Registration for the Department of Basic Education’s Second Chance Matric Programme will close on 8 February 2023.

The programme is aimed at those who have not met the requirements to pass the National Senior Certificate (NSC) or the extended Senior Certificate (SC) examinations.

The programme is also open to those who want to improve their results.

In reply to questions regarding the programme in the National Council of Provinces in October last year, Minister Angie Motshekga revealed that at least 400 000 learners have been assisted through the programme to “achieve their subject passes towards their NSC or SC qualification”.

“The programme plays an important role in retaining learners beyond the formal schooling programme. Learners who are disappointed by their failure or poor performance at the end of their schooling career, are able to continue with their studies at their own pace.

“They are able to register for one, two or more subjects, and write the examinations either in May/June or October/November. The face-to-face centres keep learners motivated, as they prepare for their examinations. Learners migrate within provinces, seeking job opportunities and the SCMP allows learners to continue with their studies, irrespective of the province they have relocated to,” she said.

Subjects that learners can register for include:

Accounting

Agricultural Science

Business Studies

Economics

English First Additional Language

Geography

History

Mathematics

Mathematic Literacy

Physical Sciences

Life Sciences

“The programme offers face-to-face support, online support and a wide range of learning support materials. The programme facilitates the development of learning and teaching support materials (LTSMs) that is based on diagnostic reports, so as to ensure that the support materials focus on common areas of poor performance emanating from previous examinations.

“The LTSMs are government-owned, printed and distributed to learners at no cost to the learner,” Motshekga said.

To register for the programme online go to www.eservices.gov.za or visit any Department of Basic Education office with an ID document and statement of results.

Community Education and Training

Those who are older and/or those who have not had the opportunity to complete matric due to various reasons and those who do not qualify for higher education can register at Community Education and Training (CET) colleges across the country.

According to the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation website, the colleges are supported by some 200 community learning centres.

“These colleges…target post-school youth and adults who wish to raise the base for further learning, improve their skills for employability and/or progression to opportunities in the TVET colleges and university education.

“In essence, community education and training…offer(s) programmes that contribute to improving community cohesion and social capital, and responsive to the geographic and sectoral needs and challenges,” the department said.

The colleges offer training and academic learning opportunities, including the General Education and Training Certificate for adults (GETC), courses in computer literacy and applied agriculture.

In his budget speech last year, Minister Blade Nzimande said at least R200 million has been committed to support CET colleges which are critical to closing South Africa’s skills gap.

“In addition to academic skills and occupational programmes already on offer, CET colleges will offer two new accredited programmes which are Entrepreneurship and Digital Skills programmes.

“Nine Hundred CET college lecturers will be trained in accredited training programmes. We will also accredit 35 pilot community learning centres, which will be an addition to the 15 community learning centres accredited in 2021/22,” he said.

More information on CETs can be obtained on the department’s website. – SAnews.gov.za

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is betting on new technologies for South Africa’s economic development and employment creation, calling for concerted effort in driving the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

The president made the call in Bloemfontein when he delivered the annual African National Congress’ (ANC) statement.

The ANC January 8 statement sets the ruling party’s agenda for the year ahead, and is delivered by party president on behalf of the national executive committee.

In his statement, Ramaphosa revealed the ruling party’s top priorities for 2023, ranging from dealing with Eskom’s power cuts to advancing new technologies as a catalyst for economic development.

The president punted 4IR as an enabler of economic growth and job creation, saying: “Rapid technological change, including the fourth-industrial-revolution, is changing economies and societies.”

He continued: “New digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning can provide a platform for economic growth and development that can expand job creation and self-employment, improve production processes and enhance delivery of public services such as health care, education and community safety.

“The ANC should join progressive forces across the globe who are working to ensure the digital revolution is not appropriated by elites to reproduce and sustain social inequality – no one must be left behind.”

Further, president Ramaphosa addressed the contentious issue of power cuts, saying the ruling party is commited to resolve the energy crisis and end loadshedding.

“The insecurity of electricity supply continues to be one of the greatest impediments to economic recovery and disrupts the lives of all South Africans,” he said.

To this end, the president said the government should turn to green energy and “should secure additional power in the short term by leveraging surplus capacity from existing generators and procuring additional power on an emergency basis.”

He added: “We will continue implementing the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 which includes the procurement of over 18 000 MW of new generation capacity.

“This includes ensuring investment resources mobilised through the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan are used to speedily upgrade Eskom’s transition network to facilitate entry of new generation capacity.”

On the green economy, Ramaphosa said: “South Africa will develop the productive capacity to participate in global green energy value chains. The ANC recognises important work in the Hydrogen Roadmap and directs government to implement further supportive policy measures and actions to enable South Africa to become a green hydrogen centre.

“There are important new opportunities in developing rare earth and platinum group minerals for green manufacturing.

“The ANC directs government to expand incentives to the electric vehicle manufacturing industry to accelerate the transition from the internal combustion engine in our country’s manufacturing sector.”

itWEB

ONLINE schooling may have reduced suicide rates in LGBTQ+ teenagers in Dane County during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study from UW-Madison’s School of Education, possibly because the school environment for some teens was harmful.

But suicide rates for LGBTQ+ teens are still two to three times higher than their cisgender and straight peers.

“I don’t want any other parent to ever, ever, ever feel like this,” said Dia Caulkins, whose child Graciella-Sawyer Caulkins-Feltz died by suicide in November.

Graciella-Sawyer, who was non-binary, was only 14 when they died. They loved the colors pink and yellow, and unicorns. They had just picked up photography, snapping photos of flowers, sunsets and ice cream. They cared about animals and had just started piano lessons.

They were also extremely kind and compassionate, almost to a fault, Caulkins said.

“They didn’t do this to hurt us, they did this because they couldn’t see a way out,” she said. “And we have to be doing more so that they have a place where they fit, where they’re accepted.”

World events such as the war in Ukraine and George Floyd’s death deeply affected Graciella-Sawyer. They stopped to talk with people experiencing homelessness, volunteered in the community and checked in on their siblings often. They were nice to everyone, even to those who were unkind to them.

“Their capacity for love, except for themselves, was amazing,” Caulkins said.

“I think we need to be doing more,” she said.

UW doctoral student Erin Gill and assistant professor Mollie McQuillan, who authored the study, said finding solutions is particularly important as anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric increases, especially surrounding youth and schools — from lawsuits over school districts’ gender identity policies and discourse in the 2022 gubernatorial race to efforts to repeal sex education curriculum and challenges to children’s Pride displays in libraries.

“Our study highlights that we need additional organizational supports and reforms for queer and trans kids who are getting pushed out of school and aren’t safe in school,” McQuillan said.

At the start of the pandemic , there were “two stories” about how LGBTQ+ youth were fairing, Gill said.

“We were hearing that some kids were really thriving not being in school anymore because they were out of harmful school environments,” she said. “But we’d also been hearing this other story where youth were really struggling at home, whether they were in a harmful home environment or they lacked the supports they had in school.”

THE STUDY

Those divergent experiences are borne out in the UW study, in which McQuillan and Gill compared results from the Dane County Youth Assessment from 2018 and 2021.

The assessment is a survey given to students every three years, asking them about different behaviors and risk factors, such as drug use and bullying.

Gill and McQuillan’s study found that LGBTQ+ youth reported “significantly fewer” attempts of suicide in 2021 than in 2018, but greater anxiety.

Specifically, in 2021, nearly 39 percent of gay or lesbian high schoolers reported seriously contemplating or having attempted suicide, compared with nearly 42 percent in 2018.

That rate was nearly 47 percent for bisexual students in 2021, compared with nearly 51 percent in 2018.

And for students questioning their sexual identity, the rate was just more than 35 percent in 2021 and just above 38 percent in 2018.

Corresponding rates for straight students, however, were much lower: 14 percent of them in 2021 and 17 percent in 2018.

Meanwhile, anxiety in high schoolers rose from nearly 30 percent in 2018 to more than 32 percent in 2021.

McQuillan said environmental factors may help explain why anxiety increased in students while suicidal thoughts may have decreased.

Anxiety is thought to be linked to a home environment and additional pandemic-related stressors families were facing, while other supports in school and the community were cut off, McQuillan said.

But suicide is thought to be linked more to peer victimization, or bullying.

“So, victimization doesn’t explain all of this increase in suicidality among queer and trans kids, but it explains some of it. And when kids were out of school and experiencing potentially less victimization, we saw that link of suicidality and not anxiety,” McQuillan said.

Caulkins wonders if students whose mental health improved during online schooling already had friends and peer support. “If you don’t have any friends, that’s a very lonely place to be at 12 and 13.”

For Graciella-Sawyer, “the pandemic was terrible,” their mom said.

“It wasn’t like life was easy for them before that, but it was like they were treading water okay,” Caulkins said. “And as the pandemic went on, they got lonelier and sadder.”

Once in-person learning returned, Graciella-Sawyer tried to make friends by joining clubs and staying involved. But some kids bullied them verbally, and some even took photos of them and threatened to post them online.

“We as adults, we as the grown-ups, have to teach kids that their words matter and they stick with kids who are lonely and sad and isolated,” Caulkins said. “As parents, we have a responsibility to make sure that our kids know they are not OK.”

What she hopes to see: More community building in schools, to expose students to different backgrounds and identities, and better mental health services.

The process to get counseling for Graciella-Sawyer was slow, and now as Caulkins is trying to find counseling for her other children as they grieve, the waitlist is months long.

Gill said the study reinforces the importance of bolstering and multiplying ways to support LGBTQ+ youth. And McQuillan said there should be more support to “disrupt” bullying that’s likely happening again now that kids are back in schools.

“I’m really inspired by LGBTQ youth who have been standing up to this political pressure,” Gill added. She said that while students may be struggling because of the increased rhetoric, there is also an increase in peers and LGBTQ+ youth “championing” one another.

McQuillan and Gill hope to expand their study next by looking at statewide data.

As for Graciella-Sawyer, they were giving to the last: Their organs were donated.

“And all moms love their kids, of course, but really, Sawyer really wanted to make the world a better place, and they should have been here to do that as an adult,” Caulkins said. “They would have devoted their life to making it better.”

govtech.com

Ten-year-old Malki is too excited to stay in bed.

She’s up an hour before her two sisters and two brothers so that she can scrape some bright red gloss off her fingernails.

Today is her first day back at school and she wants to be spotless.

But her siblings must stay at home – her family can only afford to send her.

Six months ago, Sri Lanka was in the eye of the storm for its worst economic crisis since independence.

While calm has largely returned to the island nation, the full impact of mass unemployment and dramatic price rises is now visible among many families.

Every parent’s nightmare

Malki’s mother Priyanthika has had to pause her children’s schooling so they can earn money by selling fireworks.

Food prices in Sri Lanka reached record levels when inflation hit an all-time high of almost 95%.

Some days, no-one in Malki’s family eats.

While school is free in Sri Lanka, meals are not provided. When you add in the cost of uniforms and transport, education is a luxury Priyanthika can no longer afford.

She says she needs about 400 rupees per day ($1.09, 90p) for each child if they are to return to school.

Sitting in her one-bedroom home on the bed everyone shares, she wipes the tears from her face.

“All these kids used to go to school every day. I don’t have the money to send them now,” she says.

Malki can go to school because her shoes and uniform still fit.

But her younger sister Dulanjalee lies in bed crying, upset that today is not her turn.

“My darling, don’t cry,” says Priyanthika. “I’ll try and take you tomorrow.”

A shattered education

As the sun rises, children who are going to class hurry along dirt roads in white cotton uniforms, jumping on the back of motorcycles or piling into tuk-tuks.

Across town, Prakrama Weerasinghe sighs wearily.

He is the principal of Colombo’s Kotahena Central Secondary College and sees the economic distress every day.

“When the school day begins, when we have the morning assembly, children tend to faint from hunger,” he says.

The government says they have started distributing rice to schools but several schools contacted by the BBC say they have received no help.

Mr Weerasinghe says student attendance fell as low as 40% before he was forced to ask teachers to bring in extra food to keep students returning to class.

Joseph Stalin is General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union.

He believes the government is wilfully unaware of the increasing numbers of families giving up on education because of the cost.

“Our teachers are the ones who see the empty lunch boxes,” he says. “The real victims of this economic crisis are the children.”

“[The government] are not looking for an answer to this issue. It’s been seen and identified by UNICEF and others, rather than the Sri Lankan government.”

UNICEF say it will get harder for people to feed themselves in the months ahead, with inflation in the cost of basic goods like rice continuing to cripple families.

It’s expected more children across the country will be forced to stop attending class.

The last hope?

With the government seemingly unable to manage the situation, charities have had to step in.

Samata Sarana is a Christian charity which has been helping Colombo’s poorest for three decades.

Today, its food hall is packed with hungry students from schools across the capital.

While the charity can help around 200 children daily, it is clear it’s struggling to meet demand.

“They give us food, buses to go home, they give us everything so now we can study,” says five-year-old Manoj as he waits in line for lunch with a group of friends.

When Malki returns home from her first day back at school, she tells her mother how much she enjoyed seeing her friends again.

But she also tells her mother she needs a new workbook and says her teachers are asking for extra money to buy materials for a school project.

Money that the family does not have.

“If we manage to find today’s meal, we go on to worry about how to find something to eat tomorrow,” says Priyanthika.

“That has become our life.”

BBC

TRAIN manufacturer Gibela Rail Consortium is offering 150 bursaries to students looking to further their studies in engineering, computer science, and logistics, among others.

In a statement, Gibela says applications are available for both universities and technical and vocational educationand training (TVET) institutions.

The Gibela 2023 bursaries include full tuition, a book allowance, accommodation and meals, states the company, adding that they are granted for one year and are renewable on an annual basis based on academic performance.

To qualify, bursary applicants must be South African citizens with a South African barcoded ID, enrolled or intending to enrol at a local TVET institution, enrolled or intending to enrol at a South African university or university of technology, demonstrate potential for academic success, as well as in need of financial assistance.

According to the statement, bursaries for study at a university or university of technology are available in electrical, electronic, mechanical, metallurgical, and industrial engineering; computer science and information technology; accounting; and supply chain and logistics management.

The prerequisites for a university or university of technology Gibela bursary includes a matric with level six for mathematics, physical science and accounting, and level five for English.

Additionally, written proof of acceptance for admission to a South African university or university of technology, and proof of income from a parent or guardian.

To study at a TVET institution, bursaries are available in professions such as boilermakers, electricians, mechanics, welders, millwrights, pattern-makers, vehicle-builders, plumbers, control and instrumentation technicians, and fitters and turners.

The prerequisites for a Gibela bursary at a TVET institution includes a matric with mathematics and science, and English at level four, written proof of acceptance for admission to a South African TVET institution, and proof of income from a parent or guardian.

Candidates can apply by sending a short CV, a certified copy of their academic records and a certified copy of their South African ID to gibelabursaries@communityrail.co.za or fax the application to 086 246 2666.

The bursary applications close on 15 February 2023.

Staff Reporter

GROWING up without a father, Eastern Cape education expert Obakeng Kagola recognised the importance of male role models in early childhood and has dedicated his career to creating equitable space for them in the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector.

Kagola, a lecturer in early childhood education (ECD) in Nelson Mandela University’s education faculty, aims to disrupt the impression that the sector is predominantly for women educators, but is still battling that stereotype after a decade working in it.

When he first started studying, says Kagola, he had to continually justify why he could teach young children, despite being male. 

“The (question) of my gender always popped up. (When) I was a lecturer at a TVET college in Mafikeng, one module covered nutrition from birth to six years. I was told that I couldn’t teach that, as I was male.”

Kagola convinced his peers otherwise, and then his classrooms. “I taught a class of 35 students – mostly rural women in their thirties – who were rigid in their thinking about ECD being women’s work.”

Doggedly determined to specialise in the field, he became a member of the national marking team which taught ECD practitioners, or Educare.

Kagola understands the importance of a role model. His grandmother nurtured him, as well as eight other children, in their modest dwelling in Wolmaranstad in the North-West. Early education, he says, can help fill the gap when a role model is missing at home. 

He wants society to rethink the positioning of men (by creating) alternative realities of what it is to be a man. His aim is to make a contribution: “I can be a role model. Many children grow up without a father. So did I.”

In a 2012 academic paper, Kagola and co-author Mathabo Khau showed how visual representations could be used to change perceptions of male teachers in the Foundation Phase in the Nelson Mandela metropole.

The study, ‘Using Collages to Change School Governing Body Perceptions of Male Foundation Phase Teachers’, recommended that participatory visual methodologies be used in “courageous conversations” with communities, exploring the construction of “caring masculinities” and involvement of men in care professions.

“The effort to recruit and retain male Foundation Phase teachers is a global phenomenon,” Kagola says. In Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, strategies include bursaries and awareness campaigns to bring more male teachers into early childhood education. 

Despite initiatives to recruit men to teach Foundation Phase, there has been no significant improvement in South Africa, he says. The sector is still female dominated, with only 22.7 per cent being male, according to a 2015 survey. 

For Kagola, the privilege of watching a child grow in education is profound. 

“In January, a child could not hold a pen or read a sentence, but by the end of the semester, they could take care of themselves.”

He also applies a holistic approach to teaching. For example, he points out, slower learners may have been negatively affected by family dynamics so, rather than labelling them, more care should be taken to define the root of the problem.

True teachers, regardless of gender, are vital in the early stages of education, he believes. “Society needs to rethink the concept of work. There are male Foundation Phase teachers in the system who are thriving – and they are not planning on leaving.”

Nelson Mandela University: Supplied

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) says there should be no concerns over a predicted teacher shortage in the coming years.

Recent research from Stellenbosch University’s Research on Socioeconomic Policy Unit (RESEP) shows that close to half (49%) of teachers employed by the DBE are 50 years or older and will be forced to retire in the coming decade.

According to Paul Esterhuizen, chief executive of education NGO School-Days, the department is not hiring an adequate number of teachers to replace those expected to be leaving the workforce, and school budgets are constrained, so they don’t have the capacity to hire new teachers.

The government also needs to make teaching more attractive for young people, with more livable salaries, Esterhuizen said.

RESEP’s research found that the average government teacher earned R42,688 per month in salary and benefits over the course of 2019.

According to Irene Pampall, a researcher at RESEP, many teachers believe they earn less than R42,000; however, they overlook added benefits.

Salaries are determined by level of qualification and experience. Pampall said that a teacher with a matric and four years of university education could expect to earn roughly R23,686 every month

A shortage of skilled teachers can lead to a number of problems, including overcrowded classrooms and a lack of individual attention for students – exacerbating fractures within an already stumbling education system.

Spokesperson for the department, Elijah Mhlanga, told SABC News that the research from Stellenbosch is not accurate and that there is actually an oversupply of new teachers.

He added that new teachers are emerging en masse, and it is a trend that is set to continue.

Mhlanga said, in contrast to these findings, that based on the profiles of the people that are employed by the government, measures have been put in place since 2007 to mitigate the ageing workforce.

He conceded that the department requires more funding to expand schools further and reduce class sizes, however.

“We don’t need more teachers, we need more funding,” he said.

However, RESEP’s research is not the only source sounding alarms over teachers in South Africa.

In July 2022, Julian Hewitt, the CEO of educator bursary programme, the Jake Gerwell Fellowship, said the department of education’s payroll shows that the country is expected to run out of skilled teachers, calling it “a looming crisis”.

The industry also faces the issue of a poor uptake in teaching, with it not being a career of choice, he said.

Statistics relating to higher education, put forward by the education facility Mancosa, also found that the supply of teachers is not meeting demand.

“More teachers are leaving than entering the profession. Currently, the country’s initial teacher institutions graduate 15,000 new teachers per year. This is below the 25,000 mark required to maintain an effective teacher-pupil ratio,” said professor Magnate Ntombela, principal of Mancosa.

Business Tech

Dr CS Shivananda 

There is a huge difference between what the world needed 20 years ago and what it requires today. For instance, 20 years ago, we had a more environmentally balanced planet, so the demand for climate professionals was not high in the market. 

But the scene has now changed with the rise of environmental pollution, thus opening up new avenues to be explored. It means that the world now needs professionals with expertise related to climate and oceanography. 

Similarly, there have been drastic changes in many other sectors, creating opportunities for a varied range of professionals and posing a necessity for the education system to correspond to this necessity accordingly. 

The process of imparting education should always be an evolving one, not static. The world is changing with every passing day and so, educators will have to rethink the ways they perceive the process of teaching and rejig the curriculum in accordance with the market demands and trends.

By doing so, graduates and learners with adequate knowledge about the world, changing scenarios, market trends, and necessary skills can be produced. In this connection, curriculum and educational approach have vital roles to play. 

Even some years ago, educators and employers were putting emphasis on STEM education. With the rise of the demand for other kinds of professionals like innovators and thinkers along with engineers and those from science backgrounds, STEAM education is gathering steam in the mainstream education system.  

To simplify, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics. This is an educational approach that underscores the necessity of considering science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics as access points for pulling off the multi-faceted task of imparting knowledge and inspiring the habit of inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking among learners.

Owing to the diversity, this approach offers the scope of developing multifaceted skills. More and more educational institutions are adopting it to ensure a sound and well-equipped development for students. 

Inquiry, collaboration, and process-based learning are the core things that differentiate STEAM approach from other ones. We are going through a time when learning within textbooks, memorising lessons and copying them on exam sheets will not work.  

Rather, the world as well as the educational scenario is changing, making it all the more essential for schools and educators to resort to innovative approaches to learning and inculcating skills into students. 

STEAM serves this purpose as it inspires learners to explore beyond their textbooks and focus more on collaborative learning based on the instinctive human tendency of curious pursuits. 

The outcome is that the students following STEAM approach feel encouraged and motivated to engage in experiential learning and easily find their feet while solving any problem through creative process and thinking. 

This bunch of students will go on to become innovators with out-of-the-box thought processes, educators with a third-eye view and problem-solvers who can think on their feet. 

Owing to these kinds of benefits, the STEAM approach is making its way into the curriculum. As the modern world and job market require not only graduates with high grades, but also individuals and leaders who are ready to take on the responsibility and deal with any problem with confidence, and possess a good number of soft skills necessary to thrive in a competitive world, it has become pertinent for schools to incorporate elements of STEAM education into their curriculum. 

Many schools like the DPS STS School Dhaka are well into it. Taking into account the growing importance of this approach, they recently organised a STEAM carnival at the school’s senior campus to inspire inquisitiveness among students and create an opportunity for them to exhibit their knowledge and innovation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. 

Educators feel that this kind of arrangement comes very handy in preparing the students for future challenges and providing them an outlet to express their creativity and innovative ideas. 

Meanwhile, DPS STS School Dhaka’s Robotics and AI Club has also recently collaborated with STEMROBO Technologies Pvt Ltd for inspiring innovation, creativity and learning among its students. 

Most importantly, this approach helps the schools to focus more on four Cs (creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration), which are now prerequisite qualities for students if they want to make their names in their respective fields of interest. 

These are skills that keep an individual ahead of others in this ever-evolving world where the focus has shifted to additional skills and someone’s ability of critical thinking along with her/his knowledge and acuity.  

In short, this is an approach that empowers students, inculcates leadership qualities in them and makes them all the more prepared for the future world that will be heavily reliant on digital transformation. 

It is time that schools also recognise this fact and start equipping their students accordingly. Putting a concentrated focus on STEAM education could be the first step in this regard. 

Dr Shivananda CS is the principal of DPS STS School Dhaka