STAFF REPORTER

THE Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has received a comprehensive briefing from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on the recently released Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) for 2021.
 
Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba indicated that the committee noted media reports on the outcome of the study and requested a detailed, official briefing from the DBE on its implications. 

The PIRLS 2021 study reveals very low performance levels for learners’ ability to read for meaning as they turn 10 years old. Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning.

It relies on two interconnected abilities: word reading (being able to decode the symbols on the page) and language comprehension (being able to understand the meaning of the words and sentences). Readers who have a strong understanding can draw conclusions after reading a text.
 
The committee heard that the DBE uses three different national assessments to generate data: Early and emergent literacy skills (ELNA); Foundational reading comprehension (Systemic evaluation) and international reading comprehension benchmarks. The results of the ELNA and the Systematic evaluation assessments are better than the International reading comprehension assessment results, the DBE said.
 
The committee heard that South Africa has participated in PIRLS since 2006, with subsequent cycles in 2011, 2016, and most recently in 2021. 12 426 Grade 4 learners in 321 schools and 9 317 Grade 6 learners in 253 schools were assessed. Grade 4 learners were representative of the 11 official languages and nine provinces, while the Grade 6 learners only represented Afrikaans and English.

South Africa’s Grade 4 and 6 participation rate was 97% and 98% respectively (after replacements).
 
South Africa’s trend score from 2016 dropped significantly from 320 to 288 (difference of 32 points).

81% of Grade 4s and 56% of Grade 6 learners did not reach the low benchmark of 400 points. Grade 6 learners scored 384 points, with Afrikaans learners scoring an average of 456. The best performing language was Afrikaans (387) and lowest Setswana (211).

The Western Cape had the highest scores:

Grade 4 at 363 and Grade 6 at 460, almost 131 points above North West in Grade 4, which achieved
232.

At 317 score points nationally, Grade 4 girls achieved 57 score points higher than Grade 4 boys (260).
 
Some of the challenges with reading for comprehension highlighted by the DBE are the lack of a
culture of reading in many households in South Africa, along with poorly resourced schools and a
lack of emphasis on reading during the early childhood development phase.  The DBE indicated that
it will now study and analyse the results in order to improve in these areas.
 
Ms Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee is concerned about the results, but noted the societal issues that impact on South Africa’s results, including the days of learning lost during Covid-19. Furthermore, the committee noted that the PIRLS assessments are done in English and some learners do not have English as a language of learning in the developmental phase. “We took to heart some of the suggestions and strategies mentioned, like placing more emphasis on access to books and reading corners in classrooms, thereby inculcating a love for reading and being able to
read with meaning and understanding.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

ZINGISA MKHUMA

DELIVERING his first budget speech as Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane said he wanted to highlight efforts made in closing the gap in education quality between the fee-paying and no-fee paying schools as well as the achievement of universal access to schooling.

Chiloane was presenting the Department’s 2023/24 Budget of R 63,4 billion on Friday 6 May which shows an increase of 6.2% from a main appropriation of R59.7 billion in 2022/23 to  the current R63,4 billion allocation – a Rand value increase of R3,6 billion.

He said over R46 billion or 72.6% of the 2023/24 budget is spent on the compensation of employees, over R7,89 billion accounts for transfers and subsidies, infrastructure development is allocated R2,46 billion, leaving more than R7 billion for programmes, nutrition, transport and other goods and services.

“I am proud to present a budget plan that aims to focus on the consolidation of our Five-Year Strategic Plan with special emphasis on the Premier’s Elevated Priorities to build on the successes achieved to date and to adjust our focus to achieve and make an even greater impact for the citizens in Gauteng.

“As such, our approach to education transformation in Gauteng is multi-faceted and is directed to address the quality of learning through quality improvement strategies that will improve the classroom performance of teachers and the active learning of children in classrooms across all schools in the province.

“Simultaneously we are introducing interventions that compensate for poor family literacy level and the impact of poverty affecting a large percentage of our communities in Gauteng. It is for this reason that we wholly support the focus on Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels,” Chiloane said.

Chiloane spoke about the Elevated Priorities that are in line with Gauteng’s vision that the Premier
Panyaza Lesufi delivered at the State of the Province Address as priorities elevated for accelerated
implementation for the remainder of the Sixth Administration.

In education the elevated priorities are:

Improving Grade 12 results, measuring progress and educational outcomes must be a priority.

Expanding access of ECD sites across poor and marginalised communities including residential
hostels

ICT schools’ role in the Townships must continue investing in skills of the future by Continuing to
open Schools of Specialisation to reach 35 schools by the end of the term, introduce a system of
multi-certification

Modernisation, investing in school infrastructure and online admissions by investing in school
infrastructure in townships, ensuring accelerated delivery of smart public infrastructure to meet the
demand identified through the online admissions remains a critical priority

Integration and incorporation of wellness programmes, and rehabilitation of children in conflict
with the law into the education system by assessing those in care centres and rehabilitation centres
ready for schooling and ensure they are reintegrated into the schooling system.

School Safety must be a priority to ensure learner and teachers safety.

Youth Development must be redefined to increase youth employability and employment.

Chiloane emphasised the Department’s priority in improving the Grade 12 performance in what he
called Reclaiming the ‘crown’ – continuing the improvement of quality learning in the FET Band.

He said the Matric Class for 2022 did a sterling job by achieving a pass rate of 84.4% which represents an improvement of 1.6% as compared to the 82.8% pass rate that was obtained in 2021.

In 2022 there were a total of 43 298 distinctions, which saw over 20 769 distinctions from township schools – a monumental achievement!’, adding that the GDE pass rate has consistently been higher than the National pass rate and this trend continues.

“A great achievement to note is the progress made by Gauteng in closing the gap between former model C and township schools’ pass rate from 12% to 9%. In the 2022 NCS examination, 24 learners from township schools received total marks in Mathematics, Business Economics and Economics.

“In 2023, the Department endeavour to improve the matric pass rate for Gauteng to 90% and the Bachelor Pass Rate to 50%, with specific emphasis in reducing the difference in NSC Pass rate between township and ex-Model C schools to 7%. Further emphasis will be placed on increasing learner participation in Mathematics and Science and ensuring that 21.5% of learners are achieving 60% and above in Physical Sciences and 17.5% of learners are achieving 60% and above in Mathematics”.

Furthermore, The Department will again offer additional support for Matric candidates that failed the exams and who have registered to write Supplementary Examinations. The enhanced SSIP Broadcast Project will continue as a means of support to all learners.

Additional intervention programmes will be given in respect of All other Grades, which includes District support for all schools, monitoring the Curriculum and Assessment standards, access to e- content and Early Grade Reading Assessments (Grades 1-3). 

The Introduction to African Languages and Maths, Science and Technology intervention programmes across all grades will be ongoing.

Responding to the challenges of scarce skills development, Chiloane said as outlined in GGT 2030, the province is implementing a strategy to reorganise and turnaround our schools, particularly schools in the township. 

“We are investing millions of rands to improve the quality of education in the townships and to turn around what were historically labour reservoirs for unskilled labour, into zones of hope, development, and transformation”.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

SOUTH Africa is expected to get a new comprehensive student funding model, based on the considerations of a report which will be submit to Cabinet before the end of the year, said Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, in the 2023 Budget Vote in Parliament on Tuesday.

“In relation to student funding, we now are working towards the finalisation of a new Comprehensive Student Funding Model, based on the considerations of this report which we aim to submit to Cabinet before the end of this year,” he said.

“We aim through this also to introduce measures to support all the categories of students including those who are not supported by the current National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding policy,” the Minister added.

He told Parliament that NSFAS is currently funding 1.1 million students with a budget allocation of R47,6 billion in the 2023 academic year. Of this amount, universities have been allocated R38.6 billion and TVET Colleges R8,9 billion for the first time we have passed the 1million mark.

At its inception in 1991, the scheme had a budget of R21.4 million allocated to the first cohort of about 7000 students. In 2023, SASSA beneficiaries account for 49% of the funded students in 2023.

To date, the scheme had improved its student application portal and it has introduced a WhatsApp and USSD functionality to assist students with the tracking of applications for 2023 and to receive responses directly to reduce the reliance on the call center.

The Minister said NSFAS pays for the full cost of study which includes full tuition, accommodation limited to R45 000 per annum, a measure to ensure overreaching by student accommodation service providers was curbed.

It stands to reason, that NSFAS should be involved in the student accommodation space and introduce controls as it spends approximately R14 billion a year on student accommodation. 

In this regard, NSFAS has opened its accreditation portal to accommodation providers to apply for accreditation. Already, 8196 beds have been accredited covering the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu Natal Provinces.

NSFAS also pays living allowances in the sum of R 1750 per month and personal care for distance students to the value of R 3 045 per academic year. Students not living in residences and private accommodation qualify for transport allowances of R 7 875.

On average, a student is funded to the tune of R 95 552, excluding Unisa students who only receive books as allowances because they offer distance learning.

Last year NSFAS also introduced direct payments through the NSFAS bank card for TVET Colleges.

Groundwork is being done to onboard universities in a phased in approach from the 1st of June this year.

Outlining the goals for the National Plan for Post School Education and Training, Nzimande said there were six goals and associated objectives and four ideas as the new drivers for the system.

First, Nzimande said was the massification of the college system with 1 million enrolled in the Community Colleges and 2.5 million in public and private TVET colleges by 2030.

Secondly, he referred to the diversification of the public universities based on their strengths and the needs of the communities in which they are located supported by a 1.6million enrolment target.

This is the reason that the immediate task for the department is to change the size and shape of the post school education and training system particularly to expand the college sector.

“The time has arrived for us to drastically increase intake in TVET and Community Colleges,” said Nzimande, adding that through HIGHER HEALTH, the department has reached over 2 million students in all public universities, TVET and CET campuses by leading the COVID-19 response for the sector.

Last year, over 700 000 students were beneficiaries of Higher Health’s health and psychosocial support programmes.
In August, Nzimande will host a summit to mobilising men based on the UNESCO programme in fighting toxic masculinities Skills development is a key priority in the current financial year. Nzimande said the department would be updating the National List of Occupations in High Demand and piloting the provincial lists of Occupations in High Demand in collaboration with Mpumalanga and Western Cape.

In addition, the department is working on the skills for the hydrogen economy project, in collaboration with Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

Through the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) combined, 52 701 learnership opportunities to the value of R1.6 billion were made available in the last financial year.

In addition, there were 14 475 internships opportunities to the value of R758 million.

Taking it further, another 14 954 TVET placement opportunities to the value of R726 million was achieved and the department remains committed to its target of 20 000 placements of TVET graduates work placements.

The SETAs combined opened 7095 university students work placements to the value of R311 million and 13 169 bursaries were awarded in various fields on skills in high demand to the value of R970 million.

Another 34 514 skills programs opportunities for the unemployed to the value of   R278 million was opened.

“We also reskilled and upskilled  36 502 individuals in various sectors of the economy to the value of R494 Million,” the Minister said.

The National Skills Fund disbursed R1.7 billion towards its bursaries programme in 2021/22, benefitting students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in scarce and critical skills.

In the current financial year, at least 5 000 students will receive NSF funding for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

For the 2023/24 financial year, Nzimande said the following targets have been set as part of expanding training opportunities:
•110 500 workplace-based learning (WBL) opportunities;
•149 000 learners to be registered in skills development programs;
•23 000 learners to enter artisanal programs;
•21 000 learners to pass artisanal trades;
•32 550 learners to complete learnerships; and
•6 450 learners to complete internships.

Currently 26 of the country’s colleges are engaged in entrepreneurial training through Entrepreneurship Hubs. “We are working to ensure that all our colleges are involved in some form of entrepreneurship training in the next three years,” he said.

Centres of Specialisation have expanded from 26 to 34 Centres at 20 TVET Colleges with a further investment of R68 million and 16 Colleges now have 35 Trade Test Centres.  

These trade test centres have trade tested over 600 artisans of which over 500 have qualified as artisans.

Last year, Nzimande hosted the first-ever centralised national artisan graduation ceremony for artisans qualifying on the top thirteen (13) of the trades in high demand.

The department we will also be hosting a TVET Curriculum Review and Transformation seminar from
the 28th -30th August 2023.

“We are standardizing our registration and admission processes in our TVET colleges to do away with different processes which have been applied by our colleges. This will include standardization in the processes of issuing of certificates,” Nzimande said.

This standardization process will also help us in the migration from manual to online registration processes at TVET colleges. “We have also witnessed student growth in several colleges that have now begun to embrace the use of technology in their enrolment processes and reducing the number of walk-ins at TVET colleges,” he said.

Through Community Colleges, the department has made the youth an important focus and a priority particularly for the youth that is “Not in Education, employment, or training (NEET).

“We have also created opportunities for our older generation who wish to enter our educational institutions.”

Nzimande told Parliament that a R200 million allocation from the National Skills Fund would ensure that the objective of increasing offerings of skills programmes in TVET Colleges are met.

“Through the National Skills Fund, we have allocated funds for capacity building of Community College lecturers, introduced skills programmes, learnerships and non-formal programmes. This includes the introduction of Civic Education,” he added.

Relating to tertiary education, Nzimande added that the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) would be intensified.

Over a period of seven (7) years, 758 lecturer posts have been allocated to universities and in the current financial year additional 85 posts will be allocated to universities as part of the New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP).

This brings the total allocated posts to universities to 843 by end of the current financial year.

Of the total of 583 lecturers participating (nGAP), 338 (58%) are Female and 245 (42%) are Males; 569 are Black (African, Coloured and Indian) and 14 are White.

“We are also continuing to rollout development programmes through the Professor Sibusiso Bhengu Development programme to strengthen our historically disadvantaged universities. I have also commissioned the Council on Higher Education to conduct a study on blended learning,” he added.

Concerning infrastructure development, the Minister said that to date, the department has invested more than R3.701 billion for the maintenance and repairs of TVET Colleges’ infrastructure through the Capital Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant (CIEG) since the grant inception during the 2018/19 financial year. In addition to maintenance and repairs, CIEG is also used for upgrading the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure.

In relation to TVET Capital Projects, a total of nine (9) TVET College Campuses have been completed at a cost of R2.6 billion. The total amount currently available for investment in infrastructure projects across all the 26 existing universities during the 2023/24-2025/26 MTEF period is R8.662 billion.

Feasibility studies for the establishment of the University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni and the Crime Detection University in Hammanskraal have been completed with construction expected to start in two years. In addition, a feasibility study for the establishment of the Giyani Education Precinct through the establishment of a University Campus with the Tshwane University of Technology has also begun.

The construction design phase for the Ulundi Campus of the University of Zululand will commence in this current financial year and that the actual construction should commence in the 2024/25 financial year.

The budget for the 2023/24 financial year is R133.8 billion, with an annual average increase of 5.3%.

INSIDE EDUCATION

BASIC Education Minister, Mrs Angie Motshekga, shared South Africa’s experience on the curriculum recovery plan for rebooting and rebuilding the schooling system during the Education World Forum (EWF) in London during the plenary session.

Such platforms create an opportunity to share lessons from South Africa, learn from what others are doing, and benchmark one’s country with the rest of the world.

Minister Motshekga, supported by Director-General, Mr Matanzima Mweli, attended the EWF in London in the United Kingdom from 7 – 10 May 2023. The theme for 2023 is, “Nurturing learning culture, building resilience and promoting sustainability for stronger, bolder, better education by design” to build on the work done around the COVID-19
recovery.

The Forum included key areas such as foundations for early learning; skills development; digital skills and technology; and Coding and Robotics. The Minister addressed delegates during the official opening ceremony under the sub-theme: “What must we change in order to develop stronger, bolder and better education and learning opportunities, and how can working together help?”

“It is an honour for us to come to share our experiences and learn from other nations about innovative and effective ways to improve education outcomes for all. We must build a brighter future for the next generation and create a world where education is equitable, accessible and inclusive to all.

“We believe that collaboration amongst stakeholders is crucial in achieving these goals and we must prioritise working together to ensure that all children have access to high quality education that prepares them for the future. We have made significant progress in transforming our basic education sector in respect of the six social justice principles of
access, redress, equity, quality, efficiency and inclusivity and we are proud that we haveachieved near-universal access to schooling, with attendance rates above 98% for children aged 7 to 15 years. Access to early learning opportunities has also increased significantly, with almost 90% of 5-year-olds attending educational institutions, compared to only 40% two decades ago. Despite these advancements, we still face challenges, especially unacceptably low and unequal early learning outcomes,” said Minister Motshekga in her address.

Minister Motshekga praised the resilience demonstrated by the South African basic education system: “Rather than observing an increase in the number of children dropping out of school during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen more learners staying in the system and successfully completing their secondary school-leaving examination, the National Senior Certificate. We have streamlined our annual teaching plans during 2020 and
2021, leading to an ongoing process of strengthening of the curriculum. We are leveraging new technologies to provide children with access to 21st Century skills, whilst prioritising literacy and numeracy.

“We have developed a Coding and Robotics curriculum for nationwide roll-out during the next few years, whilst remaining committed to harnessing the power of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), enhancing the use of technology for curriculum delivery, adapting education in response to global changes and cultivating partnerships to promote sustainable development”.

Minister Motshekga attended a side line meeting with the Global CEO of the British Council, Mr Scott McDonald, and the Country Director for the British Council in South Africa, Ms George Barrett, on 9 May.

The Minister also attended a bilateral meeting with the Minister of State for Schools, Mr Nick Gibb on 10 May. EWF is supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the British Council and industry partners. EWF is a gathering of ministers responsible for education in their respective states.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) highlighted several challenges affecting students’ reading comprehension in schools during a parliamentary session on Tuesday. These challenges include a lack of reading culture in many households, under-resourced schools, and inadequate emphasis on reading during early childhood development.

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education received a detailed briefing from the DBE regarding the recently published Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) for 2021.

According to the PIRLS 2021 study, learners’ ability to read for comprehension significantly lags behind as they reach the age of 10, indicating low performance levels.

Reading comprehension involves the capacity to read text, process it, and grasp its meaning. It relies on two interconnected skills: word reading (the ability to decode symbols on the page) and language comprehension (the ability to understand the meaning of words and sentences).

Proficient readers who possess a strong understanding can draw conclusions and make inferences from the text they read.

The DBE utilizes three distinct national assessments to gather data: Early and Emergent Literacy Skills (ELNA), Foundational Reading Comprehension (Systemic Evaluation), and International Reading Comprehension Benchmarks. The DBE states that the results from ELNA and the Systemic Evaluation assessments are more favourable compared to the outcomes of the International Reading Comprehension assessment.

South Africa has been participating in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) since 2006, with subsequent cycles in 2011, 2016, and most recently in 2021.

The assessment covered 12,426 Grade 4 learners from 321 schools and 9,317 Grade 6 learners from 253 schools. Grade 4 learners represented all 11 official languages and nine provinces, while Grade 6 learners only represented Afrikaans and English.

South Africa achieved a participation rate of 97% for Grade 4 and 98% for Grade 6 after accounting for replacements.

In comparison to 2016, South Africa’s trend score dropped significantly from 320 to 288, reflecting a difference of 32 points. The data revealed that 81% of Grade 4 learners and 56% of Grade 6 learners did not reach the low benchmark of 400 points.

For Grade 6 learners, the average score was 384 points, with Afrikaans learners scoring an average of 456. Afrikaans emerged as the best-performing language with a score of 387, while Setswana had the lowest score of 211.

Among the provinces, the Western Cape achieved the highest scores with Grade 4 learners scoring 363 and Grade 6 learners scoring 460. This was nearly 131 points above the Grade 4 score of North West, which achieved 232. Nationally, Grade 4 girls scored 317 points, surpassing Grade 4 boys by 57 points (260).

Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee is concerned about the results, but noted the societal issues that impact on South Africa’s results, including the days of learning lost during Covid-19. 

“We took to heart some of the suggestions and strategies mentioned, like placing more emphasis on access to books and reading corners in classrooms, thereby inculcating a love for reading and being able to read with meaning and understanding,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said. 

Concerns have been raised by committee members regarding the PIRLS assessments being conducted in English, which poses a challenge for learners who do not have English as their language of instruction during the early developmental phase.

Equal Education, an advocacy group, has expressed deep disappointment in the outcomes of the literacy study, seeing it as another distressing indication that the education system in South Africa is in a state of crisis that has persisted for a significant period.

The group criticized the government, particularly the national and provincial education departments, for their failure to effectively address the fundamental flaws in the education system, which continue to negatively impact learners.

“It is unfair to expect learners to master a foundational skill like reading when most of them lack important infrastructure relevant to reading, such as libraries. DBE statistics show that over 17 000 (70%) of our public schools do not even have libraries, and of those that do, over a third (2 133) are not stocked. It is clear that education departments are likely to miss the 2023 Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure deadline, requiring that all schools be provided with libraries,” both Equal Education (EE) and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) said in a joint statement.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Spoor & Fisher partner Chyreene Truluck examines the march to equality of the sexes in IP and STEM in South Africa.

GENDER equity in the workplace is as much of an issue in the intellectual property (IP) profession as in any other discipline, and while it is significant that women are attaining more prominent roles in IP, with increasing numbers of IP attorneys joining law firms, female representation still has a long way to go. 

Intellectual property is a crucial aspect of commerce and has become increasingly important in today’s knowledge-based economy. Gender equality goes hand in hand with growth in a modern economy, so it follows that female representation in every aspect of business, from concept and innovation to law, is a key driver.

To practise as a patent attorney in South Africa, one must have a minimum of a three-year or equivalent technical or scientific qualification to enrol for the required patent examinations, in addition to being suitably qualified to practise as an attorney.

According to information from the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL), a voluntary membership institute of IP professionals, approximately 45% of its practising members are female IP attorneys, working across patents, trademarks and copyright. However, only about 22% of its practising patent attorney membership is made up of women. This is not a problem particular to South Africa.

In the South African context, only 13% of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are women, compared with 30% of STEM students in higher education globally. It can be argued that this creates a gender disparity in the IP profession from the outset, as there are fewer women with the requisite technical or scientific background needed to be able to become patent attorneys.

The under-representation of women in IP is also evident in the innovation context, where only 11.4% of inventors cited on international patent applications filed by South Africans between 2019 and 2021 were women, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). So, it appears that South Africa still has some way to go in promoting gender equality in both STEM and IP.

However, it is important to note that more female researchers are being named as inventors on patent applications, and both the South African government and the private sector are actively promoting gender equality in STEM, paving the way for increased female representation.

BENEFITS OF GENDER DIVERSITY

Gender diversity in the broader STEM fields, and specifically IP, has several benefits. First, it leads to a more inclusive and diverse workforce, which is essential in today’s globalised economy. Second, it results in a wider range of perspectives and ideas, which can lead to more innovative solutions to complex problems.

Third, gender diversity can help address the skills shortage in STEM fields. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, the overall skills shortage in STEM is projected to worsen over the next decade. Encouraging more women to pursue STEM careers can help alleviate this problem and provide businesses with the skilled workers they need to succeed in a competitive global marketplace. Finally, encouraging women to enter STEM-based IP professions will enable the IP industry to meet the needs of the growing innovation space.

PROGRAMMES PROMOTING GENDER DIVERSITY IN STEM AND IP

The South African government and the private sector are committed to promoting gender equality in STEM and IP. For instance, the Department of Science and Innovation has established the South African Women in Science Awards, which celebrate the achievements of women in STEM. These awards also provide a platform to inspire and motivate young women to pursue careers in these areas.

The private sector is also playing a leading role in promoting gender equality. For example, several multinational companies have launched initiatives to promote STEM education and careers for girls and women. The Siemens STEM programme, for instance, has partnered with schools and universities to offer training and mentorship opportunities for young women pursuing STEM careers.

The South African Companies and Intellectual Property Commission has also taken steps to promote gender equality in IP, by initiating a programme on women and IP in the small and medium-sized enterprises sector. The programme aims to make IP more accessible to women in small businesses and ensure greater inclusivity in the IP system.

Finally, from the perspective of IP practitioners, the SAIIPL recently announced the creation of a diversity and inclusion committee. The committee aims to improve representation among professionals in the IP field. It will particularly focus on providing mentorship to junior professionals and cultivating an enabling environment for equality within the IP profession.

Chyreene Truluck is a partner and patent attorney with Spoor & Fisher in Pretoria.

Catherine Kell, Carolyn McKinney, Robyn Tyler and Xolisa Guzula

KUNYASHE is a Grade 1 pupil in Cape Town, South Africa. She’s very focused on her schoolwork. She shares a tiny one-roomed shack, hardly bigger than a double bed, with her mother and four siblings. Kunyashe receives a meal at school – her teacher once saw the little girl spooning some of this meal into another container to take home for her baby brother.

This is the context in which many South African children learn to read. But it’s a context that received no mention when the country’s Department of Basic Education, on 16 May, released the alarming preliminary findings of the Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021).

The international standardised test measures the reading achievement of Grade 4 children (10 years old). It is designed to measure children’s “reading literacy” and to provide a baseline for future studies of trends in achievement. The headline finding was grim: “81% of South African children in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning”.

There is no denying that there is a literacy crisis in South African schools. The problem is that official discourses present it as something that occurs in a social vacuum and can be solved by technicist approaches.

It isn’t. The political and economic dimensions of the problem are deeply entangled with the glaring inequalities in South Africa.

We are literacy and language education experts, and members of the bua-lit collective advocating for quality education for children who speak African languages. Based on our research and ongoing work in classrooms across South Africa, we’ve identified five practices we believe will promote “rich literacies”. This approach involves a wider understanding of literacy in which children are engaged with reading and writing texts that come from their worlds and that have meaning for them.

A poverty of literacy

The daily lives of most children in South Africa are fraught with poverty, hunger and uncertainty.

Two-thirds of these children from poorer backgrounds attend no fee schools. Sadly, they also receive a poverty of literacy teaching and materials.

The current dominant process is based on the contested “Science of Reading” method. In this approach children are largely given access to basic atomised skills: sounding out letters (phonics), followed by lockstep reading of words with the emphasis on fluency, accuracy and speed.

Reading authentic books with plots and illustrations is seen as harmful or needing to be delayed until children are able to efficiently decode words.

Teachers are trained to teach using “graded readers” – simplified texts repeating the same vocabulary – together with alphabet charts, friezes and flashcards and are discouraged from telling stories, using real books to read for enjoyment or writing with children.

This approach lends itself well to highly technicist interventions that are easy to implement. But it misses the crucial point that children need to be highly motivated to learn to read and write. In order to read for meaning they must be motivated to make meaning. It also misses the point that reading and writing are not just cognitive skills – they are socially shared and shaped practices.

In contrast to the poverty of literacy imposed on poor children, middle-class children in well and over-resourced schools are given plenty of opportunities at school and at home to engage in pleasurable, motivating and meaningful ways with high quality books as well as to express themselves through writing. This is in addition to school-based phonics programmes and graded readers.

A further problem in enabling children to become successful readers and writers lies in South Africa’s language in education policies and the way they have been implemented in schools.

The majority of African language speaking children in South Africa learn in their home language for the first three years and then switch to learning in English in Grade 4. Children have hardly had the opportunity to establish literacy skills in their home language when they are forced to learn in and through English.

Five practices

We believe that there are no quick fixes to the impoverishment of literacy learning for poor children in South Africa resulting from the legacies of colonialism and apartheid and now compounded by beliefs in technicist solutions.

Rather we outline five practices that could make an immediate start in providing literacy teaching that enriches children’s literacy lives.

Every foundation phase classroom should have living libraries that include enjoyable, quality, illustrated published stories and non-fiction books in children’s most familiar languages as well as English; and that include books made by children with each other and the teacher in the classroom. Children must take at least one book home every day.

There should be dedicated time every day for teachers to read aloud and talk to pupils about interesting fiction and non-fiction books.

Teachers should dedicate time each day to engage in shared writing with children of texts about topics that they are interested in that draw on wide background knowledge and that have a purpose.

In addition to the dedicated time every day to teach explicit literacy skills and knowledge like phonics (letter sound-relationships) the basic skills also need to develop understandings of text structure/genre for different kinds of text: how stories start; develop and end; the parts of a recipe: ingredients and methods; and the mechanics of writing (use of punctuation, spelling, handwriting).

These four activities need to be supported by both pre-service and ongoing teacher training. Literacy coaches can also become a resource to support teachers.

The wider community has a role to play, too.

This could be in the form of after-school and/or holiday literacy clubs. Here children engage with rich literacies in a range of fun activities such as sharing stories through oral storytelling and story-reading; hearing from published authors, singing and playing games. In school, retired teachers, grandparents and unemployed parents and youth, after some training, can assist teachers in classrooms and work in small groups with children.

Rich literacies require a multi-pronged approach which views literacy in its wider context and which engages a diversity of practices, programmes and opportunities.

THECONVERSATION

MOGOMOTSI MAGOME

AT a high school in rural northern South Africa, more than 300 students and their teachers share three toilets, and that woefully lopsided figure isn’t the worst problem.

The three toilets are pit latrines, effectively 10-feet-deep holes in the ground that students line up during a lunch break to use.

The pit toilets at Seipone Secondary School in the village of Ga-Mashashane at least are covered by white toilet seats and enclosed by brick structures. Some of the pit toilets still used at more than 3,300 schools in poor, mostly rural areas across South Africa aren’t.

It’s a shameful situation for a country referred to as the most developed in Africa, and an indicator of its profound problems with poverty and inequality, say human rights groups pushing the South African government to do away with the sub-standard facilities in schools forever.

Unhygienic, the latrines also present a much more direct danger. The sight that greeted James Komape one day in January 2014 at the nearby Chebeng village is horrific by every measure.

He’d received a phone call asking him to rush to his 5-year-old son’s pre-school.

The little boy, Michael, was found dead, drowned at the bottom of a pit latrine. Michael’s body hadn’t even been removed from the pool of water mixed with feces and urine at the bottom of the pit he fell into when his father got there.

“What hurt me a lot about Michael’s incident is that the people who were there saw that he had fallen in the toilet, but they did not remove him,” said James Komape.

“They said they were waiting for the responsible authorities to come and remove him. I told them that if they had removed him quickly maybe he could have survived.”

It was Michael Komape’s first week at a new school and his dreadful death incensed many South Africans. His family took the Limpopo province’s education department to court and won their case seeking damages. Later, court orders compelled the South African government to urgently address the issue of pit toilets in schools.

But the tragedy of Michael Komape has not been unique. Other small children have also drowned in pit latrines in the near-decade since, one girl as recently as last month, another boy in March. There are no reliable figures to say how many children have lost their lives in pit toilets.

The latrines, which have an outlet that is used to drain them periodically, are cheaper and more practical for poorer schools because they don’t rely on a constant supply of running water.

At the Jupiter Pre-School and Creche in the same Limpopo province where Michael died, children as young as 3 are still using pit toilets that have no proper seat but rather a hole carved out of a concrete slab that opens to the pit below.

“These are not good because of possible accidents of children falling in the toilet,” the school’s manager, Florina Ledwaba, said. “We have to follow them (the children) every time. What if they go without you seeing them? They are not safe at all.”

The Equal Education human rights group has been inspecting pit toilets in South African schools.

Tiny Lebelo, an organizer with the group, expresses frustration over an issue that should be a top priority for government — the safety of children at their schools — and still hasn’t been resolved.

The South African government promised to replace all pit toilets at schools nationwide by March 31 this year.

It hasn’t happened. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said there are still 3,398 schools using pit latrines and the deadline to eradicate them has been shifted to 2025.

Lebelo said “it speaks about how we perceive people in rural areas.”

“What we are saying about them is that they don’t deserve dignity, that’s why we’re not going to provide you with a basic toilet. We’re not going to give that to you because already you’ve been using it (pit toilets),” she said.

“So, what’s another year, or two years, or 10, or decades? We’re saying to them you’re not worthy of dignity.”

Section27 is another human rights group pushing for the pit toilets to be eradicated for “safe and decent sanitation facilities.”

Section27 supported Michael Komape’s family in their legal action against the local and national education departments and they succeeded in getting a court ruling that authorities must provide updated information every six months on schools in the Limpopo province using pit toilets and the plans to replace them.

Section27 called its system to track the government’s work The Michael Komape Sanitation Progress Monitor and it is able to use the information to hold the education department accountable.

The department has made some progress by reducing schools using pit toilets in Limpopo from 363 in 2021 to 210 schools now. But James Komape said the government hasn’t kept its side of an agreement to remove pit toilets and “many children are still in real danger.”

At the Seipone Secondary School, the pit toilets are officially called ventilation improved toilets, and known as “VIP toilets.” They are anything but. There is anger and now pushback from students, too.

“Our health also matters, (we) cannot use toilets like these,” said Tebogo Makgoka, a 17-year-old student representative.

AP

EDWIN NAIDU

UNIVERSITY of South Africa Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula is standing firm amid growing calls for her and the councils sacking over claims in a damning report about the state of governance at the institution.

A 309-page report by Independent Assessor, Professor Themba Mosia, was critical of Professor LenkaBula, the performance of both management and the council, financial management, upgrades to the vice-chancellor’s home, claims of intimidation and bullying, relations with the labour movement, and the leaking of confidential reports.

On Sunday, Prof LenkaBula had not bowed to pressure and told Inside Education: The Independent Assessor process is not yet complete. Council needs to respond to the Minister. I will only address the media afterwards.”

The vice-chancellor said she did not want to be at odds with statutory processes as legislated by speaking about goings-on.

On 22 September 2022, the Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande appointed University of Pretoria Principal and former Council on Higher Education Chairperson Professor Themba Mosia as Independent Assessor to probe UNISA.

The investigation was concluded within the period stipulated; however, at the request of Prof Mosia, the Minister agreed that the report be submitted by 31 March 2023.

Within 90 days of receiving the report, Nzimande must provide a copy of the report to the council concerned, table the report before the National Assembly and publish it in the Government Gazette.

Amid reports that two members of the council have quit over the saga, it has emerged that a copy has been distributed to council members last week. They have reportedly asked for an extension before responding to Nzimande.

The Sunday Times, reported that Belinda Mapongwana- chair of council’s social and ethics committee, and Sedzani Mudau, both resigned at the weekend.

Nzimande is preparing to publish the report it in the Government Gazette. He will then submit the report to the Speaker, Hon Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for tabling before the National Assembly.

“I am currently studying the report and will contemplate the way forward regarding the implementation of the recommendations, after due process as guided by the prescripts of the Act,” Nzimande said, thanking Professor Mosia for the hard work in conducting the assessment.

Among the proposals on the table for Nzimande in the report is the dismissal of the vice-chancellor and the entire council – which would result in an administrator being put in place.

In March, Mosia recommended that Nzimande should consider placing Unisa under full administration, in line with section 49F(1) of the Higher Education Act.

Another recommendation was that Nzimande should consider changing legislation for institutions of higher learning to be subject to the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act.

This, Mosia said, was because of financial irregularities and supply chain management problems which include fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Asked to comment on Sunday, Prof Mosia said he was not permitted by law to engage on UNISA matters.

“My job ended when I submitted the report to the Minister’s office,” he said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

STAFF REPORTER

AS Africa gears up for Africa Day, an event that marks the founding of the African Union and celebrates the continent’s quest for unity, Google is unveiling a range of programs and activities to celebrate Africa’s diverse cultural heritage and provide opportunities for people all over the world to experience and engage with the creativity and richness of Africa.

Among the programs is the addition of six new pocket galleries on Google Arts & Culture, curated by esteemed partners from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, these pocket galleries offer an immersive experience of virtual exhibitions, providing a 360-degree view of artworks and artefacts, effectively allowing people to step into the heart of Africa’s cultural scene from wherever they are.

Partners include the Yemisi Shyllon Museum and Terra Kulture from Nigeria, the Mohamed Amin Foundation and National Museums of Kenya, and the University of Pretoria from South Africa. Each partner will present unique exhibitions that celebrate their respective regions, providing a diverse exploration of Africa’s rich cultural heritage.

In previous years, YouTube Music has held the Africa Day Concert, showcasing present and next-generation African music talents. This year, YouTube Music will unveil an Africa Day playlist, featuring popular and trending songs from various African artists. This initiative will also involve the public, who will have the opportunity to submit their favourite African songs via YouTube Shorts for a chance for it to potentially feature on the playlist.

The celebrations will also highlight African storytelling traditions through the “Stories and Storytellers of Africa” initiative on YouTube which will spotlight an extensive collection of African movies and series, celebrating the creators who bring these narratives to life. Alongside this, the “Showcase Your Africa” initiative will see YouTube partnering with content creators to share their perspectives on Africa, providing a glimpse into the continent’s diversity.

Google Country Director for South Africa, Alistair Mokoena said: “Africa Day is a celebration of progress, unity, and the vibrant cultures that define the continent. We are excited that we can amplify these stories and experiences on our platforms. From exploring our rich artistic heritage through Google Arts & Culture, to dancing along to the #CelebrateAfrica playlist on YouTube Music, and engaging with compelling narratives on YouTube, we are happy to share and celebrate Africa’s culture with the world.”

INSIDE EDUCATION