The September edition of the Teacher carried a cartoon critical of the Catholic bishops’ stance on condom use in the prevention of HIV/Aids. The HIV/Aids pandemic is an important and controversial subject that needs widespread public debate. On behalf of the National Union of Educators (NUE), however, I wish to express my strong disapproval of […]
JUSTIN ARENSTEIN reports POLICE arrested a 33-year-old senior education department typist on over 300 forgery charges on Wednesday in what is described as a “significant breakthrough” in Mpumalanga’s 1998 matric exam scandal. The arrest follows more than one-year of intensive forensic investigation into how officials fraudulently boosted the province’s average matric exam pass rate by […]
The future of history teaching came under sharp focus at the conference of the South African Society for History Teaching in Johannesburg The theme of the conference of the South African Society for History Teaching was on the future of history teaching in our schools. The tone was set by Rob Siebörger of the education […]
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/140506/shaik_icon_new.gif" align=left>"As all rivers must reach the sea, we have reached the sea," Judge Hillary Squires noted as state and defence counsel closed their arguments at the end of the marathon Schabir Shaik corruption trial. But it’s not quite over: the case must still traverse the flats of an acquittal or the roaring rapids of a conviction. No date for judgement has been set.
A range of electronic services set to improve communication The Western Cape Education Department launched a new website, WCED Online, last month, in time for the start of the fourth term. “Electronic communication has opened a window to whole, new world in education,” said the Western Cape’s MEC for Education, Helen Zille. “The WCED is […]
Coca-Cola has invested R3-million in a project that will make a significant contribution towards science and technology education Moving matter: The Coca-Cola mobile science labs can be moved from classroom to classroom as they are required Recognising that schools in previously disadvantaged communities have little to no essential learning resources, particularly in mathematics, science and […]
"This is what the French money has paid for!" jokes Deputy President Jacob Zuma, waving his hand over Oliver Tambo House, his official residence. In a rare interview Zuma spoke to <i>Mail & Guardian</i> reporter Vicki Robinson about a range of issues — but refused to be drawn on the Schabir Shaik trial.
Mathematics is the key to unlocking both the natural and economic wealth of this world, said Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena at the Sowetan, Telkom, Protec Mathematics and Science Teacher of the Year Awards. He said strategies to attract pupils to maths and science were crucial to the country’s success in developing its human […]
Burundi’s political leadership heads for Pretoria this week to consult with facilitator Deputy President Jacob Zuma over a constitutional logjam that has the major rebel group boycotting the interim government. The rift has got loud and nasty. Rebel leader-turned-politician Pierre Nkurunziza has accused interim President Domitien Ndayizeye of being "the biggest threat to peace in Burundi".
Educators from one of the country’s poorest provinces excel in maths and science contest For the second year running, an under-resourced, rural school in Northern Province has produced the winner of the Maths and Science Teacher of the Year Award. When Nelson Mphaga collected the prize at the Sowetan/Telkom Protec Awards, he was bubbling with […]
Only a strong education and training system with committed and excellent teachers can ensure South Africa becomes a caring society, with a thriving economy, according to President Thabo Mbeki. He was addressing finalists and guests at the National Teaching Awards late in October. Mbeki said the legacy of apartheid had created a number of social […]
When historian Dr Rob Turrell stuck his hand in the lens of an SABC team outside the Richtersveld land claim hearing last week, the manne set about mooting explanations for his pique. Vrot Snoek reckoned Turrell had been watching Indiana Jones flieks and just wanted to butch up his mousy profession a little. Dok Rabie put his money on agoraphobia.
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) forum launched in February this year by Minister of Education Kader Asmal continues to gain momentum, with a further conference due to be held later this month. President Thabo Mbeki underlined the importance of making a meaningful ICT intervention: “We must succeed within our own borders to bridge the […]
Teachers have a social and moral obligation to reclaim their profession and restore its dignity, according to Professor Jakes Gerwel, former academic and chairman of the Human Sciences Research Council Jakes Gerwel said that teachers need to reclaim their professional dignity in an address at a national teacher education conference in Midrand last month, pointing […]
Damelin gives learners a head start with In-school IT training When learners at Die Hoerskool Menlopark in Pretoria complete their studies they will leave the school with not one but two qualifications. Damelin Education Group has set up a computer centre which has been a resounding success, says Kobus Momberg, director of IT Training Solutions. […]
A new telescope opens up distant galaxies The new Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), rising from a Karoo koppie as a symbol of the new South Africa’s commitment to science and progress, has passed its first anniversary since groundbreaking. It will take South African scientists into realms they could only dream about before, starting the […]
Get the best of African science Science in Africa is Africa’s first online science magazine, dedicated to showcasing African science. The magazine was started in response to a need by the public for a deeper understanding of scientific issues of relevance to all Africans. The magazine is edited by South African scientists Janice Limson, a […]
The fashion-conscious owner of a burgled clothes shop said on Wednesday he helped to catch the man who robbed him after spotting the thief dressed in a criminally uncouth mix of stolen trousers and tops. "I couldn’t believe that this guy was wearing all the pinched stuff," said Neil Primett, who owns the Planet Clothing store in Bedford.
Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio has called morning rush-hour traffic on a heavily used highway leading into Lisbon a "daily tragedy" after he braved the motorway without his usual police escort, reports said on Thursday. It took the president 40 minutes to travel just 13km on the IC19 highway.
Bidding for Pope Benedict XVI’s old Volkswagen, on offer on eBay Germany, topped €100 000 (R772 000) on Thursday, 10 times the price the current owner paid for it. A few hours before the sale was set to close, the page on the internet auction website had registered 6,3-million hits.
Cellphones may be the fastest-growing technology seen to date in South Africa, yet more than 10 years after the cellular revolution began, full mobile commerce has not touched the lives of most cellphone users. A new study has found that consumer mobile commerce as a mature industry is still three to five years away.
Nedcor announced on Thursday that assuming exchange rates remain at current levels, the directors expect headline earnings per share for the six months to 30 June 2005 to be between 15% and 30% higher than the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) restated 245 cents per share.
Nozuko Quvana tackles life as a teacher in a remote rural area I was employed in May 1996 as a teacher in one of Port St Johns’ Schools. I was very proud and happy to find that I was now employed and my dreams of being a teacher were fulfilled. On the day of my […]
Millions of learners will be encouraged to take part in one of the most ambitious projects aimed at obtaining data on children in South Africa. Driven by Statistics South Africa (SSA) in collaboration with the Department of Education, CensusAtSchool will target learners from grades 3 to 12. SSA aims to get basic information from learners […]
William Shakespeare is long dead but his dramas continue to play out in the global stage and on the big screen Othello, Shakespeare’s classic tale of treachery and betrayal, will open on the big screen in South Africa next month with far greater relevance than the Bard could have imagined. The movie, O, is based […]
Name: Mavis Strachan Age: 72 Occupation: Teacher What subjects do you teach? I studied to teach junior primary. Currently I am teaching children from grades one to three the language enrichment programme. Describe a typical day at school I usually have only six to eight children in my classes. Our day consists mainly of remedial […]
Teaching is the nobelest of professions, said Deputy Minister of Education Mosibudi Mangena, while paying tribute to a great educator Speaking at Siyahlomula Secondary School in Pietermaritzburg last month, Mangena said teachers did not only impart knowledge to learners but helped navigate intellectual waters and mould the young morally and physically. “My teachers gave me […]
Minister of Education Kader Asmal is determined to make schools in South Africa safer. This is an excerpt from his speech at the launch of the Signposts for Safe Schools workbook in parliament There are certain fundamental principles without which we cannot give our children the education they deserve. We must provide a safe school […]
It is with disappointment that we took notice of the way in which your paper of September 2001 made the Christian religion an object of derision with the “joke” on page 23. Furthermore it is surprising that a paper, which takes such a strong stand against racism, does not hesitate to practise religious discrimination. Considering […]
Some 85 000 census takers (or enumerators) will take to the streets from Wednesday October 10 to gather information from approximately 10-million households across the country. Unlike most other statistical surveys, a census must gather information from every single member of society. According to Mpho Tsedu, Census 2001 training co-ordinator at Statistics SA, they will […]
When does the duty to protect children become a violation of their rights, asks Console Tleane The thorny issue of random drug testing at schools, publicised in media reports earlier this year, highlights the widespread use of narcotics and has raised several human rights issues. Were schools operating within their rights to test pupils for […]
After a long silence due to a busy schedule, Minister of Education Kader Asmal went online for the first time last month since November. His chat over the Web focused on racism and the proposed renaming of schools carrying the names of apartheid-era leaders. “You only abolish racism by attacking racism. This idea that in […]