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/ 13 May 2005

Gauteng prosecutes parents for truancy

The Gauteng Department of Education has charged a parent with failing to ensure that her child attends school. A PARENT in Pretoria (whose name has been withheld) has been charged by the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) for failing to make sure her child attended school. GDE representative Lebelo Maloka says that the child’s continued […]

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/ 13 May 2005

A, B, C Guide

TINA-LOUISE SMITH reviews the Illustrated School Dictionary for Southern Africa (Francolin, R29,95) HMM, I enjoy dictionaries and this one is no exception. The design is colourful and well-spaced. Guide words at the top of each page are big and make for quick referencing. The style of entries is explained with examples at the beginning to […]

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/ 13 May 2005

More creative reading

TINA-LOUISE SMITH reviews Refreshing Reading: Six Workshops for Teachers, Lecturers and Students Involved in the Teaching of Reading by Eleanor Russell (Macmillan, R31,35) THE aim of Refreshing Reading is to get teachers to get to grips with the process of reading and so facilitate change in the way we teach reading. The six units of […]

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/ 13 May 2005

Novels encourage empathy

TINA-LOUISE SMITH reviews two novels for young readers: The Bughouse by Lesley Milne (David Philip Publishers, R33,95) and The Girl Who Wanted to Be an Actress by Chris van Wyk (Maskew Miller Longman, R21,99) THE Bughouse is 140 pages of compelling reading. The bright cover and paperback presentation promise an interesting journey. Set in present-day […]

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/ 13 May 2005

New and macro challenges

Curriculum adviser EMILIA POTENZA answers questions from teachers about outcomes-based education (OBE) and Curriculum 2005. Q: I am a grade 7 teacher trying to implement the new Learning Areas, but the completely new Learning Areas like Economics and Management Sciences, Technology and Arts and Culture are causing problems. Most of our staff don’t feel confident […]

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/ 13 May 2005

Laying blame

Editorial: PHILIPPA GARSON IT’S a relief to see that education is at last being treated as the national crisis that it is. Steadily dwindling matric pass rates, exemption rates and university enrolments year after year are proof that, beneath the sheen of grand policies, our education system is a very sick animal indeed. Minister of […]

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/ 13 May 2005

Breaking with tradition

At a private school pupils have helped design their own casual uniforms. PUPILS at Theodor Herzl High in Port Elizabeth started the new millennium with an injection of freshness — Debbie Casalin came to school in stylish dark denims and a navy blue T-shirt, Valyn Kaplan preferred the navy shorts with the skirt overlay and […]

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/ 13 May 2005

Working the System

Efforts to promote maths and science have not been wholly successful. AFTER the failure of a key initiative to improve maths and science performances, the search for the winning formula continues. In 1994, educationalists within the Mass Democratic Movement successfully lobbied the National Education Department to establish a project called Students and Youth into Science, […]

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/ 13 May 2005

Nostalgic school days

Marguerite Poland’s new novel Iron Love is set at St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown. TWO years ago, Marguerite Poland and I were sitting at school desks in a classroom at St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown. ”My great-grandfather (an alumnus of the school) would have a fit if he could see me here!” she murmured, conscious of the […]

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/ 13 May 2005

One people, many different worlds

The oldest culture in Southern Africa faces huge changes if it’s to survive LOOKING like odd anthills, the hundreds of dark brown army tents set up between the scraps of bush and vast stretches of dusty nothing add to the outlandish appearance of this harsh Northern Cape area. This is a tent-town called Schmidtsdrift. It […]