what had caused it or how to stop it. I felt helpless and guilty and […]