SOUTH Africa has one of the worst-performing education systems in the world, plagued by incompetence and corruption, and the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) is calling for the head of the minister of basic education, among other things. 

The CDE released several reports on South Africa’s education system, outlining its failings, the factors responsible, and recommendations for the actions that need to be taken to improve education in the country. 

“The President speaks of a ‘silent revolution’, while the minister talks of a ‘system on the rise’. The truth is that we face a silent crisis in our schools: South Africa has one of the worst performing education systems in the world,” said CDE’S Executive Director Ann Bernstein.

South Africa devotes a significant proportion of government revenue to basic education – roughly 13%, noted the report. 

To justify such outlays in the context of rising fiscal pressures in 2023, we should expect globally competitive learning levels, a reduction in learning inequality, new opportunities for children from poor households, and a large, trainable workforce. 

However, Bernstein said that, in reality, very little of this is evident.

Levels of education are circling the drain

According to professor Lant Pritchett, a specialist in education reform, South Africa is the single biggest learning underperformer relative to GDP per capita among low and middle-income countries.

South Africa does worse than Kenya or Tanzania, which have a GDP per capita of less than one-fifth of South Africa. The report states that our spending commitments are equivalent to some high-performing Scandinavian countries, but our learning outcomes are worse than neighbouring Eswatini. 

To put it into perspective, the distance between our performance and Singapore’s, one of the world’s richest and best learning-outcome performers, is equivalent to “a whole generation of schooling loss”. 

This is evident in the several international benchmark assessments South Africa have participated in over the past two decades, with some of the most notable results being:

After a year of school, more than 50% of Grade 1 learners don’t know all the letters in the alphabet.

78% of Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning in any language.

Out of 39 participating countries, South Africa’s Grade 9 learners – on a test designed for Grade 8s – placed 38th (second last) in mathematics proficiency and last place (39th) in science proficiency. 

Covid 19 lockdowns devastated learning in South Africa (as elsewhere). Experts believe the average 10-year-old knows less than the average 9-year-old before the pandemic.

Many countries poorer than South Africa outperform us in these tests, including Morocco, Egypt, Georgia, Kosovo and Albania.

The report noted, for example, that the typical Grade 6 child in Kenya is around two to three years of learning ahead of a Grade 6 learner in the Eastern Cape. 

“South Africa’s comparative performance is shocking. When our learners take international tests, we are either last or in the bottom three countries. Even more devastating, while other countries test Grade 4s, we test Grade 5s; when they test Grade 8s, we test Grade 9s,” said Bernstein.

Quality of teachers and corruption

While the poverty of learners and their families and ongoing infrastructural deficits play a role, the report highlighted that a significant contribution to the state of education in South Africa is the quality of teachers and corruption within its system. 

Two primary factors contribute to poor teaching levels. First, many teachers lack the capabilities (content knowledge and pedagogical skills) to teach better. The second is that a non-trivial number is unwilling to do so, said the report. 

Four out of five teachers in public schools lack the content knowledge and pedagogical skills to teach their subjects.

In maths, for example, the proficiency levels of South African teachers (41%) rank far below that of their peers in Kenya (95%) and Zimbabwe (87%).

Moreover, the report revealed that 79% of Grade 6 maths teachers in the country scored below 60% on a Grade 6 maths test.

Compounding the issue is that South Africa has the highest teacher absenteeism rate of all SADC countries, which stood at 10% in 2017. 

Corruption adds to the pile of obstacles in the education system’s way. 

A report by the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU), released in 2015, assessing rural literacy found extensive union involvement in corrupt teacher hiring and promotion processes.

This was known as the “jobs for cash” scandal, implicating SADTU – the country’s dominant teacher union – where members would coordinate to get favoured individuals onto the school governing body (SGB) to ensure those who paid for positions could land them. 

The report noted examples of this in Kwa-Zulu Natal, where principal and deputy principal positions were routinely sold for between R30,000 and R45,000.

In 2016, the Miniter of education appointed a ministerial task team (MTT) to investigate the issue, which found that in six or possibly more of the nine provinces, SADTU was in charge of the management, administration and priorities of education in the country. 

The MTT found that all deputy directors general of the DBE were SADTU members, frequently attending union meetings.

Despite findings of criminality by the MTT, no government official implicated in the 2014-2015′ jobs for cash’ scandals has been prosecuted or suspended, said Bernstein. 

She added that not one of the key MTT recommendations to fight corruption and push back state capture has been implemented to this day.

CDE recommendations

CDE recommendations focus on five areas for action to improve education outcomes:

Tackle corruption and state capture in education by prohibiting cadre deployment and introducing measures that remove SADTU’s stranglehold on education departments.

Raise accountability levels by bringing back the Annual National Assessment (ANA) tests for Grades 1 to 9, reinvigorating an independent National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU), and giving principals more power over the appointment and management of teachers in their schools.

Improve teacher performance by introducing higher teacher training standards, more effective support for existing teachers and the urgent recruitment of skilled foreign teachers in areas of shortage (maths and science).

Install fresh leadership in public education. South Africa needs a new Minister of Basic Education, DG and the top team at national and provincial levels to achieve systemwide reform. The President’s full support for tough political decisions is essential.

Set realistic national and provincial performance goals. Stretch targets are required to move off the bottom of international tests. Ensuring all 10-year-olds can read for meaning by 2030 is another worthy goal, but a plan, a budget and regular reporting on progress must accompany this presidential aspiration dating back to 2019. 

According to the report, evidence from global studies shows that successful reform programmes can start producing meaningful results in three to five years. 

“The time has come for civil society, business, all political parties, parents and the public to up the pressure on government: we all need to push for systemwide reforms that significantly improve the quality of teaching in the classroom,” said Bernstein.

Business Tech

WILLIAM HATCH

GOOD news! Colorado recently passed a law that made school meals free for every student, regardless of financial eligibility. Starting late in 2023, the Healthy School Meals for All program will officially launch in most Colorado school districts. This state-funded program aims to ensure that every kid attending school will have the nutrients they need to continue learning and thriving in their classes.

Let’s explore Colorado’s lead and others as they follow to bring free school lunches to all students. 

The Reason for the Introduction of Free School Lunches

The progenitor to this program was brought on by the recent pandemic—students relied on meals provided by the school, but as schools shut down, their access to these meals was cut off. Then, as schools slowly reopened, Colorado school districts offered free lunches via waivers to relieve some of the financial pressure that many felt during the pandemic.

State officials saw a 10% – 40% rise in students across several districts partaking in school lunches during this period, then decided that it should be more permanent. Voters agreed—55.1% of Colorado citizens voted “yes” on Proposition FF: to create and fund the Healthy School Meals for All program. But where does the funding come from? The measure promises to generate more than $100 million annually by reducing tax breaks to households earning more than $300 thousand per year.

However, there is bound to be some confusion among parents, as some of their kids may have to fill out an application to opt-in for the free meals, while their siblings that attend other schools may not. This is because many Colorado schools are already participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, which has provided students with free meals since 2020.

All this said, not every school district in Colorado has guaranteed that they will participate in the Healthy School Meals for All program. If you live in Colorado and have a child attending public school, be sure to check with your school district and stay informed.

Leveling the Playing Field

Introducing a free meal program is helping to alleviate peer pressure and stigma against the less fortunate kids who rely on free lunches or cannot afford to buy a meal every day. Since every student, regardless of status, is eligible for a free meal, it levels the playing field in that aspect—no one worries about any child going hungry, at least while at school.

Hunger Free Colorado

GlendaRika Garcia works for Hunger Free Colorado, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end hunger and provide nutrition to children all over her state. As a mom of four teenage boys, she’s seen first-hand the positive impact the Healthy School Meals for All program has had on children.

“I think that the kids being able to eat for free at school is really important, for all families, all kids,” she said. “Kids can’t learn if they don’t have good nutrition.”

How Other States are Following Suit

Colorado isn’t the only state that chose to continue providing free lunches for students. Some states like Nevada, Vermont, and Massachusetts have also decided to extend their free lunch programs to the end of 2023, though some still need to pass bills to make it permanent. 

California and Maine were the first to pass measures similar to Colorado’s last year. In Arizona, meanwhile, officials have invested almost $7 million to extend their free school meal program, and it’s happening much faster—it’s set to launch its benefits for students this month!

Three Cheers for School Staff

The pandemic has been tough on all of us—but especially for those who are either in school, have kids, or have jobs at a school. Teachers, students, and their parents had to transition to virtual and online learning overnight, and they deserve major kudos for blazing through that adjustment so quickly. Suddenly, everyone was homeschooled, putting a lot of pressure on teachers and parents.

Another one of the pandemic’s lasting effects was on our supply chain, directly impacting the food supplied to schoolchildren and the staff that prepared it. We’re still processing the past few years, and while things are getting better, the pandemic has left a lasting mark on our history. The pandemic has taught us what incredible things teachers are willing to do to continue their work to educate young minds. They are passionate about teaching and learning, and their example should be held in the highest honor.

Educationworld.com

A former student shot through the doors of a Christian elementary school Monday and killed three children and three adults after elaborately planning the massacre by drawing out a detailed map and conducting surveillance of the building, police said.

The massacre at The Covenant School in Nashville was the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country that has grown increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.

The victims included three 9-year-old children, the school’s top administrator, a substitute teacher and a custodian. Amid the chaos a familiar ritual played out: Panicked parents rushed to the school to see if their children were safe and tearfully hugged their kids, and a stunned community planned vigils for the victims.

“I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building,” Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during one of several news conferences.

Police gave unclear information on the gender of the shooter, who police say was fatally shot by two responding officers at the school. For hours, police identified the shooter as a 28-year-old woman and eventually identified the person as Audrey Hale. Then at a late afternoon press conference, the police chief said that Hale was transgender. After the news conference, police spokesperson Don Aaron declined to elaborate on how Hale currently identified.

Drake did not give a specific motive when asked by reporters but gave chilling examples of the shooter’s prior planning for the targeted attack.

“We have a manifesto, we have some writings that we’re going over that pertain to this date, the actual incident,” he said. “We have a map drawn out of how this was all going to take place.”

He said in an interview with NBC News that investigators believe Hale had “some resentment for having to go to that school.”

The shooter gained entry by firing into glass doors on the building, shattering them, police later said in a tweet.

The shooter was armed with two “assault-style” weapons as well as a handgun, authorities said. At least two of them were believed to have been obtained legally in the Nashville area, according to the chief.

Police said a search of the shooter’s home turned up a a sawed-off shotgun, a second shotgun and other unspecified evidence.

The victims were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all 9 years old, and adults Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61.

The website of The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school founded in 2001, lists a Katherine Koonce as the head of the school. Her LinkedIn profile says she has led the school since July 2016. Peak was a substitute teacher and Hill was a custodian, according to investigators.

Students held hands as they walked to school buses, which drove them to a nearby church to be reunited with their parents.

Rachel Dibble, who was at the church as families found their children, described the scene as everyone being in “complete shock.”

“People were involuntarily trembling,” said Dibble, whose children attend a different private school in Nashville. “The children … started their morning in their cute little uniforms, they probably had some Froot Loops and now their whole lives changed today.”

Communities around the U.S. has suffered through one mass killing after another in recent years, with school shootings taking an especially painful toll.

Recent tragedies nationwide include the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, last year; a first grader who shot his teacher in Virginia; and a shooting last week in Denver that wounded two administrators.

President Joe Biden, speaking at the White House on Monday, called the shooting a “family’s worst nightmare” and implored Congress again to pass a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons.

“It’s ripping at the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of this nation,” Biden said.

Biden later ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff on all federal buildings through March 31. He also spoke to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville Mayor John Cooper about the shooting, officials said.

Founded as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church — which is affiliated with the conservative evangelical Presbyterian Church in America — The Covenant School is located in the affluent Green Hills neighborhood just south of downtown Nashville that is home to the famed Bluebird Café – a spot typically beloved by musicians and songwriters.

The school has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade, as well as roughly 50 staff members.

“Our community is heartbroken,” a statement from the school said. “We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church. We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing.”

Before Monday’s violence in Nashville, there had been seven mass killings at K-12 schools since 2006 in which four or more people were killed within a 24-hour period, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. In all of them, the shooters were males.

The database does not include school shootings in which fewer than four people were killed, which have become far more common in recent years. Just last week alone, for example, school shootings happened in Denver and the Dallas-area within two days of each other.

Monday’s tragedy unfolded over roughly 14 minutes. Police received the initial call about an active shooter at 10:13 a.m.

Officers began clearing the first story of the school when they heard gunshots coming from the second level, Aaron said during a news briefing. Police later said in a tweet that the shooter fired at arriving officers from a second-story window and had come armed with significant ammunition.

Two officers from a five-member team opened fire in response, fatally shooting the suspect at 10:27 a.m., Aaron said. One officer had a hand wound from cut glass.

Late Monday night, police released approximately two minutes of edited surveillance video showing the shooter’s car driving up to the school from multiple angles, including one in which children can be seen playing on swings in the background. Next an interior view shows glass doors to the school being shot out and the shooter ducking through one of the shattered doors.

More footage from inside shows the shooter walking through a school corridor holding a gun with a long barrel and walking into a room labeled “church office,” then coming back out. In the final part of the footage, the shooter can be seen walking down another long corridor with the gun drawn. The shooter is not seen interacting with anyone else on the video, which has no sound.

Aaron said there were no police officers present or assigned to the school at the time of the shooting because it is a church-run school.

Jozen Reodica heard the police sirens and fire trucks blaring from outside her office building nearby. As her building was placed under lockdown, she took out her phone and recorded the chaos.

“I thought I would just see this on TV,” she said. “And right now, it’s real.”

Nashville has seen its share of mass violence in recent years, including a Christmas Day 2020 attack where a recreational vehicle was intentionally detonated in the heart of Music City’s historic downtown, killing the bomber, injuring three others and forcing more than 60 businesses to close.

A reeling city mourned during multiple vigils Monday evening. At Belmont United Methodist Church, teary sniffling filled the background as vigil attendees sang, knelt in prayer and lit candles. They lamented the national cycle of violent and deadly shootings, at one point reciting together, “we confess we have not done enough to protect” the children injured or killed in shootings.

“We need to step back. We need to breathe. We need to grieve,” said Paul Purdue, the church’s senior pastor. “We need to remember. We need to make space for others who are grieving. We need to hear the cries of our neighbours.”

AP

Many of Wits University’s top learners come from important feeder schools, which produce quality students that easily adjust to the academic demands at Wits.

In celebration of the class of 2023, the Wits’ Schools Liaison Office (SLO) hosted over 49 feeder school principals and teachers from Gauteng at the annual Principals’ Function. The SLO visit a vast number of schools each year and advise learners about admission requirements, career opportunities, degree courses offered at Wits, fees and funding, student life on campus and the University’s core function.

Educators from Gauteng’s feeder schools were congratulated on the excellent work they do in nurturing learners through their 12 years of schooling, preparing learners for post-secondary education and supporting learners in securing a spot at a leading global institution like Wits.

“We at Wits pride ourselves as a place of intellectual debate, free expression, diversity of views and ideology. In partnership with your schools, we look forward to the next 100 years of mutual collaboration and contributing to leading this country and continent. Our goal at Wits is to weave in academic excellence in naturing the young minds, contributing to dialogue and discourse and becoming a beacon of what this country strives to be,” said Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, who welcomed representatives at the event.

Wits received a record number of first-year applications for the 2023 academic year. Majority of those applications were from feeder schools. The relationship with schools is an important one in ensuring the success of learners, the University said.

Three schools were singled out and received certificates for being the top feeder schools in their respective sectors.

Greenside High School, Al Aqsa School and St Matthews Private Secondary School all walked away as Wits University’s 2022 top-feeder schools.

“Our learners, parents and community appreciate the relationship we have with Wits, the support we receive from the University is fantastic,” said Al Aqsa School’s principal Hamida Moosa. She further acknowledged the relationship with Wits, adding that the two have a long history and a shared vision.

Principal Craig Strauss received the award on behalf of Greenside High School and praised the work done by the SLO.

“The school visits and time spent with our learners help to broader our learners’ minds, exposing them to different opportunities and broaden their horizons on what is available at University.”

The principals were also captivated by guest speaker Professor Benjamin Rosman, School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics who delivered an insightful talk titled Generating the Future: The Power of ChatGPT. Rosman took a deep dive into the advantages and disadvantages that the artificial intelligence model presents.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been developing for many years, but the release of ChatGPT, a powerful natural language chatbot, in November 2022 has created a global stir.

INSIDE EDUCATION

CHARLES MOLELE

“I am not here to fill anyone’s shoes. I am bringing my own shoes,” says newly appointed vice chancellor of the University of Johannesburg Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi in response to a question about walking into the big shoes left by his predecessor Tshilidzi Marwala.

Speaking exclusively to Inside Education from his West Wing office in Kingsway, Auckland Park, Mpedi makes it clear his will be a different leadership style from that of his predecessor, who elevated the university into one of the most respected on the African continent.

“There is only one Professor Tshilidzi Marwala…and the factory is closed. There’s only one Professor Mpedi and I can only excel at being myself than somebody else. He is a scientist. I am a lawyer”.

Mpedi spoke to Inside Education shortly after his inauguration as the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg at a ceremony held on Friday, 10 March 2023. Mpedi, who was wearing a grey Nehru suit when he welcomed us at his West Wing office, UJ, spoke for 40 minutes before rushing to a graduation ceremony.

He replaces Marwala, who stepped down last year to take on a new appointment as rector of the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan, and becomes the third vice-chancellor since the opening of the institution 18 years ago.

He expressed delight and deep honour in accepting the position of vice-chancellor succeeding Marwala and his predecessor, Professor Ihron Rensburg, who have both played significant roles in building a strong university.

Commenting on his appointment, Mpedi had nothing but praises for his predecessors, saying Professor Marwala and his predecessor, Professor Ihron Rensburg have built a strong University, with UJ now ranked second in South Africa and on the African continent.

UJ was previously ranked at position three by the QS World University Rankings.

“I’m delighted and deeply honoured to be taking up the role of vice-chancellor of this great university. Prof Marwala and his predecessor, Prof Ihron Rensburg, have built a strong university, and I see many opportunities to take the institution’s ambitious strategy forward. I am particularly looking forward to working with staff and students to build a truly inspirational and transformative institution where all are included and supported to thrive,” said Mpedi.

Outlining his vision, Mpedi said UJ remains committed to innovation, Pan-Africanism and the Fourth industrial revolution (4IR) university, which has become part of the university’s DNA.

“The commitment to innovation, Pan-Africanism and the emergence as a fourth industrial revolution (4IR) university has become part of our DNA. This will continue to remain our focus and ethos going forward. However, we cannot ignore the context of the world around us. Steep rises in inequality, growing divisions, pandemics, climate change and leadership crises are but a few descriptors of our current era.”

He said under his leadership, this will continue to remain the university’s focus.

“Under my leadership, we will also focus on social security laws in dealing with challenges such as unemployment, and other social ills in South Africa, using 4IR technologies. We will also intensify our 3D printing project in collaboration with the Department of Science and Innovation to continue to leverage the technology of the 4IR and find sustainable solutions that benefit local communities, including the provision of housing,” said Mpedi.

Mpedi also hailed the university’s project in Gwakwani, Limpopo. Gwakwani, a small village in northern Limpopo, had no running water, electricity, cell phone reception or internet access. But since the university started introducing smart Internet of Things (IoT) systems there, a lot has since changed in the remote village.

“We are also proud of our colleagues in the School of Electronic and Engineering Department for setting up basically the first smart village in South Africa using solar technology; today the village has among others, mobile connectivity and this has impacted on the lives of ordinary people in Gwakwani,” said Mpedi.  

Mpedi said another top priority for him is to establish a medical school “like no other in South Africa”.

“What we want to do at the university is to combine medicine and technology. We are waiting for the green light and are hoping that we will have the first cohort of students in 2025,” Mpedi said.

“As UJ, we are ready to launch a medical school. If the national departments of health and education can support and trust us, we would bring a medical school like no other in South Africa; we would combine medicine and technology and be leaders in that regard. If we get the go-ahead today, we are prepared to even put in our own limited resources.” 

Mpedi is also working towards bringing down the dropout rate at UJ, and raising the rate of completion in record time.

“That’s one of my biggest priorities; to achieve a lower dropout rate from 32%, and most importantly, to a single digit. It would be amazing if I achieved that at the end of my term,” said Mpedi.

“My other top priority in the next 100 days is to oversee the development of the UJ Island at the Vaal River; we are going to turn it into an academic project, training courses, conference centre and have a food garden project.”

Mpedi said he also wants the university to offer more online courses by the end of the year; some of them free of charge.

“We have about four online courses at the moment. But by the end of the year, we should have at least ten of these online courses.”

Mpedi’s focus will also involve turning UJ into a reseacrh-intesnive institution. In the past few years, UJ has seen a surge in its accredited academic research output. The University, which has set a goal to increase its accredited research output, has now achieved this and is ranked among South Africa’s Top 2 universities.

“We want to build a research intensive institution. Research is important to teaching and learning. Research contributes to new body of knowledge and is a pillar to community engagement,” said Mpedia, who is a National Research Foundation (NRF) rated scholar and is placed in the B category at level B3 (researcher who enjoys considerable international recognition by peers).

Turning to student issues, Mpedi said he would like to raise more money to cover student fees and their registration costs, particularly the missing middle group.

“We have the SRC Trust Fund to help students to register and raise funds for the missing middle. I have also contributed R50 000 to the fund. We also appreciate the role played by the Motsepe Foundation for contributing R30 million. Are we where we need to be? No,” said Mpedi. 

Mpedi holds an Advanced Management and Leadership qualification from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (2022), as well as in ‘Leading in Artificial Intelligence: Exploring Technology and Policy Programme, from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education (July 2022).

He completed his B Juris degree in 1996 and LLB degree in 1998 at Vista University. He holds an LLM in Labour Law from the Rand Afrikaans University (now UJ) and an LLD in Mercantile Law from UJ. He publishes labour law and social security.

Mpedi holds a B3 rating (Internationally Acclaimed Researcher), issued by the National Research Foundation. He is a recipient of several awards, including the Continental Award for Education and Training: Academic, and the South African and Southern African Development Community Regional Awards for Education & Training: Academic.

INSIDE EDUCATION

MPHO Phalatse will face John Steenhuisen in the final round of a closely fought race to lead the Democratic Alliance at the weekend. Lungile Phenyane, who hails from Tshwane, crashed out of the three-way race after she apparently received the least support from party structures who were surprised by her nomination to lead the party.

Phalatse and Steenhuisen will now go head-to-head for the position of DA Leader at the Federal Congress. 

The party will hold its federal congress at the Gallagher Estate in Midrand this weekend to elect a new leadership and make resolutions to help charter a way forward for the 2024 General Elections.

This is expected to be the party’s biggest congress yet, with more than 2 000 delegates expected to attend. 

Ahead of the federal congress, Phalatse has claimed in various interviews that she has a strategy for growth to win the upcoming national elections for the DA.

Phalatse also believes that Steenhuisen has not been able to grow the party, especially among black South Africans.

In her campaign documents, Phalatse writes: “As the second largest political party and the official opposition, the DA is the only party that can legitimately call itself a government in waiting. We must therefore do everything possible to ready ourselves for governance in 2024, which is only a few months away. We must demonstrate in both word and deed that the DA activist is the central pillar of our strength as a party. We must build our structures, including our performance management, recruitment and selection processes, to build a strong DA that can save South Africans.”

Phalatse, who considers herself a liberal democrat, adds that the federal congress this weekend affords the DA an opportune moment to “stop our country from this trajectory of total collapse.”

“It gives us an opportunity to steer our country into a new path – a path of progress and development for our nation. We have an obligation to urgently emancipate the people of South Africa from the shackles of despair and political disillusionment, which are a result of almost 30 years of the ANC’s politics of greed and plunder. Yet, I believe there is still hope for South Africa. We need a new leadership that can re-kindle the flame of hope and brighten the future for our children and their children.”

Jaco Engelbrecht, a former councillor for the DA in the City of Johannesburg and a former advisor in the Office of the Executive Mayor, wrote this week that Phalatse was well-positioned to grow the DA ahead of next year’s general elections.

“She did not come to a decision as a result of some failed coalition negotiations to retain the City of Johannesburg, as her detractors would make us believe. She does not decide things on a whim. She thinks deeply before making a decision. She asks for advice and opinions. She consults with specialists and those she trusts,” said Engelbrecht.

“She observed the governance of areas like the Western Cape and understood there is a correlation between good policies and good governance. She was not dropped into the party with a parachute. She joined the party of her own volition, became a councillor, later a member of the mayoral committee, and rose to become a mayor and, most of all, a skilled and respected politician.”

Phalatse was elected the first female black mayor of Johannesburg in November 2021.

A medical doctor with significant experience in the health sector, she was drawn to politics while working in Johannesburg.

She holds a doctorate in medicine from the Sefako Makgatho Health Services University.

INSIDE POLITICS

PHUTI MOSOMANE

MINISTER of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has confirmed that four educators out of 191 reported cases of sexual misconduct were successfully struck off the roll. 

Motshekga revealed this in an answer to a written parliamentary question by the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The number of cases of sexual misconduct reported to the SA Council of Educators (SACE) last year, has risen quite dramatically from 92 in 2019/20 to 169 in 2020/21 and 191 in 2021/22. 

This could potentially mean that for the 199 school days last year, a single case of sexual misconduct a day took place at a particular school.

The 2022 crime statistics indicates a total of 294 rapes reported to have occurred on the premises of educational institutions – schools, universities, college, and day care facilities.

SACE said it instituted 23 disciplinary proceedings in 2022 alone, this is 12% of the reported cases of sexual misconduct.

About 19 educators were found guilty of sexual misconduct, only four were struck off the roll indefinitely.

SACE indicated that some cases were closed due to lack of evidence to substantiate the allegations, deliberate unavailability of complainants to assist with the investigation/disciplinary proceedings, and witnesses refusing to cooperate with the Council.

“The complainants’ reluctance to cooperate with SACE in investigating and disciplining their alleged abusers indicates a perceived bias against the victims of abuse. SACE must take responsibility for this perception and ensure that disciplinary hearings are environments where alleged victims and witnesses feel safe, are protected from further trauma, and where evidence and testimony from both parties are examined in an objective and sensitive manner,” DA MP Desiree van der Walt said. 

Van der Walt said SACE must take appropriate steps to better categorise cases to ensure effective oversight of processes and procedures.

Without a thorough analysis of data, no institution can critically access its effectiveness.

“The Council must ensure that victims of sexual abuse are protected when reporting these crimes and that guilty abusers suffer the consequences for their heinous actions,” Desiree said.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

STAFF WRITER

SOFTWARE developer training academy WeThinkCode and Ekurhuleni West TVET College (EWC) will pilot a coding skills programme for youth with no prior experience.

This, after the organisations entered into a public-private partnership aimed at creating a pipeline of in-demand technical skills.

In a statement, WeThinkCode says the initial phase of the training programme will see two cohorts of 50 students learning the academy’s curriculum at the EWC campus.

The academy further sees the collaboration with EWC as an opportunity to close the gap between unemployed youth and market demand for skilled software developers.

“This pilot programme represents a pivotal opportunity to produce digital skills at scale,” says Ruvimbo Gwatirisa, WeThinkCode campus director: Cape Town, and lead of the TVET expansion.

“TVETs have a national footprint, and together with our coding curriculum, we can deliver thousands of digital skills into our economy and help to lower our youth unemployment rate more rapidly than WeThinkCode could on its own.”

Manie Stoltz, business unit: partnerships manager at EWC, adds: “Through this partnership, WeThinkCode and EWC are not only empowering young minds to become skilled coders, but also enabling them to unlock their full potential and create a brighter future for themselves and their communities. Investment in educationis a vital step towards building a better world.”

Launched in 2015, WeThinkCode seeks to eliminate the digital skills shortage by developing 100 000 coders in Africa over the next 10 years.

To date, over 700 young people have graduated and maintain a 91% post-graduation employment rate, says the organisation.

Says WeThinkCode CEO Nyari Samushonga: “In our seven years of operating, we have demonstrated that some of the best coding skills come from areas not normally associated with tech talent.

“We are incredibly excited about partnering with EWC to bring this opportunity to more young people and further secure local tech skills pipelines.”

Samushonga states partnerships are the answer to creating the pool and pipeline of digital talent.

Resultantly, the pilot programme has also brought on board other collaborative partners, namely the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

Percy Moleke, CEO of GCRA, notes: “The GCRA is proud to partnerwith WeThinkCode and EWC for the delivery of this exciting pilot programme.

“It will see close collaboration between GCRA, a post-education and training institution and a civil society organisation in the form of an NPO. The programme aims to take best in breed course content and curriculum delivery to youth in the province.

“The purpose of the pilot is to test the programme’s scalability. If it’s successful, the partnerswill have a model which could significantly improve the reach of this wonderful ICT programme.

“We look forward to future phases of this programme and replicating the model in other sectors.”

Ona Meyer, programme manager for jobs and livelihoods at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, adds: “The partnership between WeThinkCode and EWC is a case study of a new partnership model that will allow youth enrolled in TVETs to access a high-quality, industry-relevant curriculum and pathway support into jobs in the ICT sector in South Africa.

“Partnerships like these have the potential to stretch across multiple TVET campuses and incorporate a variety of high-quality private training providers to improve employment outcomes for many young South Africans.”

Gwatirisa concludes that beyond the envisaged skills pipeline outcome, the pilot programme provides an opportunity to collect and analyse data that can be used to innovate around policies aimed at creating a robust IT education framework.

ITWEB

THE Varsity Cup returns on Monday, 27 March 2023, when archrivals in Free State rugby, the University of the Free State (UFS) and Central University of Technology (CUT) face off in the battle for points at Shimla Park, on the Bloemfontein Campus at 19:00.  

The derby fields some of the most illustrious stars, slugging it out for silverware and bragging rights in a rivalry that seems to intensify with each new encounter. Adding further spice to the derby is their last encounter in 2022 when the FNB UFS Shimlas won, but the FNB CUT Ixias who currently sit in fourth position on the log had previously won the last three encounters.

Shimlas occupy fifth position and will be looking to leapfrog their rivals with a win on the day. 

Undefeated on their home ground the Shimlas will seek to maintain their impressive home form and take advantage of playing to the home crowd. “The boys have been working hard since September last year.

They will give it their all to make the play offs and go a few steps further than last year. The team spirit and brotherhood is really strong among the players. They love it when Shimla Park is packed and they will entertain their supporters,” said Andre Tredoux, head coach of FNB UFS Shimlas.

Tredoux has eyes only for the prize, “We need to win this game to get into the top 4 positions, before our last round robin game. All six teams can still reach the play offs, so we are focused on what we need to do and not so much on the other teams, if our processes are good, we have a good chance.” He says synergy was a focal point during last season and nothing has changed.

“I expect the boys to play with the same spirit, effort and intensity as last season.” 

“We were a new coaching staff last season, so the players had to go through a process of adjustment. This season we are trying to adapt our game, play smarter rugby, and to keep things fresh. We had thirteen players finish off at the end of last season of which nine got contracts to play professional rugby (eight of those players graduated). The rest graduated or had injuries,” he said.

SUPPLIED: UFS