THE National National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) supports fewer than 1 800 students living with a disability.

Briefing the media last week, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande said the department and the NSFAS would continue to support 1 770 students with disabilities – who received a comprehensive set of allowances from the scheme – for the current academic year.

“We have committed that students with disabilities will qualify for NSFAS if they come from families who are not only earning up to R350 000 (a year), but who are earning up to R600 000 per annum because of this government’s commitment to assist those of our people and students with disabilities,” Nzimande said.

The NSFAS Disability Bursary Programme provides financial support to students with disabilities who require financial aid and possess the ability to pass their academic subjects.

It is intended to open opportunities in higher education, provide the necessary additional teaching and support for students to overcome learning barriers resulting from disabilities.

Assistance provided includes assistive devices, meals, tuition, transport, human support and accommodation.

At the beginning of this year, Nzimande said additional funding would be allocated to NSFAS, following a shortfall. An amount of R47.3 billion was subsequently allocated to cover both TVET colleges and public universities.

Nzimande said NSFAS had confirmed funding for 691 432 students for the current academic year.

Western Cape Network on Disability (WCND) deputy chairperson Dr Michelle Botha said: “This is a worryingly low number of students, but there are obviously major systemic issues that prevent people with disabilities from entering tertiary education in the first place, not just the availability of funds.”

WCND chairperson Anthony Ghillino said the low figure highlights challenges and barriers faced by people with disabilities when it comes to acquiring skills that will lead to employment.

“With such a low percentage of funding going to people with disabilities, we cannot be surprised that employment targets of 2% of the workforce being people with disabilities are being missed.

“People with disabilities must have the opportunity to access tertiary education facilities so that they too can reach their full potential, become economically active and contribute to the growth of our economy and society as a whole,” Ghillino said.

STAFF REPORTER

ANGRY Central University of Technology (CUT) students in the Free State are planning to boycott exams in solidarity with the arrest of five students from the Bloemfontein-based campus.

The five students were expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

CUT’s South African Students Congress (Sasco) pledged to stand in solidarity with the SRC president from the Welkom Campus, who they allege have been been bullied by management following his suspension from the institution.

According to a statement issued by Sasco secretary, Neo Ranyane, the SRC assisted the arrested students with food, clothing and other things they needed this past weekend – through student intervention.

CUT students had requested campus management to move their assessments online.

They also continued to raise issues of unpaid students allowances and accommodation, including allegations of corruption and maladministration against the institution.

Meanwhile, EFF Student Command (EFFSC) has also urged students not to succumb to alleged threats of management of the institution, and declared that provincial employees of the EFF will now join students on the ground as part of resolutions from a meeting the EFFSC had with its branch leadership at both Bloemfontein and Welkom campuses on Friday.

“We as the EFF Student Command Free State would like to let all students know, we are in solidarity with them and would do everything and use anything in our disposal to make it a point their cries are heard, issue attended to and needs catered for, since that’s the whole purpose of our existence as the Movement,” the EFF said in a statement.

INSIDE EDUCATION

VINCE VAN DER BIJL

Sport is an enigma. It permeates all aspects of society. It is played in the streets and on the biggest stages of the world. It is often a hobby or merely viewed as entertainment on TV. It divides or unites nations. It can build or sever great friendships, or ignite tensions between countries.

As a top player, however, it is a way of life. It consumes you. Apart from your family, it takes centre stage as you go about your day. Sports scientist Tim Noakes once said: “To win an Olympic gold medal you must focus on that goal every second of every waking day. If you are not willing to do that, don’t bother. There are so many others who will.”

Experiences in sport remain etched deep inside you. They teach you life’s lessons of discipline, teamwork, respect, leadership and sacrifice, as well as  how to overcome despair and humiliation. It focuses your mind like no other activity. All sports people experience the full spectrum of emotions. One of the lessons it taught me was how to plan well in advance, thereby allowing me to frame my future.

When I taught and coached at Maritzburg College, I played Currie Cup cricket. Later, I realised that a week before a match, I would shut down as my subconscious worked on strategies, my opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, and technique. I operated on auto in other aspects of my life, such was my obsession to play great cricket.

Colleagues taught me many life lessons.

Bruce Fordyce was unique in that he trained ferociously for a single event that occurred only once a year — the Comrades Marathon. His self-motivation presentations revealed that early on he realised that to win, he needed to calm his mind during the race. To do that he would listen repeatedly to a particular U2 album until the songs were firmly embedded in his head. During the race he would “listen” to those U2 songs reverberating in his mind. This was long before the Walkman was invented!

When we invited him to dinner, say a month before Comrades, Bruce would ask me to phone each person who was joining us, to check that they did not have a cold or cough. If they did, he could not attend, as he needed to be in perfect health. He planned in minute detail.

At the end of a long training run, he would imagine he was running the last 5km in Comrades, tired, exhausted and having to shoulder on with determination. John Burgess, a training partner, said that Bruce, towards the end of such a run, would sometimes start to sprint, as subconsciously he was running the Comrades. As he broke away from the training group, John would have to clap his hands to bring Bruce back to reality. That commitment and planning was absolute.

I asked Jacques Kallis what was going through his mind when he walked out to bat in front of the baying 110,000 Indian spectators at Eden Park. He replied: “I never heard the crowd, I just repeated to myself, ‘Watch the ball’!” Such extraordinary clarity of purpose.

Once, when heavy rain cancelled a practice round for a Golf Academy USA event, the players were waiting on the bus for a young Tiger Woods. The academy director found him, in his rain gear, hitting balls on the practice range in pouring rain. “What on earth are you doing?” he asked, exasperated.

“Practising for the British Open,” was the reply. Tiger looked surprised at the question.

These stories all vary; yet focus and dedication are the binding principles.

Every sportsperson is talented to a degree. Only those who are truly committed nurture that talent to greatness. Legendary players value preparation and future-orientated thinking. It gives them the edge. They work harder and mentally prepare better than others. That gives them the ability to calm their minds to make the right choices, under pressure. They then develop the aura of BMT (big match temperament), which the opposition fear. BMT is not a God-given gift. It is a learnt art of future orientation and planning. There is no magic recipe to success.

Life’s lessons are acquired by experience. They cannot be taught in a classroom. Sport allows children to absorb life skills as they play.

SA needs to reach out to the 94% of schools without after-school sport and provide these opportunities — 94% is the damning statistic for the effectiveness of a holistic education in SA.

Sport will greatly assist the next generations to prepare for life. Education alone is not enough and never will be.

Vince van der Bijl is a retired South African cricketer.

SIPHOKAZI MAKHANDA

MINISTER of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams officially launched the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator at Walter Sisulu University’s Zamukulungisa site in Mthatha on the 24th June 2022.

The Centre is a partnership between the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) through Seda, and the Walter Sisulu University (WSU).

The centre exists to assist up-and-coming entrepreneurs to overcome barriers identified in their entrepreneurial journey as well as reduce youth unemployment.

The centre is furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, an ideas lab, and a makerspace, and is aimed at providing support to youth-owned enterprises, which often have little to no capital or funding.

Ndabeni-Abrahams said, “through this centre, young people will be assisted to deliver economic freedom through leveraging technology trends and doing things differently.”

Ndabeni-Abrahams further added that the launch is a significant milestone toward meeting the objective of pushing back the frontiers of poverty and unemployment in the country and creating a nation of entrepreneurs.

The WSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Institutional Support, Dr Prince Jaca, said, “the university prides itself on creating work-ready graduates and those with skills to create jobs.

The mandate of SEDA and DSBD is in line with that of the university, to sustain business growth and ensure that they do not fail.”
He emphasised the fact that the CfERI is a source of hope for the young people, and a tool to fight unemployment, poverty and inequality, which is a serious problem in this country.

WSU built the Centre to the value of approximately R6 Million and the Department of Small Business Development collectively contributed R3 m.

SEDA, an agency of the Department of Small Business Development was responsible for the design and set-up of both the Innovation Space and Makerspace, which are situated in the facility.
Moreover, SEDA is responsible for continuous support in terms of monitoring and evaluation of the Centre.

The Department of Small Business Development covers the operational costs of the Centre, such as staff salaries, programme costs, and the development of entrepreneurs.

WSU students, promising entrepreneurs, and small business owners in Mthatha and surrounding towns were present to witness the launch of their business incubation.

Among the external stakeholders who were present during the launch was the Centre, Executive Mayor of OR Tambo District, CLLR Mesuli Ngqondwana and Executive Mayor of King Sabata Dalindyebo, CLLR Nyaniso Nelani.

Both Executive Mayors offered words of support and committed to ensuring partnership with the CfERI.

“The city will be looking at mechanisms in which they can interact and partner with the centre, so that the centre’s ideals may not perish,” said the executive mayor of King Sabata Ndalindyebo Municipality, Nyaniso Nelani.

The Centre Director Dr Thobekani Lose assured access of all stakeholders to the CfERI infrastructure, networking and mentoring in a form of support to the small development projects.

“While the CfERI will focus on the university, it will also service all sectors and small businesses in the Mthatha area to unearth new ideas and assist business ventures run and owned by the youth,” said Dr Lose.

Ndabeni-Abrahams was flanked by the King Sabata Ndalindyebo Municipality Mayor, Nyaniso Nelani; Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) Chairperson, Xoliswa Daku, the Walter Sisulu university Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr Prince Jaca and Walter Sisulu University Rectorate, Professor Nomabandla Cishe as she was cutting the ribbon and opened the doors to the centre for the first time.

SUPPLIED| WSU

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA|

Just over a week ago, in the early hours of a Sunday morning, families in the township of Scenery Park outside East London, received news that every parent prays they never get to hear.   

They were told that 21 of their children had been found dead, in a tavern. The youngest child was only 13 years old.

The police investigation into the tragedy is proceeding apace. Flowing from the investigations, the Buffalo City Metro is looking into whether the tavern violated any municipal regulations.

As we prepare to lay these young people to rest this week, our thoughts and prayers are with the families who are struggling to come to terms with this unspeakable horror.

We commend the Eastern Cape provincial government for assisting the affected families, as well as AVBOB that has pledged to assist the families with the burials. 

Even as the relevant authorities deconstruct what happened to ensure there is justice for the victims, there is a conversation we do need to have as a country. It is the problem of under-age drinking.

The footage and images posted online of the so-called ‘pens down’ party at the venue that night show revelling youngsters clutching bottles of alcohol. Many of those in the images look barely out of their teens.

A number of young people from Scenery Park have told the media of having seen a post circulated on social media, offering free rounds of alcohol to all who attended the event that night.

The increased social acceptability of young people drinking alcohol has become a serious problem in a country where the majority of the drinking population are already classified by the World Health Organization as binge drinkers.

Alcohol use amongst adolescents is associated with impaired function, absenteeism from learning, alcohol-related injuries, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and risky behaviour.

We must come together to combat this vice that is robbing our young people of the best years of their lives, and making them susceptible to alcohol addiction.

As families it means having open and frank conversations about alcohol and setting boundaries. Children under the age of 18 consuming alcohol is against the law.

As adults we should refrain from practices such as sending minors to buy alcohol for us or capitulating to requests to buy these young people alcohol.

It is not the first time we have been confronted with tragic events such as what happened in Scenery Park last week.

A common denominator between Enyobeni tavern, the Throb nightclub disaster in Durban in 2000, and the Osi’s tavern tragedy in Khayelitsha in 2015, is that these establishments were selling liquor to minors.

The proliferation of establishments openly flouting the law points to failings on the part of authorities to enforce regulations.

Under the National Liquor Act, owners of establishments with liquor licenses may not sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 18. They must also take reasonable steps to ensure anyone they are selling alcohol to is of age.

We call on communities to work with authorities to ensure that taverns, shebeens, entertainment venues and outlets breaking the law face the consequences.

We call upon our police to step up the enforcement of laws that prohibit the sale of alcohol close to schools and enhance monitoring of outlets to ensure alcohol is not being sold to minors.

Another reality is that alcohol is a form of escapism for young people in communities were opportunities for safe and age-appropriate recreation are few.

The Scenery Park community has pointed to the lack of sports, learning and other developmental facilities for young people, leading them to resort to ‘tavern hopping’.

In the wake of the tragedy, the community has pointed out that there are no viable sports grounds, community libraries or youth centers in Scenery Park.

As government at national, provincial and local level we need to respond to the pleas of this community and those of other communities by developing more recreational spaces, facilities, programmes, and projects for our young people in disadvantaged areas in the province.

Other social partners such as the business community should also assist with sponsorship.

As communities we must work with our Community Policing Forums, with our civics organizations and with our school governing bodies and play a more active role in the lives of our children and in ensuring their safety and well-being.

As they say in our African indigenous classics “it takes a community to raise a child”.

Let us work together to protect our precious future generation from the ravages of alcohol and drug abuse and their effects.

Let us work together to ensure that those who put profit before the lives of our children are not allowed to operate.

Let us also set a positive example in our own relationship with alcohol.

Let us be keepers of not just our own children, but our neighbours’ children as well.

From the desk of the President

THE Department of Arts and Culture plans to formally introduce more cultural subjects to the school curriculum as a way of encouraging interest and development in the sector.

The proposals are included in a new Theatre and Dance policy document which was gazetted for public comment on Friday (1 July). While drama has formed a key role at South African schools for decades, it is hoped that the formal introduction of new subjects and curriculums will lead to more job pathways in the sector.

“Dance and theatre are to be integrated into the curriculum at primary and secondary school levels both for vocational purposes and in order for learners to benefit from the cognitive, creative and problem-solving skills that engagement in the arts enhances,” the department said.

“There must be at least one publicly-funded tertiary education and training institution/department teaching theatre and dance, in each province that provides certificate, diploma and undergraduate courses for practitioners as well as educators, producers, technicians, designers, administrators and entrepreneurs in the dance and theatre sector.”

Other proposals in the document include:

All tertiary institutions that provide training for dance and theatre practitioners, must include in their training an arts administration/management foundation module that covers areas such as cultural policy, entrepreneurship (marketing, raising capital, financial management, budgeting, etc) and the rights of artists.

Monitoring the implementation of Arts Education curriculum in all schools and grades to ensure that such education is delivered by qualified arts practitioners,Each year, a minimum of ten administrators/entrepreneurs under the age of 35 be identified through an open, competitive process, with at least 50% being women; that they be placed with ten of the country’s leading arts administrators for at least a twelvemonth period to be mentored by them, to acquire hands-on experience, with both the mentors and mentees being paid stipends. Through open and competitive processes, at least ten directors and ten choreographers be identified annually, and be provided with stipends to work with, and/or observe the country’s established directors, playwrights and choreographers over a 12-month period. Playwriting courses be offered in each province annually, with selected writers – particularly those under 35 – in each province being mentored by an experienced playwright (remotely over email and zoom-type technology if necessary). Annually, technical training courses with a number of people proportionate to provincial populations being trained in the technical aspects of theatre and dance production, and being provided with opportunities to acquire practical experience at the country’s festivals and theatres. Annual online and physical courses for arts critics (including dance and theatre critics) be offered, with mentors working with selected new critics over a year-long period.

Other subjects

The Department of Basic Education has already announced that it plans to introduce several new school subjects to the curriculum in the coming year.

In its 2022/2023 annual performance plan published in March, the department said this will include full-scale implementation of coding and robotics for Grade R-3 and 7 in the 2023 academic year.

A pilot curriculum for these subjects was initially introduced at some schools in the third term of the 2021 academic year, it said. It plans to expand these tech-focused subjects to other grades in subsequent years.

“The coding and robotics pilot for Grades 4-6 and for Grades 8 is planned for 2022 and will be followed by a Grade 9 pilot in 2023. The full-scale implementation for Grades 4-6 and Grade 8 is planned for 2024, and Grade 9 in 2025,” the department said.

“As coding and robotics is a new initiative, the focus will be on the upskilling of teachers to be trained to teach this new subject in collaboration with higher education institutions.”

The department said that the new subjects form part of a broader push to better prepare South African students for the working world.

“Future careers require people with digital skills that will equip and enable them to function effectively in a digital era. The continued implementation on the teaching of coding and robotics will equip and expose learners to digital literacy, virtual reality, augmented reality, machine learning, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things,” it said.

“The sector notes that the future requires individuals who will be able to build robots and other sophisticated machines and to develop algorithms to code these machines.”

BUSINESS TECH

WE close Youth Month on a sad note. Twenty-one young people lost their lives at Enyobeni Tavern in East London. Events like this remind us how at-risk our young people are, often from themselves.

The unbridled war of our times, the need to keep a watch and help especially young people in the times we are living in. The outlook is not so good, despite the rallying cry for intensifying concerted efforts to assist young people.

The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey from Statistics South Africa shows an increase in youth unemployment. So unstable is the situation that oscillations are evident. For instance, in the Eastern Cape, where I am based, figures from the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council Quarterly Labour Force Survey reveal a noted decrease to 45% in terms of the unemployment rate in the province.

Yet the national tally in terms of the youth unemployment rate is soaring. Among the youth cohort from ages 25 to 34, over 40% are unemployed.

Concerning is the 63.9% unemployment rate for those cohort aged 25 and 34. At the summit of this age group are the products of higher education institutions in graduates at 32.6%. All this is described as our job bloodbath.

One noted effort in addressing the youth unemployment challenge is the use of internship programmes.

The idea here is to get youth into sectors where skills gaps are evident to increase their employability through work experience. Such sectors where human capital could be required include the public service, often gaining notoriety as blotted and inefficient.

On paper, internships, especially those targeting youth, may appear noble and with well-intended aims to address the youth unemployment challenge.

Yet in reality, the efficacy of such efforts could potentially be taking us nowhere quickly. This appears to be the admission from the government. Internships may potentially increase the unemployment pool.

In the past 18 months, I have been collecting data, especially with young people who have been working in internship programmes run within different public service entities.

These range from business functional areas such as human resources, supply chain, information technology, logistics, and agricultural management services. These young people join over 43 000 of their counterparts in internship programmes offered by the government nationally.

So what is working in youth internship programmes?

A starting point here is an appreciation of being in some form of employment. The idea of waking up in the morning and being part of the workforce is appreciated.

For some of the youths in our sample, the internship programme was the first window to learn about the world of work. Accompanying this is the development of a repertoire of soft skills. These skills included time management, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership insight.

Such skills become helpful in enhancing the intern’s portfolio, including subsequent employability.

For some young people, the internship experience offered gainful employment. A capability argued within the positive psychology literature where the intern is a recipient of work and payment for self-sufficiency.

Coupled with this, interns in our study prioritised the need and desire to be able to assist the immediate family financially through their meagre earnings. Such a situation was a means of an ephemeral existential contribution, albeit the lack of permanency and uncertainty that comes with internships.

Yet amid the success stories, a murky morass complicates things, potentially making internships a modern-day exploitative experience.

Further, internships may exist as a masquerade in our efforts to address the skills challenge. The rigid labour market system potentially stalls our progress.

The ominous challenges are plenteous. First, there is the challenge of getting into the internship programme. An experience often reduced to the probability of who you know. Mention was made of middle men often requiring a service charge to guarantee one a place on the internship programme. For many young people, applying for such internship programmes is a substantial emotional and financial investment.

Potentially this reduces a programme meant to assist often marginalised young people to be elitist in nature. This opens up some to be exploited. Some of our participants even narrated sordid experiences of requests for sexual favour to guarantee a position as an intern. The price one pays to attain skills.

Second, interns are often exploited in the same internship experiences they are taking part in. Their voices muttered platitudes such as “you are fortunate to have some form of work, be grateful”.

So being lucky to at least have an internship experience amid the soaring unemployment rate becomes a proxy to silence youth voices in exploitative work environments.

Third, interns are also often exploited in terms of the work they are engaged in. Usually, this includes doing all the hard, routine and mundane work. Some of this work is not necessarily related to the intern’s job description.

Our attention should be two-fold in nature.

First, from a national government perspective, let us re-visit the very efficacy of internship programmes in addressing the youth unemployment challenge.

Could rogue behaviours in the system potentially be destroying our efforts of skills acquisition? On the altar should be an honest critique of the current provincial and national programmes in assisting young people.

Second, there is also a need to address ground challenges around the intern as a critical organisational actor.

Interns should be getting skills and needed work experience and not being sent to buy lunch for the office.

Advocacy is necessary here, especially for interns. The priority should be on promoting decent work conditions for interns despite them not having a permanent workplace status. The lack of such a status should not relegate interns to exploitation.

If all work is noble, we need to continually introspect in enhancing the internship experience (or re-think if we really need such efforts). For the greater good of the country, there is no substitute for quality.

Chinyamurindi is a professor at the University of Fort Hare and head of the Department of Business Management. He writes in his personal capacity.

THE Department of Basic Education has extended the deadline for the submission of comments on the amendments to the regulations relating to the minimum norms and standards for public school infrastructure.

The deadline for the submission of written comments is 31 July 2022, the Department of Basic Education said in a statement on Friday.

The Minister of Basic Education on 10 June 2022 published a Government Gazette, with proposed amendments to the Regulations Relating to the Minimum Uniform Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure, issued in terms of Section 5A (1)(a) of the South African Schools Act, 1996.

The department said the purpose of releasing the Gazette is to give the public, including stakeholders, an opportunity to participate in the drafting of the regulations and to make substantive input that will be considered in drafting the final regulations.

In addition to the Government Gazette, the department uploaded, as per general practice, the document with the proposals on the website www.education.gov.za for public comment.

“The department is committed to a constructive public participation process. It is for this reason that the public should be accorded ample opportunity to engage with the document and submit comments,” the department said.

The proposed amendments have come about following consultation with the Minister of Finance and the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) earlier this year.

Improving schooling environment 

The department launched the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) programme in 2011. It is aimed at improving learning outcomes and bringing better access to education.

There are currently 1 053 schools on this programme.

The department also launched the Sanitation Appropriate For Education (SAFE) programme in 2018, which is aimed at replacing basic pit toilets with appropriate sanitation, in accordance with the Norms and Standards for school infrastructure.

The department said provinces initially identified 3 898 schools dependent on basic pit toilets.

“There are currently 3 407 schools on this programme. Sanitation projects at 2 006 of these schools have progressed to practical completion…” the department said.

The department said that the implementation of major programmes is dependent on the availability of funding.

The ASIDI programme is funded through the School Infrastructure Backlog Grant, while the SAFE programme is also funded through the same grant, with co-funding from the Education Infrastructure Grant.

“In 2021/22, both these grants were fully utilised. It is important to note that infrastructure requirements due to unforeseen events, such as the recent flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, are also in general funded through the same Education Infrastructure Grant.

“This may impact on the rollout of the remaining SAFE projects. The department has since stepped up the monitoring of projects to ensure that they are completed on time, to specification and budget,” the department said.

Minister Angie Motshekga has since October 2021 conducted weekly accountability sessions with the Director-General and the Infrastructure Branch at the DBE, where progress reports are presented, the department said.

In addition, the DBE said the Director-General holds weekly update meetings with the CEOs of the implementing agents.

The Director-General also convenes monthly infrastructure meetings with heads of provincial Departments of Education to receive progress reports on delivery and expenditure.

“Mathanzima Mweli, the Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, has been visiting construction sites since March 2021 to accelerate the delivery of the much-needed infrastructure.

“The monitoring function has assisted the department to unblock challenges and resolve issues that delayed the building process,” the DBE said.

The department said it is confident that the annual performance plan targets will be met and the budget allocated will be used. It has also developed detailed tracking tools and monitoring is taking place daily to ensure that implementing agents deliver as expected.

SA NEWS