WENDY MOTHATA |

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has on Tuesday announced that schools will return to full-time learning from Monday, February 7, 2022.

This is after the Cabinet approved changes to the Adjusted Alert Level 1 COVID-19 regulations on Monday.

 “Primary, secondary and special schools will return to daily attendance. The regulatory provision for the social distancing of one metre for learners in schools has also been removed. The Ministers of Health and Basic Education will in the coming days issue directives reflecting on this new approach,” the Cabinet statement said.

The Department of Basic Education has welcomed the decision by Cabinet to allow schools to return to full-time learning in all schools.

“The Department of Basic Education welcomes the decision by Cabinet to allow schools to return to full-time learning in all schools,” said department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.

Mhlanga said that the Council of Education Ministers (CEM) met on Tuesday morning to process the decision.

“CEM agreed that schools would return to normal time-tabling as from Monday 7 February 2022,” he said.

He further said that a series of meetings have been scheduled with stakeholders to inform them of the decision, “in the meantime, the sector would prepare for the full return of learners.”

Mhlanga said, “the Minister will gazette new directions in the coming days to reflect the Cabinet decision and to also provide guidance ahead of the resumption of traditional time-tabling.”

The Department said the CEM will meet again on Friday.

THE United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres says the chaos caused by COVID-19 pandemic in the education system, interrupted the studies of 1.6 billion schools and college students worldwide.

“Some 1.6 billion school and college students had their studies interrupted at the peak of the pandemic and it’s not over yet. Today, school closures continue to disrupt the lives of over 31 million students, exacerbating a global learning crisis. Unless we take action, the share of children leaving school in developing countries who are unable to read could increase from 53 to 70 percent. 

But the turmoil in education goes beyond questions of access and inequality,” announced Guterres in a statement.
Guterres will convene a Summit on Transforming Education in September.

Guterres said, “Our world is changing at a dizzying pace, with technological innovation, unprecedented changes in the world of work, the onset of the climate emergency, and a widespread loss of trust between people and institutions. Conventional education systems are struggling to deliver the knowledge, skills and values we need to create a greener, better and safer future for all”.

He said education is a preeminent public good, and an essential enabler for the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

 “The international community cannot afford to be agnostic about its provision, quality and relevance. That is why I am convening a Summit on Transforming Education later this year.”

“The time has come to reignite our collective commitment to education. That means investing in comprehensive plans to help students recover from learning losses. It means putting education at the heart of broader recovery efforts, aimed at transforming economies and societies and accelerating progress on sustainable development. It means financial solidarity with developing countries. And it means embarking on a process of reflection and analysis to identify how national education systems can evolve and transform between now and 2030,” expressed Guterres.

“Summit on Transforming Education will be the first time that world leaders, young people and all education stakeholders come together to consider these fundamental questions. On this International Day of Education, and as we prepare for the Summit later this year, I call on everyone to unite around education as a public good and a top political priority for the recovery and beyond,” said Guterres on International Day of Education.

 THE COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that digital learning is required now, not in the future, said Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga.

Addressing a governmental lekgotla on Friday (28 January), Motshekga said there is a need to provide all learners and educators with the necessary technological devices so that they are prepared for work in the 21st century.

She added that her department is currently developing a new programme for online schooling and distance learning, with plans to give every teacher in the country a laptop before her term in office ends. This aligns with a previous mandate by president Cyril Ramaphosa to give every child learning materials on a digital device.

The goal is to provide ‘wall-to-wall’ connectivity and data availability in all basic education offices throughout the country, she said.

Strengthened curriculum 

Motshekga said her department will also embark on a ‘curriculum strengthening process’ to equip learners with 21st-century skills.

“The strengthened curriculum must explicitly state the knowledge, skills, and competencies to be achieved. The curriculum must be inclusive to all, and schools must be appropriately resourced to teach 21st-century skills,” she said.

Motshekga said that her department plans to establish a task team to look at how knowledge, skills and competencies can be explicitly infused or re-packaged in Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) so they can better transition from school to work.

She said this new curriculum must reconsider the assessment regime in all grades to align with competency and skills assessment instead of content and knowledge assessment.

“In the meantime, we must steam ahead with a slick national advocacy campaign to explain and entice young people to engage and choose correctly from our, three-streamed model,” the minister said.

The Department of Basic Education plans to pilot its new General Education Certificate (GEC) for Grade 9 learners later this year, ahead of a national rollout in 2023.

The GEC is intended to formally recognise learners’ achievements at the end of the compulsory phase of schooling. Its primary purpose is to facilitate subject choices beyond Grade 9 and articulation between schools and TVET colleges. Under the current system, hundreds of students leave the school system each year without a qualification, hindering them from finding jobs.

Lost teaching time

Apart from the existing Covid-19 recovery plans, including the trimmed curriculum grades, Motshekga said it was time to ‘take the bull by the horns’ to make up for teaching time lost during the pandemic.

This should include the end of rotational school timetables, as well as updated attendance and enrollment tracking, she said.

Motshekga said her department would also increase learning time by providing extra classes, enforcing attendance at school every day and giving learners more homework.

Increased accessibility

All mainstream schools must be revamped to be friendly to learners with disabilities. In addition, the sector must ensure that there is early intervention to support learners with learning disabilities as soon as they start Grade R, Motshekga said.

“As part of fighting to end the stigma, we must all drive the message that young people with disabilities who drop out must return to schools or those who are not yet enrolled to do so,” she said.

 – BusinessTech

WHILE most students believe Mathematics is the most difficult subject, top Gauteng and national matric achievers who scored 100% have proven beyond doubt that it is an easy subject.

Four top achievers interviewed by Inside Education, Raymond Mamabolo (17), Kristen Erasmus (18), Mignon Erasmus (18) and Musawenkosi Nzuza (17) acknowledged that to excel in Mathematics and other subjects requires proper planning, hard work and constant practice.

To assist learners who yearn to walk in their path, Inside Education asked the four overachievers to share their secret to excellence in Mathematics and other subjects with the matric class of 2022.

Mamabolo from Chipa-Tabane Secondary School in Cullinan, Tshwane is the top achiever in Secondary School Improvement Programme schools in Gauteng. He is also the top achiever for learners in township schools, nationally. He also scooped a high achiever award in Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Geography, provincially and nationally. He scooped seven distinctions in all his subjects. He scored 100% in four subjects, namely, Mathematics, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Life Orientation, 92% English First Additional Language (FAL), 86% Geography and Sepedi Home Language.

Giving tips to excel in Mathematics and overall exams, Mamabolo said Mathematics is an easy subject. Therefore, he urged the 2022 class to allocate time for it and practise constantly.

“Change your mindset and attitude toward the subject. Approaching Maths with an optimistic attitude will definitely help you understand the subject better as it allows room for problem solving in your mind. Mathematics is all about logic. Train your mind to think logically so that you can understand and solve every problem effectively,” said Mamabolo.

“Always be ahead of your teachers. Do not wait for your teacher to introduce a new chapter. Start the chapter at least a week before the teacher introduces it in the classroom. This will make you understand the concept better,” said Mamabolo.

He encouraged the matriculants to tutor their peers, maintaining it will benefit them in their studies.

“Whenever you get a chance, try to teach other people who are struggling with the same topic that you are also struggling with. I know it seems weird but when you teach or explain something to someone else, it enhances your understanding and you are able to notice the concepts you are unfamiliar with.”

Mamabolo said it is important for Mathematics students to know the basics of the subject.

“Know your basics. Mathematics is all about problem solving. Even the difficult questions come from the basics. You just have to break it down into steps. Even questions with complex procedures, all have basic concepts, so all you have to do is break it down. Always do research. Try to use tools like the internet to find past papers and other resources to help you practice and gain more exposure to different Mathematics problems. The examiners ask similar questions, the only difference is the way they ask the questions.”

He said it is important to seek assistance from teachers when experiencing problems with a subject.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your teachers about concepts you are struggling with. Your teachers are there to help, so make use of them,” said Mamabolo.

“Practise, practise, practise. This tip is very important as it is basically what Maths is about. In order to be successful in Mathematics you need to practise. There is no way around this one. Doing at least one Maths problem a day will enhance your problem-solving skills and will set you on the road to becoming a critical thinker. Practising also helps you understand concepts better and you can find different ways of solving problems. Keep practising. I know it will be difficult along the way, but I guarantee it will be worth it. Sometimes you will be demotivated when you do not see any progress, but all you have to do is keep practising and never give up. Do not stop. Mathematics is an easy subject if you can just give it time,” said Mamabolo.

Kristen from Hoërskool Waterkloof in Tshwane is thetop Gauteng overall performing achiever. She scooped nine distinctions for all her matric subjects. She obtained 99% for Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Life Orientation, 98% Alpha Mathematics, Accounting, Afrikaans Home Language, 95% Business Studies, and 89% English Home Language.

“My advice to the matric class of 2022 would be to take it day-by-day. You don’t know what the year will bring, especially because we are amidst a pandemic. Don’t be too set in your idea of what a matric year should be. You should try to be adaptable. You should make the most of the time you have every day and use your time effectively. Do everything in your ability to prepare as well as you can for the exams,” said Kristen.

She added, “My tips for excelling in subjects like Maths would be to know the theory and basic concepts very well because you will be able to do almost any Maths problem if you just use all the basics that you know”.

Kristen said it is also important for students to practise many different Mathematics problems and to use many old exam papers to familiarise themselves with different methods in which the questions could be asked.

Mignon from Hoërskool Zwartkop in Centurion, Tshwane obtained 100% in Mathematics, 99% Alpha Mathematics, 97% Information Technology and Accounting, 95% Life Orientation, 94% Afrikaans Home Language and Physical Sciences, and 91% English FAL.

Mignon said, “Working hard from day one and not procrastinating is important, especially during this pandemic where everything can change in a heartbeat and nothing is cast in stone. I think planning is a crucial part of succeeding in matric. It enables you to spend an equal amount of time on all your subjects”.

“Working through past exam papers is an extremely important component of your exam preparation, especially for subjects like Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Accounting. If you struggle with a certain part of your work (in my case it was financial Mathematics and probability) keep on practising until it gets easier and comes more naturally. Never be afraid to ask questions in class. My teachers were always ready to help me, and I am very thankful to them. It is also important to take breaks in order to remain focused and energised.”

Although Kristen and Mignon share the same surname, they are not related.

Nzuza from PJ Simelane Secondary in Dobsonville scored 100% in Mathematics, 95% Physical Sciences, 93% Life Orientation, 89% IsiZulu, 88% Life Sciences, 86% Computer Applications Technology and 79% English.

Nzuza said, “Students must be selfish with their time. No day must pass without at least an hour of self-study. Frequent interaction with teachers is always helpful to enable you to understand everything in greater detail”.

He encourages students to form study groups as it is easier to understand concepts through the help of others in group discussions.

Taking Inside Education through his study plan that qualified him to obtain 100% in Mathematics and excel in his overall exams, Nzuza said, “I did Maths in between subjects when I was studying. I would do that during my 10-minutes’ breaks when I was refreshing for another subject”.

“I set a target of the number of questions I wanted to complete during that time. I worked through a lot of provincial and national past papers. I attended Kutlwanong, Centre for Maths Science and Technology every Saturday, Sunday and holidays to get assistance with Maths for three hours per day.”

Nzuza said it is extremely important for the class of 2022 to “have a positive attitude and approach it with a smile and happy mood”.

“I would advise the students to practise Maths daily, but they should not sideline other subjects. They must not give up but seek assistance from those who seem to be understanding it. Do a lot of past papers because you will notice that the questions are often similar if you do them a lot,” said Nzuza.

THE deadline for late online applications for Grade One and Eight pupils in the Gauteng province is at midnight

Meaning, parents are only left with few hours to register their children at schools with available spaces around the province.

In an attempt to test the Gauteng Department of Education’s online late application system, Inside Education visited the website and it was functioning properly before going to press.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi’s spokesman, Steve Mabona said, currently, “a total of 26 482 late applications have received placement. This amounts to a total of 16 977 Grade 1 learners and 9 505 Grade 8 learners who have been placed during the late applications period”.

The MEC’s Office has encouraged parents and guardians who have not had an opportunity to apply for their children to visit the Department’s website, www.gdeadmissions.gov.za for registration.

However, Lesufi’s Office said, “only schools that have capacity to place learners will be available”.

MEC Lesufi, thanked everyone who utilised the online system to apply.

Lesufi reassured the public that “officials are hard at work to review the system, to accommodate all concerns raised. Subsequently, a report will be tabled just before the commencement of the 2023 online application period”.

THE Department of Basic Education is holding the annual lekgotla this week at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park. The focus of the Lekgotla is to discuss the recovery plan for basic education after two years of disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Theme for 2022 Lekgotla is: “Equipping Learners with Knowledge and Skills for a Changing World in the Context of Covid-19”.

The annual Basic Education Sector Lekgotla is set to end on Friday, January 28, 2022.

In her address, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said the sector lost at least 50% of curriculum time due to rotational timetabling and intermittent closures.

“As a government, we are mulling over options to mitigate against losing contact teaching time in 2022

and beyond,” Motshekga said.

The minister said that they have recommended to the National Coronavirus Command Council to reduce the social distancing measures in the classrooms.

“As a government, we are mulling over options to mitigate against losing contact teaching time in 2022

and beyond. We have recommended to the National Coronavirus Command Council to reduce the social

distancing measures in our classrooms. The ideal is to have all our learners receiving contact teaching

time at the same time to mitigate against dropouts, increase retention rates and prevent failures,”

Motshekga said.

Motshekga said that the basic education ecosystem must be strengthened to future proof against the

subsequent pandemics.

“In the end, we must strengthen the basic education ecosystem so that it is future proof against the

subsequent pandemics. We do so because Basic Education is so crucial that there’s evidence it strengthens democracies, improves the nation’s health outcomes and contributes significantly to economic growth.”

The minister said that there’s a need to build a coherent response on the measures to reboot and rebuild the basic education system battered by the two years of Covid-19.

Since the start of this year, many people have been calling for primary and high school learners to return to full-time attendance for the 2022 academic year.

“Thus, Basic education remains an apex priority of this government. As such, it is critical to continuously assess the performance of this crucial sector because we carry the hopes and dreams of our people on our broad shoulders,” said Motshekga.

Motshekga acknowledged that the matric class of 2021 endured two years of schooling under the COVID-19.

“We must understand the pass rate of 76.4% for the Matric Class of 2021 in the context that this cohort

endured two years of schooling under the COVID-19 disruptions, including intermittent closures,”  she said.

The minister said the department must support vulnerable learners.

“As a department, we must do more to support vulnerable learners, increase retention and stem the

tide of dropouts; this programme is part of our last-ditch effort in this regard. Our responsibility as

Government is to offer the highest standard of basic education to our learners in a safe and secure

Environment,” she said.

The minister further added that “We must see teachers displaying compassion virtue as many of our learners come from diverse communities, child-headed households, high crime levels, unemployment, and various social ills.”

Inside Education

TIMES Higher Education (THE) has ranked the University of Cape Town (UCT) fifty-fifth in its 2022 list of the most international universities in the world, making it the only African university on the list.

UCT ranks fifty-fifth with Carnegie Mellon University and Princeton University in the US and was selected owing to its collaboration on research across the world, having a strong global reputation and its large contingent of international students and staff.

“We value our internationalisation and its many facets – more than can be encompassed in a single measurement. We also recognise that in our current context – more than ever – these international connections and the shared knowledge and collaboration that they enable will help to ensure that, as a society, we address and resolve the most complex challenges of our time,” said UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation Professor Sue Harrison.

The University of Hong Kong took first place in the THE ranking, ETH Zurich took second place, and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology tied for third.

Only those institutions that received 100 votes or more in the international reputation survey and at least 50 votes, or 10%, of the available domestic votes are eligible for inclusion on the list.

THE DA is compiling papers to bring an urgent interdict to direct schools to open fully, John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, said on Wednesday. 

He said government’s 1m distance policy for schools means that most schools are forced to operate on a rotational basis whereby each schoolchild only attends school 50% of the time.

This policy is irrational, unjustifiable, unfair and downright outrageous, said Steenhuisen.

“There is no justification for continuing with rotational schooling. In the current South African context, this policy is devoid of any benefit in reducing infections,” said Steenhuisen.

“The purpose of the policy was to enable 1m social distancing in classrooms, to thereby take pressure off the health system by slowing the spread of the virus. Yet, the health system has not been under pressure from the virus during the fourth wave.”

Steenhuisen said unlike many other countries, there is a very high level of natural immunity in the SA population, driven by a high rate of prior infection.

This immunity is now considered by scientists to be in the region of 70-90% of the SA population.

Therefore, Covid hospitalisations have been much lower than previous waves. And even so, 50% of them have been incidental, meaning people were admitted for non-Covid reasons and then happened to test positive, so did not require ventilation or Covid ICU bed space.

Steenhuisen said the risk to schoolchildren that accrues from them missing school far outweighs the benefit to those in the high-risk group that accrues from having schoolchildren on a rotational schooling system.

There is evidence of schoolchildren losing 57-81% of their reading ability due to rotational schooling.

Most schoolchildren lost over 50% of their schooling in 2020 and 2021.

Hundreds of thousands have dropped out of school altogether as a result of the indirect effects of Covid regulations.

In 2021 alone, some 370 000 to 700 000 learners dropped out of school, adding to the already burgeoning ranks of youth not in education, employment or skills training.

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

He said rotational schooling is also causing mental distress, increased exposure to violence and abuse, and increased malnutrition from missed school meals.

“All of which have long-term consequences for the health and well-being of this and future generations.

There is a need to balance the rights of the high-risk group to health with the rights of children to education,” said Steenhuisen.

“However, those individuals who have a high-risk of severe disease or death from Covid have the option of getting vaccinated. There is no supply or access problem with vaccines. And there is evidence that vaccines are highly effective at providing protection from severe disease and death. 

 Unvaccinated individuals in the high-risk group have chosen this risk.”

* Inside Education

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister, Ronald Lamola, has commended the inmate class of 2021 for achieving an 89% pass rate.

Lamola was speaking at the Barberton Correctional Centre in Mpumalanga during the announcement of inmates’ 2021 matric results.

According to Lamola, the Correctional Services Department had registered a total of 191 inmates for the 2021 matric examination.

Lamola said the prison population achieved an 89% percent pass rate, with a total of 77 Bachelor and 47 Diploma passes.

Lamola appealed to families of inmates to pay tuition fees for inmates to enable them to continue with their studies.

“With education, upon their release, they will become better people away from criminal activities. We are confident that 2022 will be a better year than 2021,” he said, adding that inmates below the age of 30 should be encouraged to study.

After announcing the results, Lamola, assisted by Correctional Services officials, handed over awards to the best performing learners, educators and schools.

Prior to announcing the results, Lamola conducted an inspection at some of the self-sufficiency projects at the centre, including a bakery, which produces bread for inmates in Mpumalanga and the newly developed Orchard.

The DCS says it continues to achieve great Matric results, with the following pass rates recorded in the last five years:  2016 – 72.1%; 2017 – 76.7%; 2018 – 77.3%; 2019 – 82.6% and 2020 – 86.3% and 2021 – 89%.

According to the department, some inmates upon completing Matric, went on to attain degrees in various fields.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced the 2021 National Senior Certificate examination results last Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Motshekga addressed some of the country’s top performing matric pupils at public schools from the class of 2021 in Johannesburg.

According to the Department of Basic Education, candidates who failed a subject, or want to improve their marks, have another chance to improve their results.

SA News

Staff Reporter|

BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga has called for the social distancing space between pupils to be reduced.

The Disaster Management Act currently only allows children to be a meter apart from each other but in some schools where infrastructure doesn’t allow it, children have to take turns on which days they are allowed at school.

All COVID-19 protocols remain in place in South Africa and includes social distancing between desks of up to a meter.

The law says primary schools and schools for learners with special education needs that return to the traditional and daily attendance timetabling model, as well as school hostels, must ensure strict compliance with social distancing measures and minimum health protocols, which include the wearing of face masks, the washing of hands and the use of hand sanitizers, and must comply with safety measures on COVID-19

Motshekga said that they were consulting the Cooperative Governance Department to further reduce this to allow more children to attend school.

Motshekga said that while children were back in the classroom, negotiations were continuing to reduce the COVID-19 regulations in schools, requiring children to be separated by up to a meter.

But with some schools, which simply don’t have the space, it is excluding some children from attending class full time.

The department said that 80% of teachers were vaccinated and with children 12 years and older eligible, parents were encouraged to make sure their children got a jab too.

The teacher unions have reiterated that they were not consulted in regard to the new proposed reduced social distance of 0,5m in primary schools.

“Our advice to schools in the interim is that where the 1m cannot be complied with, the schools should follow the deviation provisions as contained in the Gazette and to continue with rotational timetabling. This is done in the best interest of the child, educators and the community and to ensure that schools do not become super-spreaders but rather the barriers against the transmission,” according to teacher unions.

* Inside Education