GATHERED under the hot sun, dozens of women danced and sang in jubilation as children from the village of Salima, in central Malawi, started their first day at their new 3D-printed school, which had been built from the ground up in only 15 hours.

Made of concrete placed layer by layer through a computer-controlled nozzle, the school is made up of a single room with rounded corners and is big enough to accommodate 50 students.

Olipa Elisa said her 10-year-old son used to have to hike 5km every day to the nearest school, often arriving late and exhausted.

“I am very excited that we now have a school closer to my home, and my child will not have to take the long journey,” said Elisa, 38. “What we need is more of these learning blocks to accommodate other classes.”

Run by 14Trees, a joint venture between Swiss cement manufacturer LafargeHolcim and British development finance agency CDC Group, the project was faster, cheaper and less energy-intensive than conventional construction, said 14Trees MD Francois Perrot.

Its success shows how 3D printing could be transformative in Africa, where there is a dire shortage of classroom space, he said.

The UN children’s agency Unicef estimates there is a shortfall of 36,000 primary school classrooms in Malawi alone, a gap that Perrot estimates could be closed in 10 years using 3D-printing technology.

“Based on our calculations, if we rely on conventional methods it would take about 70 years to clear that backlog,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an email.

Large-scale 3D printing is gaining steam around the world, with some projects producing a home in just 24 hours of printing time for a few thousand dollars.

By the time 14Trees had built the Salima school — which the company says is the first 3D-printed school in Malawi — it had already printed the walls of a prototype house in the capital Lilongwe in just 12 hours, compared to almost four days using conventional methods.

As well as cutting the time it takes to build a structure, 3D printing also reduces the quantity of materials needed and the amount of carbon emissions produced by up to 70% compared with conventional methods, said Perrot.

As an example of the potential cost savings, he pointed to the “ink”, a dry mixture of cement, sand and additives that is mixed with water to form the concrete used to print the walls.

Perrot said that ink could be made in Malawi instead of being imported, as it was for the pilot school project.

“Manufacturing the ink on the ground will dramatically reduce the cost of the building for buyers and create local jobs in manufacturing,” he said.

“We (also) now have an indigenous Malawian team fully trained to operate the printer.”

‘Double disadvantage’

Limbani Nsapato, country director for Edukans, an international development organisation focused on education, said the shortage of classrooms in Africa is an urgent but overlooked issue.

The average ratio of pupils to teachers in Africa is 40-to-one, he said, but with only about 47,000 classrooms for nearly 5,420,000 students, the ratio in Malawi is closer to 115-to-one.

Overcrowded classrooms lead to poor quality of education because teachers find it difficult to engage with every student in a class, he said.

To accommodate their large numbers of students, many schools move classes outside, but when the weather is bad, classes are often cancelled, Nsapato explained.

“Pupils who live far from school have a double disadvantage because apart from getting (stuck) in congested traffic, they also have to face the challenge of covering long distances, which makes them late for class,” he added.

“This makes them arrive at school tired, leading to poor concentration. Such students often drop out or repeat classes because of poor performance.”

Another company trying to solve that problem is Studio Mortazavi, a global architectural firm that has designed a 3D-printed school in Fianarantsoa, a city in southern Madagascar, for the US non-profit Thinking Huts.

The school, which is due to be built next year, will be made of concrete and locally sourced construction materials and powered by solar energy, said Amir Mortazavi, founder of Studio Mortazavi.

The project will comprise several pods that can serve different functions, including as classrooms, science labs and dance studios.

Maggie Grout, founder and CEO of Thinking Huts, which is also working with 14Trees on the Madagascar school project, said 3D printing should make the project scalable while keeping down carbon emissions.

But first, the organisation has to make sure it can get the printer to the remote rural areas where classrooms are most needed, so it is currently working on streamlining the printing process on a university campus in Madagascar, she said.

“Once we launch the first school and more people know about our vision, we hope to conceptualise a new printer that is specifically created to be more easily transported to the communities we work together with,” Grout said in an email.

Cost

Catherine Sani, head of the Malawi Institute of Architects, worries that 3D printing may not be the cost-saving solution it is being touted as.

“Given our gross need for quick classrooms, this would indeed seem like a good option given the speed in production,” she said.

“However, we also note (that) this method is quick on a single site, but for multiple sites more 3D-printing equipment would be required, thus making this system very high-cost compared to other methods.”

As companies work on making 3D printing more portable and affordable, Tom Bowden, a trustee for Britain-based charity Building Malawi, said the technology holds promise in parts of the world where lack of funding can often stall or kill essential infrastructure projects.

His organisation builds schools, libraries and sports facilities which are operated by Malawian organisations.

Using earth bag construction or bricks and mortar, it costs about $20,000 to build a double classroom, Bowden said.

“The costs are high, we really can’t find cheaper solutions for the concrete floors, iron sheet roof and metal window frames (and) our build process takes about 10 weeks, depending on the specifications,” he said.

Given all of those issues, “3D printing sounds interesting,” he said.

* Reuters

THE Northern Cape Department of Education is experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in schools, as the province continues to be hit by rising cases.

According to a statement released on Sunday, the department recorded 526 new COVID-19 infections, which includes 54 educators, 439 learners and 33 support staff.

“There was a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections in schools compared to the previous three weeks,” the provincial department said.

In addition, there are currently eight schools that are closed to allow for contact tracing and disinfection of the school premises.

The department said five of these schools are scheduled to reopen on Monday.

“The pandemic is causing major disruptions in the education sector and the department is deeply concerned about the loss of learning and teaching time.”

The department said the district offices have since developed curriculum recovery plans for those schools directly affected by the pandemic.

The department is also running weekend lock-in and Saturday classes to support the Matric Class of 2021.

“This places an increased strain on our educators, learners, and support staff at schools to ensure that the trimmed curriculum is fully covered and learners are well prepared for the end of year examinations.”

The department said it was doing its utmost best to support all educators and learners during these difficult times.

“We are all in this together, working under tremendous pressure and we will succeed if we continue to work together. Our school communities play a pivotal role to support the schools in their respective communities and we urge all to adhere to the COVID-19 regulations at all times. Let us support the Class of 2021,” the department added.

The province recorded 488 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which pushes the cumulative infections to 76 726. – SAnews.gov.za

AS the country celebrates women delivering incredible achievements in their respective fields in August, this year also marks the year of celebrating Charlotte Maxeke, a black female science graduate who would have been 150 years old.

With that said, it is therefore only befitting that light be shed on where South Africa stands in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, globally and on the continent.

According to the Florida Department of Education, STEM education is the deliberate combination of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics which offers students a hands-on approach to prepare them for a world which needs more researchers, engineers, computer scientists, and other professionals from the top STEM fields.

South Africa may be appearing to be below the international average accumulating only 30% of women pursuing a career in stem field however the country is still leading in Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to UNESCO, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for about 28% of women in STEM careers.

Having the highest portion of female graduates in Sub-Saharan Africa at 32%, and even more female ICT graduates, at 38%, according to a recent report.

This has presented an incredible opportunity to share stories of incredible women defying the norm and taking a seat at the table in a male dominated industry.

Ndoni Mcunu (30) grew up in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and studied Environmental Sciences, Mcunu is a researcher whose main focus is climate change, agriculture, biodiversity. She is currently pursuing a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) at the Global Change Institute at Witwatersrand University in South Africa, and is also a Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Black Women in Science (BWIS), a non-profit organisation which aims to deliver capacity development interventions targeting young black women scientists and researchers.

When asked what is the most important message she wants to send to young women considering a career in STEM? Her response was simple: “Aim to be the most well-informed professional in the room.

Take time to improve the skills and the knowledge to get you at a professional level. Don’t put too much emphasis on the fact that there is not enough of us, but rather, on what expertise you need to stand out and to stay in.  The glass ceiling can be broken by gaining skills and expert knowledge” said Mcunu.

Named Africa’s youngest brain surgeon at the age of 29 in 2017, Dr Ncumisa Jilata from Umtata in the Eastern Cape, graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), from Umtata’s Walter Sisulu University in 2009.

In 2017 she completed her fellowship with the Council of Neurosurgeons of South Africa and officially earned her title as one of five black South African women in the field – and the youngest neurosurgeon on the continent.

She is an expert in her field, treating everything from brain tumors to the effects of stroke.

She also addresses issues related to the nervous system, including degenerative issues of the spine.

As exciting as it is for her to be in the midst of the few female neurosurgeons, she has put her efforts behind bridging the gap in percentages of men versus women in the field.

Her desire is to have foundation that will assist her to share her services and knowledge about the neuro field with the disadvantaged.

Recognised as one of South Africa’s women breaking barriers, her life story truly embodies persistence, bravery and the importance of education.

 

FEES Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile has been arrested by the Hawks in connection with the recent civil unrest and pro-Zuma riots in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

The Hawks did not confirm his identity at the time, but released a statement confirming they arrested a 31-year-old man in Johannesburg.

“It is alleged that the suspect was involved in the incitement of public violence through social media and other platforms during the period of unrest in KwaZulu-Natal. He was arrested at one of the higher learning institutions in Johannesburg and was escorted to KwaZulu-Natal where he was detained,” spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said in a statement on Friday.

Khanyile is due to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The 31-year-old is suspected to have been one of the people who incited public violence during the unrest.

It’s understood that Khanyile was arrested in Johannesburg and transported to KwaZulu-Natal, where he is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s court on Monday.

The former Durban University of Technology student was arrested during the #FeesMustFall protests and charged on eight counts including public violence and inciting violence. 

In January 2019, Khanyile was sentenced to three years under house arrest and a R5,000 fine.

He must also undergo community service every month and refrain from taking intoxicating substances.

The court heard that Khanyile had been accepted to study towards a master’s degree in public management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 

Inside Education

EAST London police have arrested a 25-year-old man after the body parts of a 23-year-old woman were found in a suitcase and two black bags.

The victim is believed to be a Fort Hare law student from the University’s East London campus.

These fears were confirmed on Thursday afternoon when Fort Hare issued a statement about her death.

A spokesperson JP Roodt says a delegation from the University will travel with police to inform the next of kin.

The gruesome discovery was made on Thursday morning when a police patrol was alerted by a motorist to the suitcase and a black bag, which were found on the corners of Fleet Street and Fitzpatrick Road.

Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana says that while on the scene, police received information about the suspect who was arrested in Quigney by members of SAPS Crime Intelligence.

Brigadier Kinana says further investigations led to a house where the two had lived for several years, and where another plastic bag containing more body parts was found.

Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga, has strongly condemned the murder.

The suspect faces a charge of murder and is expected to appear in court on Friday.

The University Fort Hare confirmed that the victim was one of their Law students who resided off-campus in a private residence in East London.

CHILDREN from countries under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have petitioned their Heads of State and Government, pressing them to urgently remove barriers to the attainment of their aspirations.

Reading the children’s communique during the 41st SADC Ordinary Summit for Heads of State and government, the children’s representative, 16-year-old Victoria Ganamba, challenged that SADC 2050 Vision cannot be realized unless the Heads of State and Government uphold children’s rights.

The children prepared the communique under the banner of Joining Forces, which is an alliance of the six largest child-focused international non-governmental organizations.

The organizations include Save the Children International, Plan International, SOS Children’s Village, Child Fund Alliance, World Vision International and Tere des Homes.

Victoria, who is also the Speaker of Children’s Parliament in Mwanza, further demanded that SADC should find a lasting solution to child trafficking, child abuse and violation of children’s rights including the right to education.

“SADC should put strong measures in place to put to an end these child rights violations. Child trafficking and all forms of child rights violations deny children opportunities for appropriate education and development. SADC should reaffirm its commitment and put in place strong measures towards ending child marriage. Child marriage undermines the contribution of girls to the overall national development and economic growth of their countries and the realisation of the SADC 2050 agenda,” she said.

Victoria further tasked SADC to demonstrate leadership by recognising climate change risks and take appropriate policy responses, stressing that millions of children are living in flood and high drought zones.

She said evidence is abundant to suggest that unless action is taken, such occurrences will continue to increase in the future posing threats to a generation of children, including risks to school disruption.

Victoria called upon SADC, among others, to ensure trees are replaced and to put in place legislation to reduce use of charcoal in order to make the environment clean and safe for the people to use.

“Poisonous chemicals must also be avoided when fishing. Governments must also put laws by showing their political will to ensure there is promotion of cheaper gas and solar products to reduce poisonous gas emissions. SADC should embrace policy that maximised inclusion. Children with disabilities face multiple deprivations and are most disadvantaged. They face increased exposure to abuse and have minimal access to social services, affecting their ability to reach their full potential,” she emphasized. 

The Stella Maris Catholic Secondary School student further asked SADC leadership to envision and take positive steps towards creating a region where all children, boys and girls can hold diverse hopes and dreams for their future and have equal opportunity to make these come true.

She said there is overwhelming evidence that girls drop out of school more than boys as sexual and gender based violence disproportionately affects girls.

She called on governments to put in place strong measures that promote gender equality and to the meet commitment of allocating at least 15% of their national budget towards eradication of imbalances by creating more space for civic education on gender equality in all places.

“SADC should embrace policy that address the plight of child refugees. Child refugees in the region have poor access to education and other social services, are at a greater risk of malnutrition, face greater risks to their safety and well-being,” concluded Victoria.

Save the Children International Senior Technical Advisor on Policy and Advocacy and Government Relations, John Chipeta, said the role of the alliance was to amplify the voices of the children so that their voices are heard.

Chipeta expressed hope that the SADC Heads of State and Government would pay a listening ear to the lamentations of the children in the region.

* Agencies

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) plans to cancel the October holiday period for schools in South Africa to help make up for lost teaching time.

Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said that the department was holding talks with partners about the planned change on Tuesday morning (17 August). He added that an announcement on any planned changes would be made shortly.

Under the current 2021 school calendar, government school students are on holiday from 1 October until 11 October. Scrapping this holiday would give students an additional week of teaching time from 4-8 October.

All schools reopened on 26 July as part of the country’s move to an adjusted level 3 lockdown after a month-long level 4 lockdown.

While the education department shifted the June holidays to accommodate the closure, students still lost five teaching days over the period, which the October change will now pay up.

This comes after the lockdown caused severe teaching disruptions for much of 2020 and at the start of 2021.

Primary school students in South Africa returned to full-time teaching for more than a year on 2 August for the first time.

Since South Africa first introduced Covid-19 lockdown restrictions at the end of March 2020, most students have been learning in a ‘shift system’ – with a large amount of course work being done at home to encourage social distancing.

Unions opposed

Teachers unions have already opposed the change, saying that the government did not consult them on the new timetable.

The SA Onderwysers Unie (SAOU) said that it has received communication from the DBE that the following changes will take place:

That the five days from 4 to 8 October 2021 must be utilised to compensate for the lost school days;The third and fourth terms will be separated by a long weekend by declaring 23 September 2021 as a school holiday.

“The absolute fixation to insist on the normal 200 school days per annum despite the fact that the world is experiencing an extraordinary period as a result of the Covid pandemic makes no sense whatsoever,” the SAOU said.

The union said that many educators and parents have also incurred financial expenses for the October holidays.

Lost time 

According to data from the latest National Income Dynamics Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey, the impact of disrupted education since the Covid-19 outbreak has been devastating, with learners between 75% and a full school year behind where they should be, according to data from the latest National Income Dynamics Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM).

Rotational attendance, sporadic school closures and days off for specific grades have resulted in school children losing 54% of learning time.

Some 400,000 to 500,000 learners have reportedly also dropped out of school altogether over the past 16 months.

This is most likely for children living in informal urban and rural settings, with household poverty also playing a critical role. The total number of out of school children is now up to 750,000, said UNICEF South Africa.

“The reality is that South Africa cannot afford to lose another learner or another hour of learning time,” said Christine Muhigana, UNICEF South Africa representative. “It is urgent that we get every child back into the classroom, safely, now.”

Being out of school leads to learning loss and mental distress, exposure to violence and abuse, missed school-based meals and reduced development of social skills.

In the longer term, the skills needed to transition into working lives will be affected. Evidence shows that when children are out of school, women are twice as likely to take on childcare responsibilities, affecting their ability to work or search for work.

* Business Tech

GAUTENG schools have become soft targets for organised crime syndicates dealing in information and communication technology (ICT) equipment and scrap metal collectors.

This was revealed on Friday by the provincial Department of Education to a delegation of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and the Select Committee on Education, Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture following oversight visits to schools damaged during last month’s public unrest and pro-Zuma riots in the province.

In a statement, the committees heard that “organised crime syndicates have been targeting schools to steal smart boards, computers, printers and other ICT equipment that is used in teaching and learning. Scrap metal collectors also vandalise schools to steal water taps, electrical copper wires, as well as aluminium window and door frames to sell to recyclers.”

Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi told the committees that the province was losing the battle against school vandalism, and that drastic steps needed to be taken.

Lesufi also told the committees that although 11 schools were vandalised during the recent unrests and looting, more schools were attacked long before the unrest.

The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture, Elleck Nchabeleng, said that “the aim of the oversight was to evaluate the damage and determine how can Parliament intervene to ensure that the provincial and national government repair the damaged schools and tighten their security.”

Meanwhile, the committees will conclude the oversight today by visiting more affected schools around Soweto.

* Inside Education

THE Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has welcomed the successful first week of online admissions applications after more than 100 000 applications for Grade 8 were completed.

The department’s 2022 online admissions applications system opened last Tuesday for Grade 7 learners currently enrolled in the public school system in Gauteng to apply for Grade 8.

“We are vindicated that the two-phase process was in the best interest of both learners and parents,” Lesufi said.

“There have been three main problems, one being the issue of ID numbers where we are linked to the home affairs database but there were challenges and limitations but we managed to rectify that.”

The process for Grade 1s and 8s was split into two phases this year to ensure that the high demand for school placement was managed more efficiently.

By Friday, the number of successful applications from Grade 8 was at 104 504.

“Accordingly, this milestone is indicative of the hard work that has been put in by the GDE staff who are handling an average of 5 000 calls a day at the GDE contact and walk-in centres across the province. Our gratitude must go to parents and guardians whose patience and understanding have made this process smoother,” education spokesperson Steve Mabona said.

Learners who were outside the public schooling system and eligible for Grade 8 would have to wait until September 13 to apply, as well as eligible Grade 1 learners.

The system began smoothly last week with some parents and guardians having to overcome a number of challenges including incorrect ID numbers or home addresses – even after the parents had verified their details at schools. “Indeed our back-office support – including the districts and schools – has been extremely busy providing assistance to parents and guardians so that they are better able to navigate the system,” Mabona said.

The provincial department has encouraged parents who have not yet verified their information to communicate with their child’s school to check if schools have updated details.

If the schools do not prove to be helpful, parents have been urged to visit the GDE’s district office, walk-in centres or call the GDE’s contact centre.

The first phase of the 2022 online admissions process, which is for parents and guardians whose children are currently in Grade 7 at a public school in Gauteng and would be going to Grade 8 in 2022, will end on September 3.

Phase 2 would begin on September 13 and focus on parents and guardians whose children would be going into Grade 1 in 2022 or Grade 8 but were not in a public school in Gauteng. It would end on October 8.

* Own Correspondent