Power utility Eskom said on Wednesday it has received an overwhelming response over the past few months to its call for highly skilled power generation personnel to come forward to assist in the operational recovery and rebuilding of skills inside the organisation.

“Eskom is proud to announce the launch of its crowdsourcing digital platform. A future-fit invitation to electricity industry experts to support Eskom’s turnaround.

“A digital platform and governance mechanism have been designed and implemented to reap the full benefits of the diversity of skills across the country through the crowdsourcing of these skills into the business,” it said in a statement.

Crowdsourcing differs from recruitment in that it is triggered by specific technical challenges, is not linked to a permanent position, and it targets a talent pool that consists of highly skilled and experienced persons.

The crowdsourcing digital platform developed by Eskom, was launched on Wednesday and is accessible from any mobile device via the Eskom website. The platform aims to simplify the crowdsourcing process by enabling highly skilled and experienced persons to submit their details directly to the crowdsourcing database.

To date, the database includes 238 individuals, of which 153 have been shortlisted as potentially active, skilled, and willing candidates.

Eskom said approximately 25 individuals have been selected for the first phase of the crowdsourcing intake: These individuals will commence work between November and December 2022. Additional recruitment will take place as and when required by the business, to meet specific technical needs.

To the process and to ensure sustainability and to maximise the impact of these skills, each crowdsourced individual is required to transfer skills to the permanent Eskom team that they will work with.

Members of the public were encouraged to access the platform and submit details for consideration if the following criteria are met:

You are a highly skilled electricity generation expert or technical professional (e.g. engineer, power plant operator/controller, artisan, technician)You have more than 10 years of related experienceYou are able and willing to support EskomYou are willing to transfer your skills and expertise
Eskom looks forward to collaborating with South Africans to address the current electricity supply challenges facing the country.

Inside Education

Historians may have to review the history of the relationship between the Etruscan civilization and the Roman Empire, after Italy’s Culture Ministry on Tuesday announced the discovery of several dozen bronze statues believed to be over 2,000 years old in an ancient Tuscan thermal spring, reports rt.com.

Massimo Osanna, the ministry’s director of museums, hailed the discovery as one of the most significant ever in the Mediterranean region. He explained that the bronze figurines – which depict humans, gods, and individual body parts – were found perfectly preserved thanks to them being covered in mud. Alongside the statues, archeologists also reportedly found some 5,000 gold, silver, and bronze coins.

According to Jacopo Tabolli, who coordinated the dig for the University for Foreigners in Siena, the discovery sheds new light on the Etruscan civilization and the expansion of the Roman Empire between the 1st and 2nd centuries BC.

“While there were social and civil wars being fought outside the sanctuary … inside the sanctuary, the great elite Etruscan and Roman families prayed together in a context of peace surrounded by conflict,” Tabolli said, noting that the discovered statues bear both Etruscan and Latin inscriptions.

“This possibility to rewrite the relationship and dialectic between the Etruscans and Romans is an exceptional opportunity,” he proclaimed, as cited by the Associated Press.

Monument to Russian empress set for demolition

To showcase the significance of this discovery, Italy’s Culture Ministry has announced the construction of a new museum in the area to house the newly-found antiquities.

The Etruscan civilization was one of several civilizations inhabiting the Italian peninsula before the rise of the Roman Empire. It is believed to have been developed by the people of the Etruria region as early as 900 BC. The Etruscan states shared a common language and culture and covered the territory of what is now Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio.

The Etruscan civilization was later assimilated into the Roman Empire. Historians believe the process began in the late 4th century BC as wars broke out between the Romans and Etruscans. The Roman Empire fully incorporated all of the Etruscan territories in 27 BC.

RT

PHUTI MOSOMANE

SCHOOLS are not doing enough to monitor and report unroadworthy scholar transport vehicles to authorities, Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane said in an exclusive interview with Inside Education on Monday.

“In just one day, we took off the road through a special operation 61 unroadworthy learner transport vehicles including buses carrying pupils. This is just in one area in the Western corridor,” Chiloane.

“Schools must report unroadworthy vehicles transporting learners immediately. Do not wait for an incident. I asked a principal in one school to explain as to why given that at one point a vehicle got stuck, and kids got to school late because the transport was not roadworthy- and still no one reported the vehicle.”

Two weeks ago, a bus overturned, leaving two pupils dead in Wedela, Carletonville.

At least 63 other pupils were injured in the crash.

A Grade 8 boy and a Grade 10 girl from Wedela Technical High School lost their lives.

“We will have an engagement with all stakeholders. Apart from having policy, there has to be monitoring of compliance. We are having challenges because of lack of monitoring on compliance including on contracts,” Chiloane added.

He said there was a need to move away from allowing just anyone who has a car to transport learners without following any process.

“If you have a car, and learners- you are done. You are transporting kids to the school. We can’t work like that. This makes it difficult to ensure safety of the transport, and schools on the other hand need to know who is transporting learners.”

Chiloane said that in a short period of time, his department was able to replace unroadworthy vehicles on provincial roads.

He said more monitoring teams will be deployed across the province in a short period of time.

He said the department has since sent a communication to all schools for more proactiveness on the matter.

Visit www.insideeducation.co.za for more on the conversation with Gauteng MEC of Education regarding his vision and plans.

INSIDE EDUCATION

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) wants to ensure that learners are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities that will be created during the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The DBE believes this will be accomplished through the introduction of new school subjects. This is to improve the curriculum and prepare learners for the future world of work.

Ocean and marine engineering, aerospace engineering, coding and robotics and entrepreneurship are just a few subjects that the department will introduce which could widen the employment and study options learners have once they leave school.

While these plans are considered a step in the right direction, many stakeholders have questions whether the introduction of these subjects will be practical. These questions remain, as many schools in South Africa lack the resources and facilities needed to teach learners specialised subjects.

The DBE was questioned in this regard in Parliament. The Minister of Basic Education was asked what will be done to capacitate schools with the necessary human resources and infrastructure to enable them to offer the additional subjects to their learners.

The department undertook a consultation period, which allowed stakeholders to make recommendations to the DBE. These consultations revealed three areas which will need attention for the successful introduction of the new school subjects.

These areas are

The provision of human resourcesFunding of Technical Schools, Focus Schools And Schools Of Skills Review of Subject Combinations, and Content Review of Technical Mathematics and Sciences

The DBE acknowledged that development and provision of human resources is critical for the implementation of the new school subjects and the Three Stream Model. However, for proper human resource planning, the department will finalise core inputs which will be the basis for their plans.

These core inputs include determining the targeted number of learners per subject, curriculum structure and number of schools that will offer these subjects. The department will also finalise the norms for the provisioning of posts and finalise the qualifications and standards. 

STAFF REPORTER| Skillsportal

FINANCIAL challenges faced by many South African university students mean that buying expensive specialised textbooks comes at the cost of sacrificing essentials such as food. This is according to University of the Free State student Nkcubeko Noyila.

Noyila has created an award-winning application (app) called ‘Rebooked’ which aims to address the critical need for affordable academic books.

In her first year at university, Noyila’s work on the app led to the offer of a place in a MTN mentorship programme. A year later she was one of the prize winners in the MTN SA Women in Digital Business Challenge, for which she was awarded R100 000 towards business development.

The Rebooked app connects sellers and buyers of second-hand books, offering an alternative to buying new academic books or prescribed textbooks at retail prices. 

“Many of us couldn’t buy the books we needed because textbooks could cost well over R1000, so we had to borrow and share books or spend countless hours at the library to read them. This obviously made studying and passing subjects difficult,” said Noyila.

While Rebooked was previously only active at certain times during the year because it focused solely on university books, the app has now developed to cater for a range of different books, including non-academic books.

“I see Rebooked becoming a place where even aspiring authors can self-publish and market their e-books and traditional paperbacks, or a space for hosting live and virtual seminars for future writers and established authors to talk about their work and inspire others,” says Noyila.

Future plans include a feature that will enable books to be created on the site.

“The changes are so exciting, they’ve led to me having to reassess many of the features, including the payment mechanism. The initial idea was to offer students a chance to connect with other students and advertise venues where they could meet to do transactions for textbooks, but the safety considerations of this approach has meant building a safe online payment mechanisms into the app.

“I will be using my R100 000 prize money to establish the Rebooked brand by travelling to major campuses to market its features and benefits and launch campaigns and projects. The balance will be used to improve the app and incorporate other features that will make it attractive to even more users. Plans for a second app are also on the way,” concludes Noyila. 

The MTN Group notes that the Women in Digital Business Challenge forms part of its commitment to developing information communications technology, or ICT, small- to medium-sized enterprises on the continent. It aims to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset by providing R1-million to 10 small, micro and medium-sized enterprise candidates for working capital needs, business development, tangible assets, mentorship, and advancing technology and software. 

STAFF REPORTER

Lwazi Cedrick Ngcungama (29) from Gcilima, is a self-taught graphic designer who focuses on sports design.
He went to Phathwa High School and is currently in Johannesburg seeking greener pastures.

Lwazi said he’s been designing football jerseys for years and posting them on social media. Recently the South African Football Association (SAFA) and its jersey technical sponsor, Lecoq Sportif created a rare opportunity for members of the public to design a jersey for South Africa’s national teams.

“The winning jersey will be first used for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to be held in Australia next July. Currently I’m a top five finalist in the competition.”

He is asking South Coasters to vote for him, the voting will close on November 8.

To vote, go to lecoqsportif.co.za, click on sports, then on voting now open, choose design 3 and fill in the form and submit. Or you can use the voting link: http://bit.ly/3DztZZF

“I am the only one from the KZN South Coast left in the competition, I would appreciate every vote so I can bring this one home and achieve one of my ultimate dreams, to design a jersey for our national team that will be worn by all South Africans.”

Earlier this year he designed golf day shirts for the 1996 Bafana Bafana Legends.

STAFF REPORTER

A study conducted by a professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT) shows alarming vaping trends among matriculants of affluent schools in South Africa, with the expert calling for the speedy implementation of vaping regulations.

The research, conducted by Professor Richard van Zyl-Smit at UCT, studied the vaping habits of over 5,500 high school students from several high-income schools.

High-income schools were selected taking into consideration that vaping products are expensive and, therefore, students at these schools would be more inclined to own such a device.

The study revealed very concerning numbers, finding that more than one in four matric learners are vaping.

Additionally, three out of 10 respondents said they use their electronic smoking device within an hour of waking, and nearly a quarter cannot get through a school day without vaping.

“These schools were chosen as a good starting point as they are the most likely to have high levels of vaping, but we didn’t expect it to be this high, and it’s very worrying,” said Van Zyl-Smit.

Van Zyl-Smit added that while the South African demographic health survey, released in 2016, showed that 2.5% of adolescents were vaping, this most recent study showed exceptionally higher figures than that.

“In some matric classes, we see as much as 30% of the total year group are vaping,” he said.

He also noted that the nicotine levels within the vaping liquids the students are inhaling are exceptionally high, and because of the pleasant flavours vapes offer, learners are exposing themselves to higher nicotine levels than what they would be if they were to smoke the odd cigarette.

Of the 5,500 students involved in the study, the majority said that they vape to deal with stress and anxiety, with very few participants pointing to social pressures as the reason for taking up the habit.

Van Zyl-Smit said that the study overall is very alarming and that schools need to pay more attention to vaping awareness and must clamp down harder on what seems to be an epidemic.

He also noted a significant concern around the habit is the discussion around the safety of vaping – especially when comparing them to traditional cigarettes.

He added that while there is evidence to argue both sides of the contentious debate, it’s one that shouldn’t even be considered in a high school environment, saying that the real discussion should be focused on nicotine and its effects on the adolescent brain.

“Whether vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes is not a debate that should be happening at school levels, and it’s irrelevant. The actual concern should be around exposure to nicotine. Adolescent brains have synaptic plasticity [that’s why teenagers learn new tasks much quicker than adults], and nicotine can interfere with that, hindering their learning development,” said Van Zyl-Smit.

Van Zyl-Smit called for the government to fast-track the implementation of regulations surrounding the vaping industry, as there are no guidelines or regulations for vaping production in South Africa.

The government has noted that vaping is a very grey area, and it has tabled a bill to regulate the sector.

Chief director for health promotion at the Department of Health, Dr Lynn Moeng-Mahlangu, said that the bill, when enacted, will be an ‘enabler’ for stricter smoking regulations in South Africa, with a particular focus on ‘new generation’ smokers.

She also flagged a growing concern over vaping among the youth. While she said the government wants to address this before the country ends up like many other countries where, in some cases, as many as 27% of young people are hooked on vaping, it may seem that we’re already at this point.

Van Zyl-Smit reiterated that any form of regulation is urgently needed and is appealing to the government to conduct up-to-date research on the vaping epidemic to help push through any relevant bill that will help address the issue.

BUSNESS TECH

PHUTI MOSOMANE

SOUTH African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) says the Department of Basic Education must make available psychosocial support to learners writing the examinations.

The continued power cuts have caused a wave of anxiety and unnecessary stress for dozens of learners writing their matric exams.

“The issue for us is that load shedding impacts learners’ emotional and mental health. We would like the department to appreciate that and step up to offer psychosocial support to mitigate Eskom problems,” SADTU General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke said.

Maluleke said it is unacceptable for the department to want learners who missed a particular paper to only get a chance next year.

He said contingency papers should be used this year so that learners can receive their results come January 9th, 2023.

“Each and every paper has a contingency paper. This is the flexibility we are looking for from the department.”

“Learners who were not able to write exams because of protest actions should be afforded an opportunity this year to write. Learners will be traumatized if they have to wait for May next year. It’s not their fault,” he added.

No leaked matric papers so far

“We have not seen any reports. We hope it remains the same way, we have requested parents to sign commitment agreements to work with us to ensure exams are clean. Learners have signed the pledges.”

“All delays were sorted out without delays. If there is loadshedding, there is likely going to be delay,” said Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.

Maluleke says there are areas where the union is in agreement with the Department of Basic Education, especially on calling on those embarking on protest actions to allow for smooth running of the examinations.

“In 2020/21 these Grade 10 learners today in Grade 12 were attending a rotational timetable. For schools with less equipped resources, learners were attending once or twice a week, we can’t say that’s enough but we need to give thanks to teachers.”

“We thank the teachers for sacrificing their time and families in making sure that afternoon and evening classes are there, Maluleka said.

The basic education department’s director-general, Mathanzima Mweli, hosted a session on the progress of the exams during a media briefing.

In Gauteng, 53 learners couldn’t write Economics paper 1 on Tuesday from Etwatwa in Ekurhuleni due to protests.

“We’ve also picked up that there are some parents, and some schools that denied learners from writing exams because some of them fell pregnant and some of them had not paid school fees. Again, this is unlawful.”

“Our policies are very clear on these matters. The issue of school fees should be dealt with by parents or guardians. No learner should be prevented from writing exams because of having not paid school fees,” Mweli said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

WENDY MOTHATA|

THE Department of Basic Education says that service delivery protests, rolling blackouts and weather conditions are some of the challenges that are faced by the matric class 2022.

DBE director-general, Mathanzima Mweli briefed the media on the progress of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams on Sunday.

According to the department, 119 centers were affected by Eskom’s rolling blackouts.

Mweli said that service delivery protests were also becoming a big threat to Grade 12 learners writing exams.

He said that 53 leaners in Gauteng have missed the exams due to service delivery protest.

“Fifty-three learners in Gauteng could not write their exams simply because of service delivery protests. The learners were involved in an area where there were even shooting incidents,” said Mweli.

In Mngungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal, police had to be called to escort education officials to the examination centres due to a service delivery protest. While in Etwatwa on the East Rand, some learners could not sit for their exams last Monday.
There were also reported disruptions in parts of the Northern Cape, where writing eventually took place.

Mweli appealed that learners should not be prevented to write their exams.

“We want to make an appeal that learners shouldn’t be prevented from writing exams for any reason whatsoever,” he said.

“We want to make an appeal that learners shouldn’t be prevented from writing exams for any reason whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, Chief Director for Exams at the Basic Education Department, Rufus Poliah, said a total of 199 centres have been affected by the rolling blackouts since the start of the exams, affecting almost 4000 learners.

“In total, the number of learners that were impacted in some way by load shedding was 3956 but as we mentioned last week, only 14 learners are coming from Computer Applications Technology that has to rewrite the paper. And that was because of load shedding when they switched to a generator resulted in the power surge and that damaged the computers that they were using.”

Poliah also reminded learners about the penalties of cheating in the exam room.

“If you are caught in possession of an examination question paper, are too ghastly to contemplate. It is going to ruin your entire future as a student. So, do not even attempt to venture into that direction.”

“To our parents and members of the public, we are dependent on you to be our eyes and ears wherever you are. If you have any information that may appear suspicious, remember our hotline number: 069 335 2818 and I promise we will respond.”

According to Basic Education Department, schools that have refused to let students sit for their matriculation exams because of things like not paying school fees or being pregnant may face consequences.

“This is unlawful. Our policies are very clear on these matters. The issue of school fees should be dealt with by parents or guardians and no learner should be prevented from writing exams because of not paying school fees,” said Mweli.

“Payment of school fees is an issue between the parent and the school. No learner should be prevented from writing an examination because of non-payment of school fees.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

UNSAFE infrastructure at schools is not only holding back the potential of tomorrows leaders, the crisis is a violation of learner’s right to dignity, equality, a safe environment and basic education.

According to a National Education Infrastructure Management System (NIEMS) report published in 2021, 69% of ordinary public school do not have basic libraries and close to 80% do not have laboratories. What is even more shocking, and dangerous, is that out of 23 276 ordinary schools, more than 12 000 still have unlawful pit toilets, more than 5 000 do not have a reliable water supply, and over 3 500 do not have reliable electricity. Our country is facing an infrastructure crisis, and those most vulnerable are on the front lines – some have even lost their lives due to collapse of buildings and unsafe sanitation.

With an average of 65 students per classroom, teachers are overwhelmed, overworked and schools can’t provide the most basic facilities. But there is help.

Founded in 2020, the FEST Foundation is a project-based non-profit company providing education-based solutions to public schools across South Africa’s impoverished communities. Their solutions will be able to create sustainable change to students and educators, and to alleviate the problems associated with poor educational infrastructure and limited support.

“27 years after the end of Apartheid, little has changed for impoverished communities in South Africa when it comes to education and infrastructure”, says FEST Founder Anwar-Yasser Rassool. “Having to attend schools with poor infrastructure is not only degrading to students, but also severely limits their chances of receiving the essential education needed to unlock their future potential. With the right funding, we can change the reality for thousands of children. Our sustainable model continues to grow impoverished schools long after we complete the project. We need to bring the future of education to our schools – and we need to start doing it today.”

The FEST Foundation is committed to creating better learning environments through its innovative approach to leveraging technology with innovation in ICT technology and sustainable building practices. Instead of operating per school, FEST operates within communities and works on both primary and secondary schools to ensure that students benefit from a technological advantage from start to finish.

“Our approach means that FEST can intervene at critical education points and provide strategies for these points that will assist teachers and students in technological training and syllabus utilisation”, continues Rassool. His out-of-the-box “new generation” thinking has allowed him to shed a new and innovative light on problems the education sector has faced for years.

The foundation is currently planning an infrastructure upgrade at Masakhane Tswalepele School that will address and establish a development network for services, buildings and landscape in order of necessity as funds become available. A maintenance programme that involves students, staff and the community will then be implemented to ensure sustainable upkeep of the school and programme.

FEST utilises strategic partnerships to assist in the development and implementation of the projects, and funding is critical to truly shift circumstances. “The meaningful gain we are able to empower communities with when doing these programmes is priceless. Every child deserves a safe and functional space where they can thrive. Yes the task is mammoth because there are so many schools in need, but the solution is simple. Just start. Start with one school – one project. Investment from funders have the power to start a revolution. Let’s change tomorrow by starting today”, he concludes.

Public and private partnerships are critically needed to save the future workforce of South Africa – if you would like to get involved as a partner or donor, or would like more information on current projects, visit the Fest Foundation today.

iAfrica.com