ZEBLON VILAKAZI

WE live in a world characterised by inequality, poverty, economic volatility, globalisation, climate change and ambiguity. In my own country, South Africa, residents have to navigate socioeconomic and political instability, power and water cuts, homelessness, unethical governance and mediocre or no service delivery.

It is a far cry from what the country could be if we brought its best talent and resources to bear for the benefit of humanity.

Innovation will be key to any positive changes – and research-intensive universities have a central to play in that innovation. As the University of the Witwatersrand (or Wits, as it’s commonly known) turns 100, my colleagues and I have been thinking a great deal about the inventions and breakthroughs that have emerged from the university in the past 100 years – and what is coming next.

Great innovations have emerged from the work done by Wits researchers that have shifted the dial in sectors ranging from health to computing to quantum and nuclear physics. These rich seams of knowledge continue to inform policy and daily decisions and are the foundation of cutting edge research the institution continues to produce.

100 years of changes

On 1 September 1939, Adolf Hitler invaded Poland. World War 2 was underway. Barely three months later, the first radar set was tested on Wits University’s campus. Britain and its allies were looking for a way to detect enemy aircraft and ships. A group of scientists – among them Sir Basil Schonland, Director of the Bernard Price Institute of Geophysical Research and another Wits engineer, Professor Guerino Bozzoli – came together to harness the power of radio waves.

Almost a century on, the science of sensors has taken several quantum leaps. Professor Andrew Forbes and his team at Wits are encrypting, transmitting, and decoding data quickly and securely through light beams. He has just secured R54 million for the Wits Quantum Initiative which explores theoretical and experimental quantum science and engineering, secure communications, enhanced quantum-inspired imaging, novel nano and quantum-based sensors and devices.

The university has also come a long way on its computing journey. In 1960 it was the first university in South Africa to own an IBM mainframe computer. Today, in partnership with IBM, we’re the first African university to access a quantum computer.

As the Chair of the National Quantum Computing Working Group in South Africa, this is an area where I see immense potential for Africa. Classical computing has served society incredibly well. It gave us the Internet and cashless commerce. It sent humans to the moon, put robots on Mars and smartphones in our pockets.

But many of the world’s biggest mysteries and potentially greatest opportunities remain beyond the grasp of classical computers. To continue the pace of progress, we need to augment the classical approach with a completely new paradigm, one that follows its own set of rules – quantum computing.

This radically new way of performing computer calculations is exponentially faster than any classical computer. It can run new algorithms to solve previously “unsolvable” problems in optimisation, chemistry and machine learning, and its applications are far-reaching – from physics to healthcare.

Innovative healthcare is sorely needed across the African continent. Here, too, Wits has been able to play a vital role in the research, teaching and learning, clinical, social and advocacy spheres. It was the first university to lead COVID-19 vaccination trials in South Africa.

Our researchers also developed technology to improve the accurate testing for tuberculosis. And the Pelebox, an invention to cut down the time that patients spend waiting for medication in hospitals.

Elsewhere in the institution, researchers have connected the brain to the internet, used brainwaves to control a robotic prosthetic hand and developed an affordable 3D printed bionic hand.

Difficult questions

Research intensive universities in South Africa need to ask the difficult questions about their role in a changing society.

How do we serve as a catalyst for social change? How do we best use our intellectual dynamism and work with the public and private sectors to effect positive change? How do we create new, relevant knowledge and translate it into innovation? How do we best develop critical thinkers, innovators, creators and the high-level skills required to advance our economy, and the future world of work?

How do we quantify our social impact and ensure that it is contextually attuned? How do we influence policy change?

These questions are at the heart of the university’s strategy today. And they’re no doubt being considered across the higher education sector as universities work to harness their collective talent and the resources at their disposal to craft a new future and transform society for the benefit of all humanity.

(Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of the Witwatersrand)

THE CONVERSATION

GAUTENG Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi annonced on Sunday that parents who applied will be receiving placement offers for Grade 1 and 8 pupils from Monday.

Lesufi addressed the media at Hoërskool Menlopark on Sunday on the placement process for the 2023 Grade 1 and 8 Online Admissions in Gauteng.

Lesufi said there will be no need for a parent to access the system to accept an offer because the child would be placed at the mentioned school.

“Tomorrow we are releasing what we call ‘ happy SMS’s’. A happy SMS means as a parent you are going to get an SMS that says amongst the 764 000 people that have applied for spaces in our schools you were fortunate to be placed so tomorrow we are releasing those SMS’s to all parents,” said Lesufi.

“Placement offers will be released to parents via SMS from 3 October 2022 – 30 November 2022. Placement offers must be accepted within 7 days. When schools reach full capacity, applicants will receive placement offers from schools with available space.”

The placement period runs from 4 October until 30 November.

A total of 764 062 applications were submitted and processed for both Grade 1 and 8.

“There will be no need for a parent/guardian to access the system to accept an offer in that regard, because the child would be placed at the mentioned school.”

Lesufi said the department followed a strict criteria to place pupils.

“Parents and guardians are reminded that the placement offers are based on the following criteria considered in order of priority, home address within the school’s feeder zone, sibling(s), previous school, work address within school’s feeder zone, home address within 30km radius, home address beyond 30km radius. Not at a first come first served basis.”

According to Lesufi, the demand for space in schools is overwhelming, adding that there are over 1,000 additional classes currently being built in the province.

INSIDE EDUCATION

THE National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) 2023 application cycle has opened.

Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, made the announcement of Wednesday’s (28 September) opening of the application process at a briefing on Tuesday.

Briefing the media, Nzimande said the scheme resolved to open the application cycle early, as opposed to the previous year, in order to give prospective applicants enough time to submit their applications and supporting documents.

Giving an update report on NSFAS funding for the 2022 academic year, Nzimande said a budget of R43 billion was allocated to the scheme towards the beneficiaries’ tuition fees, including food and travelling allowance, and study material.

He said 985 672 applications were received with approximately 140 636 application unsuccessful.

Of the applications received, 739 526 applications were provisionally funded pending registration from their respective institutions.

“[The] majority of unsuccessful applicants failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their application for funding; exceeded the financial eligibility threshold; already achieved the highest level of qualification that NSFAS funds, exceeded the N+ rule and being non-compliant to the academic pathways of the TVET college sector,” Nzimande explained.

Over 200 000 SASSA beneficiaries received instant approvals

As part of the system’s improvements, Nzimande said NSFAS introduced real-time response to funding applications from applicants who are beneficiaries of South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), and 287 217 of those applicants received instant approvals because “beneficiaries in the SASSA category often receive automatic qualification for funding.”

“Currently, approximately 708 147 applicants are being funded by NSFAS across our 26 public universities and 50 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. We are also working with the National Treasury to ensure that we align the Post School Education and Training (PSET) calendar with government funding calendar to ensure that NSFAS has reserve funds prior to the reopening of PSET institutions.
In a bid to improve its application system and process to simplify it for prospective applicants, Nzimande said this year, NSFAS has implemented a number of enhancements to the system to ensure a seamless application experience.

He said the NSFAS online application portal was redesigned to be more user friendly and closer to other platforms that prospective applicants are accustomed to such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

“The application process itself has been simplified and the questions asked are easier to understand by the public. Additionally, applicants can pause the process and continue at a later stage without restarting from scratch, something that was not possible in previous cycles.

“Over and above the enhancements, NSFAS developed additional channels of application to cater for applicants from diverse backgrounds, also keeping in mind that most of the prospective applicants are young people who embrace the digital way of doing things,” Nzimande said.

The new channels include a mobile App, USSD and WhatsApp, where one can apply for NSFAS funding, track application status and cancelling applications amongst other things, which is normally done through the web portal.

Furthermore, to ensure that no applicant is left behind, Nzimande said NSFAS will embark on an outreach campaign, to ensure that individuals who do not have access to technological devices that enable them to apply online are given the necessary resources and support to apply.

How to access NSFAS bursary

You qualify for a NSFAS bursary if you are a South African citizen who plans to study in 2023 or you are already studying at a public university or TVET college and you meet the following requirements:

You are SASSA grant recipients or
Your combined household income is not more than R350 000 per year or
If you are a person living with a disability, your combined household income should not be more than R600 000 per year or
If you are a student who begun their university studies before 2018 and their household income is not more than R122 000 per year.
Visit the NSFAS website at www.nsfas.org.za for more information on the required supporting documents and the application process.

SA NEWS

STAFF REPORTER|

THE Western Cape Education Department (WCED) will be supplying 179 schools with mobile suites of technology this financial year at a cost of R18.5 million.

The use of computers and other forms of technology is crucial for the development of the learners in an economy that is becoming ever more digital.

“Owing to this, it is important for our schools to be equipped with this infrastructure for quality education to be taught,” DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Education Deidré Baartman said.

Currently, there are 1 320 schools that are already equipped with general-use computer laboratories, otherwise known as Slim Labs. There are also 255 schools that are provisioned with subject-specific labs, which cater to Computer Applications Technology (CAT), Engineering Graphics and Design (EGD), and Information Technology (IT).

Every 3-4 years, the subject-specific labs are evaluated to ensure that the technology located at these schools are sufficient to cater for learning. On an annual basis, 80 schools are furnished with the necessary technology for these subjects at a cost of R26 million.

The DA said it will be submitting follow-up questions to ascertain more details regarding this programme and the schools that are benefitting from it.

“These examples show that the WCED is committed to making a difference. We welcome the WCED’s continual efforts to ensure that our learners have a conducive learning environment for growth and skills development,” said Baartman.
 
INSIDE EDUCATION

THE Department of Basic Education says it will introduce as many as 38 new subjects to schools in the next few years, targeting learners in grades 10 to 12 as part of its new ‘three stream’ curriculum.

The department intends for the subjects and the curriculum model to be fully implemented by 2025.

Speaking to NewzroomAfrika on the coming changes, the education department’s chief director for mathematics and science, Seliki Tlhabane, said that the whole aim behind the three-stream model is to help learners get a better education and into jobs.

Under the current system, which the department calls the academic stream, the simple goal is to get learners through matric and into universities or other institutions of higher learning.

He said because of the focus on academics, technical or vocational skills had gained the reputation of being “lesser” than academic pursuits in South Africa, but added that these kinds of jobs delivered real value to society and helped artisans earn a livelihood.

Tlhabane said that the various Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in the country possess the necessary skills and knowledge to educate learners in these fields.

“One of the challenges might point to children who are going into the TVET space – those that society views as children who failed academically. We want to change this perception that TVET colleges and technical high schools are for children who are not intelligent.

“Children who are bright students can still follow these programmes, and once we get the right calibre of students to follow these programmes, we will be able to address this problem.”

Through the programme, the department will add 26 new subjects under the occupational stream and 12 new subjects in the vocational stream that will be offered to learners leaving grade 9 to set them on a path of education and employment.

The new curriculum streams feed into the department’s launch of the General Education Certificate – to be trialled this year (2022), with a full rollout expected by 2024.

The GEC will be granted to grade 9 learners as a transitionary certificate to allow them to pursue occupational and vocational training.

The three-stream model has been trialled in various capacities across the country since 2017 and entered the ordinary school trial phase in 2021.

Some of the occupational subjects that have already been trialled include:

Agricultural StudiesBeauty and Nail TechnologyArt and CraftsAncillary Health CareOffice AdministrationUpholsteryEarly Childhood Development (ECD)MaintenanceMotor MechanicsFood ProductionBody Works/ Panel Beating and or Spray PaintingNeedleworkWeldingHospitality StudiesSheet metal workWholesale and RetailElectrical TechnologyBricklaying and PlasteringWoodworking and TimberPlumbingHairdressing

Some of the prominent vocational subjects include:

Agricultural StudiesArt and DesignDigital TechnologyECDMechanical TechnologyElectrical Technology (Digital, Electronics and Electrical)Civil TechnologyHairdressing and BeautyAncillary Health CareServices: Maintenance and UpholsteryConsumer StudiesHospitality StudiesWholesale and Retail Studies

Tlhabane said the difference between the occupational stream and the vocational stream is the amount of practical work that learners have to complete.

For academic subjects, practical work is very minimum, he said. With vocational studies, at least 50% of the study time is doing practical work, with 50% being theory.

“When it comes to the occupational stream, about 75% is practical, and 25% is theory,” he said.

The key aspect of the occupational stream is work-based experience, he said, where children in this stream will be attached to a place of work where they will be supervised by professionals and acquire the real world of work experience.

“For vocational studies, just the theory and the practical suffices,” he said. The subjects will be implemented in grade 10 to 12 fully by 2025.

BUSINESS TECH

With the spread of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the rise of digital online media presence, young people are forgetting their cultural roots and heritage says Dr Beryl Xaba, Senior Lecturer in Unisa’s Department of African Languages.

She elaborates: “They have lost interest in facets such as clan names and fostering close relationships with family members.” She adds: “Young people also embrace speaking and writing in English rather than in their home languages.”

Unpacking the impact of the 4IR on South African cultures, Xaba says: “There are various cultural procedures and traditional practices that are viewed as primitive and not fitting with modern lifestyles, especially among the youth.” She cites an example where young people nowadays are unable to slaughter livestock for cultural ceremonies and rather send them to abattoirs.

Referring to the Zulu Royal Family’s kingdom matter, Xaba explains: “Before the 4IR, family matters were kept in-house, but with the availability of online news and information, such matters are now widely discussed on social media by people who lack the relevant knowledge.”

Xaba points out that to preserve South African languages through the 4IR, more awareness must be created, especially on social media. “Documentaries on streaming sites such as YouTube, Showmax and Netflix would help raise awareness and start conversations,” she says. Xaba continues: “A film like Inxeba on Showmax, may have been controversial, but it generated a lot of discussions and was very informative to young people who may not have been aware of the cultural practices of Xhosa people.”

Xaba advocates for the inclusion of native languages on digital websites, and better translation software devices on social media sites. She argues: “These resources could make these languages more accessible to the younger audience who may not be fluent in them, and give them confidence in using them.”

Xaba believes that a sense of belonging should be instilled in young South Africans so that the love of their customs is nurtured. She concludes: “These customs must be continually practised, archived, and preserved as Africans must embrace their identity and uniqueness.”

SUPPLIED

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education opened the 2023 learner admission process on 1 March 2022 and has now urged parents and guardians who have not secured school spaces for their children, to do so before the deadline of 30 September 2022. 

The Department said that they expect that parents should have applied to the minimum of at least three schools for their children, as per the guidance of the department. 

Parents were encouraged to apply to three schools so that they increase the chances for the children to be placed at one school, even if it wasn’t their first choice. 

The deadline of 30 September 2022 is for Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners. The department says that they will only deal with cases beyond the deadline, of learners whose parents applied but could not secure spaces due to various circumstances. 

Late applications will not be attended to according to the department as they say it puts officials under too much pressure. 

“We urge parents and guardians to cooperate with the Department in this regard, with the view of ensuring smooth learners admission for the 2023 Academic Year,” said the MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbali Frazer. 

Application forms can be found at schools that parents and guardians wish to apply to. 

Documents that are needed when making an application include the: 

Birth certificate (Note that baptismal certificates will not be regarded as proof of birth date)Immunisation card; andTransfer card or last school report card for learners who have been to school previously.

Additional documents required if one is not a South African citizen are: 

Study PermitTemporary or permanent residence permit from the Department of Home Affairs; orEvidence that you have applied for permission to stay in South Africa

The 2023 school year is set to commence on 18 January and end on 13 December for schools in Kwazulu-Natal. These dates could however change as the 2023 school calendar has not yet been finalised. 

Careersportal

QUINTON PASCOE

Welcome to the Exponential Age, where progress and change are inevitable. Since the time of the First Industrial Revolution when water and steam were used to power mechanised production, we are now in the grips of a digital revolution characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

According to a World Economic Forum report entitled “Catalysing Education 4.0: Investing in the Future of Learning for a Human-Centric Recovery”, the global imperative is for education to be reimagined, focusing on the breadth of skills needed to be successful in the age of the 4IR, and leveraging technological and pedagogical innovation to put learners at the centre of learning.

The vision to prepare students for the economies of tomorrow is referred to as Education 4.0.

How do we as educators roll with the digital punches?

The full changes to our future are difficult to accurately predict, but one thing is clear: from an education perspective, the response to future needs must be interdisciplinary and comprehensive. Educators need to accept that as technology becomes more pervasive, traditional trades disappear and education must be aligned to the change in times.

Shifting from ‘the sage on the stage’ to ‘the guide from the side’

The traditional model, where the focus of the classroom was around the teacher and children were seen as empty vessels needing to be filled with facts and knowledge, has changed to the teaching and learning modality where the teacher is not the focus of the class – but so much more.

The role of the educator must evolve into one of “the guide from the side”, the facilitator of skills development, with a greater focus on higher-order thinking skills such as analysing, synthesis, application of knowledge and problem-solving.

Core to these skills is creativity, which allows for each child to be an active participant in their learning with an expectation to not only be responsible and accountable for their part in the teaching and learning experience but to develop an appetite for being a lifelong learner.

Teachers need to shift their focus onto education 4.0 by cultivating peer-to-peer learning atmospheres with students being able to learn collaboratively and from each other. Teachers must actively model change and the skills desired; we must guide, mentor, cheerlead, and nurture, but more importantly, ignite and inspire possibilities.

Igniting curiosity at the early learning phase

Within the Early Learning School phase. a good place to start is with firm roots in philosophies like the Reggio Emilia Philosophy, which is an innovative and inspiring approach to early childhood education, where each child is seen as strong, capable, and resilient; rich with wonder and knowledge.

This philosophy rides on the coattails of the innate curiosity of children and aims to assist them with understanding their world and who they are in it. The learning experience is full of action learning, sensory experiences, play and discovery learning.

As students move into the Preparatory and College stages in South African private schools, the journey of the IEB curriculum begins. However, it is vital to maintain rich, robust teaching and learning by applying global citizenship skills, technology skills, and problem-based and collaborative learning while focusing on the individual needs of each child.

The focus is not just on completing an academic year or preparing for a matric and university entrance but extends towards preparing students to become globally marketable, where their inherent mindset of a ‘can do’ and ‘will do’ attitude is aligned with their flair towards entrepreneurship with a healthy balanced skill set which will serve them well as they will not only create the future, but creatively reinterpret it.

Responsibility of schools to develop soft skills

It is vital that schools acknowledge that the Fourth Industrial Revolution could not only impact what we do, but also who we are. It will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we devote to work and leisure, and how we develop our careers, cultivate our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships.

To this end, an educator’s focus must also be on developing the soft skills of each student where their interpersonal skills, personality attributes, and people skills drive them towards a realisation as to how they will impact how they work with other people.

Cognitive flexibility, resilience, originality, initiative, and emotional intelligence together with creative risk-taking, leadership growth, and the art of negotiation are all skills that we actively develop within each student.

Finally, an additional consideration when deciding which skills will be valuable in the future is determining who will be assigning that value. To prepare for this, skills-based teaching and learning should be embedded in various aspects of academic, sports, arts and culture programmes.

By Quinton Pascoe, headmaster at Reddam House Waterfall.

THE Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is making preparations to ensure that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) can allocate student funding to tertiary students for the 2023 academic year.

Higher Education Minister, Blade Nzimande will officially announce the opening of 2023 NSFAS applications on Tuesday 27 September 2022 at 16:00. 

The minister will also go through other recent events about the bursary program’s status, including the application procedure, during his media conference. He will also provide an update on NSFAS’s support. 

The minister will also discuss other recent events affecting the bursary scheme’s current status, particularly the application procedure. Additionally, he will provide an update on the assistance that NSFAS has given to students.

To date, there are currently 691,432 students for the 2022 academic year, with 462,983 being female and 227,072 being male students according to NSFAS. 

Following the financial shortage, the Department of Higher Education and Training provided R47,3 billion to NSFAS for the 2022 academic year, covering both TVET colleges and public universities.

The government established NSFAS per the NSFAS Act (Act 56 of 1999) to provide financial aid to disadvantaged students who want to continue and complete their studies at public universities or TVET colleges.

Careersportal

THE Tshwane University have dethroned the University of Johannesburg to lift their third Varsity Football title. 

It was a highly-anticipated final between the two best sides of this year’s Varsity Football tournament and the game which promised fireworks was living up to expectations. 

The first 25 minutes of the match were an evenly contested affair, with TUT creating some half chances following set pieces. 

UJ had a decent attempt in the 27th minute but Philane Masondo’s shot went wide off the target. 

TUT eventually opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, when Kutloano Manamela found the back of the net with a stunning volley. 

However, their lead lasted just one minute as Thanda Madiba found the equaliser from a tight angle after being set up by Thulani Zandamela. 

UJ almost scored their second goal in injury-time of the first half but Tebogo Lekaba cleared the ball off the line. 

TUT then went close in the first minute after half-time but a cross by Hendrick Xaba was blocked by Neo Lebopa. 

Madiba had a decent chance with a free-kick in the 59th minute but his attempt flew over the bar. 

TUT eventually found the winner in the 83rd minute, which came via an own goal by Maselesele Makoti after fine work down the right flank from Tumelo Hope Moeng. 

UJ tried to find another equaliser but it wasn’t to be, leading to wild celebrations of the Red Army.  

Coach Bushy Moloi was seen dancing on the sidelines as his troops lifted their third title after 2016 and 2018. 

Score: UJ 1-2 TUT 

Goals: 32’ 0-1 Kutloano Manamela, 33’ 1-1 Thanda Madiba, 83’ 1-2 Maselesele Makoti (OG) 

Man of the Match: Tshiamo Mahome (TUT) 

UJ starting XI: Lona Richard Banga, Maselesele Makoti, Neo Lebopa, Siphiwe Manana, Thanda Madiba, Sanele Ndlalane, Ndabezinhle Nkosi, Advocate Mokwena, Thulani Zandamela, Gerald Ndlovu, Philane Masondo 

TUT starting XI: Sikhumbuzo Ncube, Sanele Nene, Tebogo Lekaba, Kutloano Manamela, Siphosethu Mkhize, Alan Majo, Andile Yamile, Hendrick Xaba, Tshiamo Mahome, Tumelo Hope Moeng, Tshepiso Mnisi.