But schools that have been carrying out such tests believe it’s the most proactive way to tackle the problem of drug abuse and the results they’re seeing show that it works. Being forced to abandon testing as part of their drug and alcohol policies has come as a severe blow to these schools. Aurora Private […]
According to provincial secretary for the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), Ndaba Gcwabaza, it was agreed with the provincial Department of Education and Culture on April 19 this year that 2 133 posts would be advertised on the open vacancy list. The open vacancy list is a list for newly qualified educators. However, Gcwabaza […]
A damning report from the provincial auditor general partly reinforces the allegations. The education department concedes that some of its employees have perpetrated ‘fraudulent practices”, but denies that these have any relation to the R700-million under the spotlight. This sum is at the centre of allegations levelled by the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu). […]
Twelve-year-old Noluthando Mahlathi-Zikalala is one of them. She introduces herself as Xebisa, ‘my ancestral name”. Although she looks 10, she behaves nothing like a usual child. She spends her time with a woman in her twenties whom she trains as a sangoma. When she’s not treating patients, she spends her time beading bracelets as she […]
Mpho Mavi* is a thin, timid boy with white sores that dimple his belly and back. The marks bear testimony to the torture he suffered, allegedly at the hands of his teacher, her husband and two other men. The 13-year-old boy claims he was sjambokked, hung by his feet, burnt and nearly drowned after his […]
stall of apples, nuts and other snacks had been looted by the hordes of learners that flooded Johannesburg’s streets. They were supporting a march organised by the Congress of South African Students. ‘We are not against the march. We want free education but the students must stop taking our stuff,” said Ndzamela. ‘They stole everything.” […]
The gloves are off in the clash between the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) and the ANC-aligned student organisation, the Congress of South African Students (Cosas). This follows an illegal march organised by Cosas through the streets of Johannesburg. Besides facing charges relating to holding an illegal march, Cosas may also face other criminal charges. […]
Like most South African teenagers, Koketso Mogongoa loves traditional ‘pap-en-vleis” and kwaito, but she’s been indulging in curry and ‘Bollywood” musicals in preparation for a three-year stint in India. Seventeen-year-old Mogongoa, from Lebowakgomo near Polokwane, is one of six Limpopo students awarded a bursary to study engineering, computer programming, and business administration at Punjab University […]
"Yes, we may at times be battered, but we are determined to strengthen our role in the alliance. There are different social and class forces in the ANC contesting its political and policy direction. These battles are far from over, contrary to what many critics think." On the eve of the tripartite alliance summit, Ebrahim Harvey quizzes Cosatu president Willie Madisha about jobs, growth and the future of the alliance.
South African teachers in England :call for participants in a research project Earning good money, the buzz of living in London, the undisciplined school children, the well-resourced schools… These are some of the messages that teachers in South Africa hear from their colleagues who are teaching in England. We don’t know how many South African […]