Curriculum adviser EMILIA POTENZA answers questions from teachers about outcomes-based education (OBE) and Curriculum 2005. Q: How do you implement OBE when you are teaching combined classes, e.g. grade one and two together, etc. Our school is a three teacher school with classes from grade one to six. Which syllabus should I follow for a […]

CHARLES PERKEL, who is a consultant psychiatrist at Riverfield Lodge Drug and Alcohol Treatment Centre, addresses some commonly asked questions about alcohol and drug addiction Have you ever said or done something that you later regretted because you were drunk on alcohol or stoned on another substance? Have you ever neglected to do something, missed […]

WITH the memories (and scars) of apartheid still so strong, most of us flinch at notions of loyalty and nationhood. Loyalty to what? Should all South Africans share a common vision of this nation? A blind allegiance to a nation can be dangerous, not to mention insulting to our intelligence and ability to make independent […]

MAPHUMI Mkhonza (not her real name) dreamt of becoming a medical doctor one day. She came second in her grade 7 class last year, but she had little to be excited about because by then she already knew she was pregnant. Her father raped her repeatedly. Her immediate future was to sit at home and […]

Sexual abuse, rape and unwanted pregnancy are robbing young girls of an education and a future HORRIFIC stories of child abuse have surfaced in Driefontein, a community in Mpumalanga that made headlines during the apartheid era when residents refused to be moved to a black area. Driefontein has now become a village of shame. A […]

An East Coast radio DJ presents fun and educational science shows EVERY day at 9am East Coast Radio disc jockey Daryl Ilbury says goodbye to his one million Breakfast Show listeners, and goes off to what he considers his real job — presenting zany science shows to schoolchildren all over KwaZulu-Natal. ”I’ve always loved science […]

Bryanston High school has much soul-searching to do in the wake of a brutal incident that has highlighted racial tensions at the school. THE holidays came just in time for the rattled Bryanston High school community, but there is more work than usual waiting for everyone when they return next term. The soul-searching that the […]

While some say ‘we told you so’, few are against changing the curriculum ALL those 66 specific outcomes you drummed into your head — well, now you can forget about them. This is one of the recommendations of the Curriculum 2005 review committee that have been accepted by Minister of Education Kader Asmal. The only […]

Minister of Education Kader Asmal faces some opposition to his plan to phase out Curriculum 2005 IT has not been a smooth ride lately for Minister of Education Kader Asmal, who has come up against unexpected opposition from some quarters around the decision to phase out Curriculum 2005 and phase in a simpler, more content-heavy […]

Student action around the country shows the rising frustration of the youth. THE government is struggling to convince our youth that discussions with authorities are more effective in addressing their problems than the tried and tested method of mass action. In the latest development, the Gauteng branch of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) […]