The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) said it will engage government and the Minister of Science, Higher Education &Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, to address the vaccination of the entire schooling sector.

Sadtu called for vaccination to be spread to as many people as possible including educators in the Early Childhood Development, Community Education & Training (CET) and Technical & Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sectors.

“While the NEC appreciates the progress the department of basic education vaccination programme has had, it cannot fully rejoice the vaccination programme when thousands of educators are not part of the programme.

“Vaccination needs to be spread to as many people as possible to mitigate the devastating effects of this pandemic to save lives and livelihoods,” said Sadtu General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke.

READ: 200 000 educators and staff vaccinated so far

The Sadtu meeting took place a few days after the country was placed under adjusted level 4. According to the Sadtu statement, the union met to “deliberate on organisational, educational, labour, socio-economic, political and international matters”.

The meeting was also on the eve of the early closure of schools for the winter break due to the escalating numbers of Covid-19 infections across the country.

Maluleke said the union will continuetofight vaccine nationalism. He said Sadtu will put pressure on government to look at getting the vaccine from Russia and Cuba following due processes led by science.

The general secretary said the Sadtu NEC also criticised the bureaucracy surrounding the distribution of vaccines across the country. He said the bureaucracy is the reason for the slow vaccination process.

“No one is safe until everyone is vaccinated,” said Maluleke.

READ: Teachers share mixed emotions about being vaccinated

He said the NEC also made calls for South Africa to invest in its own vaccine production capacity so that it can assist other African states as well.

“The South African government has led the charge jointly with India at the global stage for moving the whole world towards a TRIPS waiver for vaccine related Intellectual Property.

“Sadtu has been one of those loud voices consistently in support of the Copyright Amendment Bill which its importance was put to the fore by the discourse on the vaccine production related Intellectual Property,” said Maluleke.

He said the NEC also called on South Africa to invest in its own vaccine production capacity so that it can assist other African states. 

According to the African Development Bank, Africa produces less than 1% of its vaccines. This is especially worrying because the continent’s economic recovery is conditional on access to vaccines.

Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke out against vaccine nationalism by rich countries. He led calls for the waiver of intellectual rights for vaccines.

South Africa and India submitted proposals to the World Trade Organisation for a temporary waiver of certain aspects of intellectual property rights to ensure wider access to technologies to produce vaccines and medicines.

READ: Unions wait in bated breath for details on the vaccination of educators

Last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it was setting up a hub to share mRNA technology to produce the jab in Africa. The organisation said South Africa will establish the continent’s first Covid mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub.

Ramaphosa said the production of the mRNA vaccine in South Africa would help overcome the inequality in vaccine distribution on the continent, which is still struggling with severe shortages while developed countries hoard surpluses.

To help with the progress of vaccination, Sadtu suggested that schools – normally closer to communities – should be used as vaccination sites.

He said this can work well because schools were used when educators and staff in the education sector were vaccinated.

“And this happened with no hitches in the programme,” he said.

Maluleke said the untold damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, not only to education but to the economy as well, is significant. 

“The first 12 months of the various lockdown levels saw the loss of approximately 2.2 million jobs. The pandemic further exposed the disparities in our education system,” said Maluleke.

He added that this is why the Sadtu NEC has resolved to convene an education summit to chart the way forward for education during and post the pandemic.

“The summit will look at the disparities in the system, the new curriculum which will include robotics and the use of blended technology in education and their impact in the economy,” he said.

NOMBULELO MNCAYI|

Labour markets around the world are undergoing significant changes – particularly in non-tech sectors. South Africa hasn’t been spared from this wave of change. The country has high unemployment rates by global standards, both at national level and among the youth.

According to some theories, higher education leads to better labour market outcomes and improves future income through better career paths. But these theories have been criticised in countries with high rates of unemployment, where even graduates often struggle to find employment. It seems higher education is no longer a guarantee of a job.

In 2019, South Africa had the largest share of mismatched workers, with skills mismatches of more than 50% and the lowest productivity levels compared with 30 countries including India and Russia. Other studies have found the incidence of educational mismatch to be similarly high in South Africa. A quarter of the respondents were over-educated and 27% were under-educated for their occupations.

Yet many students continue to enrol for qualifications with low employment prospects. According to the 2019 Post-School Education and Training Monitoring report, between 2010 and 2016, the field of humanities accounted for the biggest share of graduations (6.6%). This was followed by science, engineering and technology, business management and education – with graduation rates of 5.5%, 5.2% and 1.8% respectively.

READ: Opinion: 2021 Youth Day celebrations? I’ll sit this one out

My research in South Africa suggests that a graduate’s pathway depends on their field of study. Studying the relationship between career choice and unemployment length revealed the most important factors affecting graduate unemployment were qualifications and majors. These didn’t appear to be aligned with labour market requirements. To achieve a better alignment, it’s also important to know why students are choosing to study subjects that aren’t in high demand.

Career choice and employment prospects

I surveyed a random selection of graduates aged under 35 who were alumni of one South African university. Most of the respondents had a degree in commerce (53%), followed by humanities (25%) and then science and education (both at 11%). Most – 88.8% – were employed.

The career category with the most unemployed respondents (23.1%) was human resources, industrial psychology and labour relations. About 15.4% of the unemployed graduates had majored in government or political studies. Another 15.4% had majored in accounting or finance and 11.5% in economics, psychology or sociology.

Human resources, industrial psychology, labour relations management, public management, public administration and politics remained the most popular majors. Yet, many graduates in these mainstream subjects had to wait for a long time before finding a job. In particular, the waiting period was longer for graduates who majored in public management, public administration and politics (about 19 months compared to the 10.5 months for graduates who majored in human resources, industrial psychology and labour relations). Accounting, maths, education and health graduates had the shortest average waiting periods.

Those majoring in mathematics, statistics and engineering took about seven months less to find a job than human resources and labour relations studies graduates. The latter group were unemployed for an average of 10.5 months. Accounting and financial management (maths-related) graduates took about three months after graduation to find a job. So did those who majored in language and communication.

Of the graduates who were employed, more than 70% were employed in a job relevant to their field of study, while around 27% were in jobs that didn’t relate directly to their studies. About half of the latter indicated that they were in a job requiring lower skills than those they had acquired during their studies – for example, a graduate with an accounting degree working as a cashier.

Of those who were unemployed, 80.8% were black graduates and only 19.2% white. And more than two-thirds of the respondents with humanities degrees were black.

The choice to study a particular discipline is affected by many factors, most of which are beyond the control of students, such as family background, schooling, race, higher education institution, employer perceptions and many others.

Skills and labour mismatch

The mismatches between educational achievements and job requirements give rise to under-employment – where an individual is employed in a job that is lower by some standard, be it working hours, income or skills and qualifications.

These mismatches and skills shortages have been pervasive. Some studies point to them as systemic and connected to many factors. These structural aspects are still prevalent more than two decades after the end of racial segregation in the country.

There’s a need to understand why students continue enrolling in non-critical courses. The focus needs to shift from skills demand to skills supply. The Labour Market Intelligence Partnerships project already indicates what employers want.

READ: Youth unemployment: Is the solution a change in mindset?

A focus on the supply side of the youth labour market – starting with the basic education curriculum – will ensure that graduates are adequately skilled to meet the needs of the labour market. Otherwise mismatches will continue to rise and be masked by increased access to higher education and low graduate unemployment rates.

Nombulelo Precious Mncayi is a lecturer and researcher at North-West University

9113 educators and support staff in Gauteng province have refused to be vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus.

Gauteng Education Department (GDE) MEC Panyaza Lesufi said reasons against vaccination include “the power of fake news”.

In an interview, Lesufi said the refusal to be vaccinated has caused great concern for the sector as some of the educators and staff refusing to be vaccinated have underlying comorbidities.

“It is quite clear from the reasons that have been provided that it is the power of fake news that have taken over some of our staff members.

“And it worries us especially when some of the educators fall in the trap and accept fake news as reality,” said Lesufi.

He added that South Africa is a democratic state and as such the use of the vaccine is not compulsory in this sector.

“It is a choice and as a department we will continue to persuade.

“We must ensure educators take responsibility because we need to protect our children and we need to protect the sector,” he said.

READ: DBE Covid-19 provincial vaccine rollout campaign

The Department of Basic Education announced its massive education sector vaccination programme last month. The drive aims to inoculate those who work in the sector to ensure learning is no longer disrupted.

According to the provincial department, about 57 000 educators (out of 124 934) in the province have been vaccinated at the 56 vaccination sites across the province.

Lesufi said the number of vaccinated personnel is expected to increase next week as delays in the capturing of educators and support staff from Schools Governing Bodies and independent schools have been resolved.

“It needs to be noted that the reluctance to vaccinate is a threat to the government’s efforts to normalise schooling during this disruptive pandemic.

This effectively threatens the academic year in its entirety,” said Lesufi.

Adding that educators were prioritised in this phase of vaccine rollout and as such, are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to avoid further disruptions and learning losses in the sector.

Lesufi said the provincial department is almost halfway in vaccinating all educators in the province, and they still have a week to conclude this task.

“We have no intention to request an extension from the minister of basic education or the minister of health. It would be selfish not to conclude the task within the allotted timeframe because there are others waiting to be vaccinated,” said Lesufi.

“We believe we will conclude the task before the 14 days given,” he said.

READ: 200 000 educators and staff vaccinated so far

Lesufi said the sector has gone through a very painful period and that taking the jab should minimise the pain, the frustration and anxiety within the sector.

“We will continue to persuade and hopefully, before the deadline comes, the majority of our educators and staff members would have changed their mind,” he said.

He said key stakeholders in the education sector including unions and SGBs have thrown in their support behind the vaccination programme.

“They are aware of the challenges that the virus has had on the provision of quality education to our children in Gauteng.

“Again, we urge those who are refusing to vaccinate to come forward and take the vaccination which millions across the world are seeking,” said the MEC.

READ: Unions welcome the closure of schools

The Department of Basic Education partnered with Microsoft to provide digital skills training to 25 000 unemployed youth in South Africa.

The partnership is as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) which, according to the department, created more than 300 000 job opportunities across the country.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshega said the initiative forms part of the broader announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa in October 2020 of a R100-billion fund to create 800 000 public sector jobs in the next three years.

Paddy Padayachee, Deputy Director-General and Project Owner at the Department of Basic Education (DBE) said by investing in digital skills development programmes, the department is empowering the country’s youth with critical skills and creating employment opportunities.

READ: DBE moves to digital

“As the South African government continues to ramp up investment as part of its goal to stimulate economic recovery and employment opportunities, the Department of Basic Education has committed to playing a key role in strengthening the teaching and learning environment in South African schools,” said Padayachee.

Padayachee said the department’s training programme in partnership with Microsoft will enable the unemployed youth to gain relevant digital skills as well as create employment opportunities for these youth as education assistants equipped to support teachers and learners.

He said the programme also ensures that the unemployed youth gain meaningful experience to improve their overall employability.

“This all ties in with government’s overall digital transformation journey and to develop the skills needed to meet the current and future requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,”  said Padayachee.

The training, which ran until the end of March 2021, combined virtual remote instructor-led training and self-paced online learning using Microsoft Teams.

READ: South Africa must close the digital divide prevalent in public schools

Padayachee said the programme equipped successful candidates identified by the individual provincial education departments with skills needed for their duties as education assistants to support teachers and learners in approximately 25 000 schools across the country.

“These skills include moving from the basics of digital literacy to using technology for learning and teaching, as well as an introductory course of coding.

“The eCadres were trained on how to work with computers, online tools to communicate and collaborate online, and to enhance teaching and deepen learning,” said Padayachee.

Adding that this also includes support and the transfer of skills to teachers in terms of remote training and learning, navigating e-course material and submitting online assessments.

Sikhumbuzo Ngcobo, Public Sector Director at Microsoft South Africa said digital skills are the backbone of the ability to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said these skills act as a driver of youth employment, education and broader economic growth in the country.

“This is why we actively work to collaborate with public and private sector partners to develop these critical capabilities where they are most in demand,” said Ngcobo.

Adding that partnering with government through our skills development programmes also supports their overall transformation journey by helping to create a strong pipeline of digital skills needed to navigate a rapidly evolving world.

According to Padayachee, the youth employment drive is working to improve teaching and learning in South African schools while simultaneously creating job opportunities for unemployed youth and passing on the skills needed by the country’s future workforce.

Padayachee said on successful completion of the digital skills training programme, eCadres have access to Microsoft Learn, an online learning platform where they can access interactive, hands-on learning paths, acquire new skills, and find certifications to advance their careers.

The QS 2021 Global EMBA Rankings have ranked the UCT Graduate School of Business’ EMBA programme number one in Africa and 51 in the world. According to the global rankings, this unique degree transforms executives by putting them into a better relationship with their lived experience to focus on solving the complex problems of our times.

The UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) has once again been ranked top in Africa for its Executive MBA programme according to the QS Global EMBA Rankings for 2021.

The school ranked 3rd in the region specifically for executive profile and 51st overall globally. It also climbed ten places to 42nd in the world for employer reputation, and six places to 43rd globally for diversity.

Dr Catherine Duggan, Director of the UCT GSB said the EMBA programme stands out globally for the value that it brings to students in helping them to understand and lead effectively in complex environments—as well as for the personal and professional growth that they experience in the programme.

Duggan said: “It’s great to see these rankings reflect what our students, alumni and corporate partners have been telling us: that the UCT GSB is one of the top business schools that employers look to, in Africa and around the world.”

READ: University Of Cape Town: UCT GSB’s MBA Programme Flies The Flag For Africa In Top Global Ranking

The prestigious QS ranking uses a methodology that combines input from thought leaders in business and management, assesses each business school’s reputation amongst academics and global employers, and takes the demographics of the EMBA cohort and other programme-specific indicators into account.

The Financial Times also ranks the UCT GSB as the number one African Business School for both its EMBA and Global MBA programmes. In addition, the school’s award-winning Customised Executive Education offering was ranked top in South Africa by the Financial Times in 2020.

According to Duggan, rhe UCT GSB’s EMBA programme is one of the fastest growing postgraduate degrees at UCT and is known for its focus on the practice of management and leadership rather than a traditional training in business functions. The programme provides reflective strategies and practical insight and tools to builds students’ capacities to work productively with disharmony and complexity that come standard in the world of business today.

READ: SA universities fall in global rankings

Kosheek Sewchurran, director of the EMBA programme at the UCT GSB said that in a complex world, leaders need more than knowledge to act with wisdom.

“They need the courage of their convictions and an ability to think integratively.

“If ever there was a time to turn to a different form of logic it is now,” said Sewchurran.

Adding that as the world braces for the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, business schools must go beyond offering courses on what to do and help orient leaders in how to do it.

“As business schools we need therefore to find ways to allow leaders to experience new ways of being, doing and knowing, so that they pursue new options and new choices while uncovering and working with paradox and tensions,” said Sewchurran.

Globally, HEC Paris ranks first followed by Wharton Business school, and IESE at the second and third spots, respectively. QS added an additional 35 EMBA programmes to the ranking, evaluating a total of 176 EMBA programmes from around the world.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, CEO and Founder at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, said the organisation had found no evidence of a slowdown in demand for the Executive MBA.

“On the contrary, average enrolments decreased over the last application cycle, while application numbers increased by 14%,” he said.

“With compensation for Executive MBA graduates also remaining robust, it is clear that employers continue to place a premium on the unique skillsets and experiences offered by the qualification.”

RIYAADH EBRAHIM|

President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined a number of measures to address the burning issue of unemployment, particularly among young people. With South Africa’s unemployment rate rising to a record 32.6% in the first quarter of 2021, social investment from the private sector can play an important role in what seems like an almost insurmountable challenge.

Unemployment in South Africa is a systemic issue, and there are two elephants in the room that need to be addressed — the structure of the economy and education.

From a funding perspective, most funders are interested in addressing the education component, because that is the “easier” option, but without addressing the systemic issues in the economy, the struggle to address unemployment will continue unabated.

Funding into training might seem like a step in the right direction when it comes to supporting the education side of unemployment, but this is problematic as this funding does not always address education at the systemic levels. An example of this is funders putting resources into “training” people to run businesses and issuing bursaries, but not addressing key issues such as literacy and numeracy, a problem from the foundation phase of education.

The net result is that we tend to have a lot of funds going into programmes that are trying to develop young people into employment, but there are either no jobs available for them once they graduate, or they are not graduating from various programmes with the necessary skills.

READ: Ramaphosa has no plausible strategy for reducing youth unemployment

Another important consideration to factor into any education and employment support funding is how the Fourth Industrial Revolution will affect jobs.

The reality is that more jobs are going to emerge over the next decade which will in all likelihood require higher technical proficiencies. This will only exacerbate the problem that South Africa and many developing economies face, with school leavers not having enough of a background for the development of these proficiencies.

Digital inclusivity is also essential, especially as we look to develop more people into the gig economy. How do we as social investors bring more young people into the digital economy as active participants and not only technology recipients? What is needed is a reassessment of what skills we deem necessary. For social investors it is imperative that they try to match the output to the skill sets, link earlier school-based investments to post-school development, so that we begin to develop pockets of excellence through various cohorts.

Because the structure of the economy and education will never be changed by social investments alone, social investors need to adopt a more pragmatic approach to investing in employment creation. What is needed is the tempering of expectations and localising of efforts.

Instead of funding a programme from which thousands of young people hope to graduate and be employed, certain strategic investments could build and develop local economies. This could include investing in a very small local economy that produces a “space” where 10 start-up businesses can thrive.

While many of these changes are needed in the long term, the greatest paradigm shift that is needed is moving the social investment from breadth to depth. While this may sound counterintuitive, we should not be aiming to reach as many people as possible. Rather, we need to be creating jobs, businesses and industries that are as sustainable as possible.

This will develop local economies that will develop new markets that will have a multiplier effect on absorbing more people into the greater economy. Also, with the use of technology, the “local economies” will not only have to remain geographical, but will be able to broaden their reach, once they have been initially contained and somewhat protected.

READ: Youth unemployment: Is the solution a change in mindset?

The support of small business is absolutely essential. We desperately need to be putting cash into building small businesses and their immediate markets, as opposed to the funding of training or any other resources. 

We need to jump-start certain industries with market-creation techniques through direct investment before leaving the business to contend with the open market. Types of interventions here could include rent relief, loan sureties and better supply-chain integration.

Attracting impact investments into this space could also have an enormous benefit, specifically if we use high-risk social investments that do not require returns, to lower the risk for impact investors.

Riyaadh Ebrahim is a Social Investment Specialist at Tshikululu Social Investments

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande on Wednesday said 170 000 devices were ordered by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) from an appointed service provider.

He said of these, 90 060 had already arrived in the country and were ready for distribution. 

Nzimande was addressing the media on the department’s plans for post-school education and training (PSET) institutions on Wednesday following the country’s move to Adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown.

Nzimande said the remaining number of devices was expected to arrive in mid-July and September.

Nzimande asked universities to promptly confirm the student’s details with the service provider in order to deliver the laptop.

He said universities should contact NSFAS to ensure they verify their student information so that NSFAS-funded students can receive laptops.

“To date, university student information as per the NSFAS portal has been slow due to universities not timeously verifying student details on the NSFAS portal. 

“A total of 1 846 students’ information has been shared with the provider, of which 1 123 has been delivered to four universities, namely the University of Pretoria, University of Free State, Durban University of Technology and the University of Mpumalanga,” Nzimande said.

“I call upon our universities to contact NSFAS through the NSFAS portal to ensure that they verify their students’ information. It is important that universities prioritise this task urgently,” Nzimande said.

READ: Nzimande on student debt, financial exclusions and infrastructure backlogs

The minister said Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students do not need to order via the NSFAS portal. He said that Nsfas will, however, prioritise the TVET students for delivery.

“A total TVET listing of 46 846 has recently been shared with the provider for delivery. The provider will contact these students to arrange for delivery as campuses are currently closed. Of the 46 846, a total of 183 has been delivered to South Cape TVET College and 86 for Central Johannesburg TVET,” Nzimande said.

On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country las been moved to Adjusted Alert Level 4 following the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus spreading quickly across the country, particularly in Gauteng.

In his speech, Ramaphosa indicated that new curfews are in place (9pm to 4am), that there are further restrictions on movement, both within and beyond the province, and that there are implications for students and employees, amongst other matters.

This has implications for the teaching and learning programme, and assessments in particular, 

Nzimande said that in terms of the Adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown, the universities do not officially close but all face-to-face teaching and examinations must halt for the next two-week period.

He said during this period, learning will shift exclusively to online learning for all students.

“Residences will remain open, as it is also not safe for students to travel back home at this time, and it is necessary for students to retain access to campus and residence-based Wi-Fi.

“However, universities need to continue to manage residences according to the necessary health and safety protocols, as outlined in the directions and in line with protocols developed by higher health,” Nzimande said.

READ: Nzimande clarifies NSFAS funding criteria

The minister urged that as many staff as possible who can do so, should work from home.

He said the sector will continue to be guided by the 29 March 2021 directions and the 27 June Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs regulations.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi was cleared in the controversial R30 million tender that was reported he influenced in 2020.

This was said by Deputy Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka on Wednesday during a media briefing on the release of 16 investigative reports.

Gcaleka said even though the contract was irregularly awarded, they found nothing wrong with how Lesufi awarded the tender.

Gcaleka said the allegations that Lesufi unduly influenced the award the R30 million tender to IN2IT was “found to be unsubstantiated”.

“There is no evidence indicating that Lesufi was involved in any procurement process of the SOC [Security Operations Centre] tender or that he disregarded the provisions of the code of conduct for members of the provincial executive council.”

“The investigation revealed that e-Gov advertised and awarded the SOC tender to IN2IT without following proper procurement processes and this constituted improper conduct and maladministration,” said Gcaleka .

Adding that those responsible for awarding the tender should be subjected to disciplinary action.

READ: SIU freezes accounts of decontamination companies contracted by GDE

“The provincial MEC of finance and e-government must ensure that Cyril Baloyi, the departmental head, conducts training in respect of all the executive officials of e-gov and officials involved in supply chain processes. This must happen within 30 working days of the report.

“Baloyi must also institute disciplinary steps against Mr Muthivhi for advising IN2IT of the tender award before a letter of appointment was issued and the contract signed by e-gov and IT2IT and against Ms Koyana for failing to follow supply chain processes in that she evaluated only two request for quotations on her own, outside the prescribed supply-chain management policy,” said Gcaleka.

In response Lesufi said: “I just hope those who insulted me and even laid a criminal case with the police will do the honourable thing”.

Lesufi was accused by Anton Alberts of the Freedom Front Plus of influencing the awarding of a tender to IN2IT Technologies.

The complaint was laid back in 2020 when the Gauteng finance and e-government department irregularly awarded a contract to IN2IT Technologies.

Lesufi did not come out unscathed from this matter with some saying there is no way he cannot know of a R30 million tender from his department, as well as the R431 million tender current under investigation by the country’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

The department has been under fire since earlier investigations revealed that it had spent R431 million on decontaminating schools between June and August last year.

That investigation further established that there was no need to decontaminate the schools as they were not occupied for months because learners were at home during the hard lockdown. 

The SIU has said that the seven companies were irregularly appointed along with over 200 others. 

To this the MEC said, “Let us wait for the SIU report”.

READ: SIU freezes more bank accounts of companies linked to the GP department of education tender for sanitizing schools