EDWIN NAIDU

ONLINE blended digital learning (E-learning) is one of the priorities of the Western Cape Education Department. It is not only about providing digital infrastructure and equipment to schools but a strategy of ensuring that the learners in the province are equipped with the necessary skills that will allow them to fit in and be able to compete in the technologically driven world.

Progress towards the provision of SMART classrooms and multimedia resources over time was described in a presentation before the National Council of Provinces last week.

Between the financial year 2014/15 and 2020/21, a total of 9 992 classrooms were enabled with technology (smart classrooms). Between the financial year 2014/15 and 2020/21, 912 schools were provided with multi-media resources.

According to the WCED Annual Performance Plan (APP), funding for education is divided according to seven programmes. National sub-programmes define each programme. In Programmes 2 and 4 the WCED deviates from the sector budget structure because school sport resides under the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport.

“The Western Cape Education Department’s Annual Performance Plan for 2023/24 highlights our commitment to providing quality education for every child, in every classroom, in every school in the Western Cape,” said David Maynier, Provincial Minister of Education Western Cape Government.

He said every decision taken about education in the Western Cape would continue to be informed by the need to improve learner outcomes and to provide greater and more equitable access to quality education across the province.

Brent Walters, the Accounting Officer for the Department, said their vision for education in the Western Cape is to achieve quality education for every child, in every classroom, in every school in the province.

The Five-Year Strategy of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), published in 2020, supports this vision.
However, the ability of the department to deliver against this vision has been placed under strain over the last five-year period, with unprecedented growth in learner numbers, the advent of COVID-19 and the subsequent learning losses.

These factors, according to Walters, have heightened some of the other challenges faced due to socio-economic and psychosocial constraints, such as poverty, high levels of unemployment, gangsterism, violence, drug abuse, inadequate infrastructure and general population in-migration.

“Despite these constraints, our focus remains on our vision of quality education. This entails stabilising our schools, recovering the learning losses experienced over the past few years and creating conducive environments for teaching and learning,” Walters said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

THE Netball World Cup 2023 will be held in Cape Town, South Africa , from 28th July – 6th August 2023 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), with 16 of the world’s top netball nations, including the hosts South Africa, competing. Renowned sports administrator, Sumayya Khan, the Director- General of Sport and Recreation, says it’s an honour for the country to play host to the tournament.

“It is the first time the Netball World Cup will be staged in Africa. This massive gain for Women’s Sports is destined to leave a major legacy of infrastructure and skills development and hopefully exponentially grow the sport in the country and the continent.

This legacy won us the bid to host the event,” she adds. Khan, a former physical education teacher for 17 years in Phoenix, a township north of Durban, is passionate about empowering women in sports.

She says the Ministry is committed to contributing meaningfully to the sector.

“As a teacher, my involvement in the school’s sports and other structures provided a great opportunity for me to develop my capacity in Sport Management and Administration.” As DDG, Khan’s department, supports the provision of mass participation opportunities, the development of elite athletes, and the regulation and maintenance of facilities. Khan says one of her most gratifying experiences has been witnessing the transformation of women’s cricket.

“I qualified as a Bakers Mini Cricket Coach in 1989 and went on to complete the Level 1 and 2 Coaching courses. At the time, there was no automatic transition for girls to move from Mini Cricket to hard ball as young boys could. Hence my quest and engagement with the Cricket Union to ensure that young girls continue to play cricket.
Thankfully, I wasn’t a lone voice; the then UCB started a cricket development programme for girls and women.”

She says it was an honour being a founding member of the provincial Women’s Cricket Association.

“It was not easy challenging the stereotypes and getting resources for young girls and women. Many of us would use our resources and work tirelessly to get sponsors to take players to tournaments. But we soldiered on. To see where women’s cricket now makes me very proud that the commitment and dedication of so many women paved the way for women cricketers to play at a professional level.”

But Khan’s eye is on the big prize – the Netball World Cup.

INSIDE EDUCATION

THE former president of Mauritius and the first woman to be elected to that position, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, is a biodiversity scientist and recipient of both a L’Oréal UNESCO For Women in Science Award for Laureates and the African Union Commission Award for Women in Science.

Gurib-Fakim says it is thanks to her motivated teachers who made understanding science easier. As a result, she did well in the subject because of that demystification.

But when she wanted to study science at school, her career guidance teacher asked why she wanted to do science because that subject is for boys.

The former president, who was on the Forbes List for the 100 ‘Most Powerful Women in the World’ and first among the Top 100 Women in Africa Forbes List 2017, has been recognised as one of the foremost voices on the Continent.

Last month she participated in a South African seminar on human rights in Africa.

In a Q&A, Gurib-Fakim shares the story of her favourite teacher with Inside Education.

Q: What was her name?
A: Sister Anne
Q: Name of School attended and year/s?
A: Loreto Convent School (between 1977 -1978), Quatre Bornes
Q: How did your favourite teacher endear herself to you?
A: She had a no-nonsense attitude to teaching and was highly disciplined…always insisting on punctuality. This
has shaped my perspective in later life.
Q: What subject/s did she teach you?
A: Mathematics
Q: Did you look forward to her subject?
A: Yes, I did, and what I liked best (now, with hindsight) is how she trained us mentally. She would start her
class with mental arithmetic, firing quick questions and expecting instant answers!
Q: What did you like about your teacher?
A: Her humanity!
Q: What was your favourite subject at school?
A: Chemistry
Q: Has this influenced your choice of career?
A: I have always been fascinated by chemistry, especially the chemistry of
Carbon, which is understanding the chemistry of life itself. It eventually underpinned my career.
Q: What was the one phrase from any teacher that stuck with you or inspired
you?
A: Never leave for tomorrow what you can do today.
Q: Have you kept in touch with your favourite teacher? If so, what was the first meeting like beyond being a
learner in the classroom?
A: Unfortunately, she returned to Ireland, and I lost touch with her. But before she left, she would engage in
one-to-one conversation and give advice. She was also always available when one wanted her advice.
Q: Why are teachers so important to society?
A: Teachers provide you with the necessary instructions, and they help complement the education we receive at
home.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

AN incomplete classroom next to the principal’s office, meant to be a science laboratory, is a stark reminder of
the challenges facing teachers and learners at the City of Life Christian School in Brits.

School principal and passionate educator Mam Ncalo says the small private school registered with the North
West Department of Education, whose curriculum it follows, battles with having all the resources it needs to
make teaching and learning seamlessly.

Formed seven years ago to provide education for children in the community, the school does not receive a government subsidy, meaning it relies on school fees for survival. Unlike the traditional private schools, City of
Life subscribes to the government curriculum and seeks to offer education to children in and around Brits and
nearby Letlhabile.

While private schools in the country belong to the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa, the largest, oldest and most inclusive independent schools association, critics allege that while they have opened doors to Black pupils, the principals are primarily white, and so are the majority of staff. But their results ensure that their high fees with excellent resources usually give their learners a superb springboard for success.

The main difference between public and private schools is that private schools are run independently of the
government and are in charge of their curriculum, ethos and funding, often thriving through contributions of
parents, students, alumni and donors.

The City of Life Christian School is different from your typical private school. Set on the dusty ground opposite
a busy filling station, the school operates in a church hall, with 168 pupils from grade R to matric, although it
can accommodate up to 400 learners.

The school is staffed by 17 teachers. Four classes meet in the large church hall, while the remaining children
are spread across four small classrooms on the church property. But when it comes to performing science
experiments, funds ran out when building the laboratory, thwarting efforts to show children experiments about chemical reactions.

In 2022, 14 pupils wrote the matric exams. Half of the learners failed, while the remaining seven were allowed
to rewrite papers during the supplementary examinations. One out of four candidates writing matric in 2021
passed, while in 2020, out of seven, only one passed. Last year 14 pupils sat the examinations, with just one
pupil passing. Seven matriculants were allowed to write supplementary examinations.

“We worked hard throughout the year; it was disappointing when the results came out. I do feel that the parents did not play their part,” says Ncalo, who has been teaching for 34 years and is still passionate about her profession.

“If parents work with teachers, we can achieve more to ensure what is being taught in the classroom is
reinforced by extra work and parental supervision at home,” she adds.

Ncalo says that with five matric pupils enrolled in 2023, the school has reorganised teaching staff and resolved
to understand why they had not done well in the past three years and work towards ensuring learners and teachers are on the same page this year.

Asked what would help the school on the path to success, Ncalo, who drives daily from Pretoria to Brits, says
more resources are needed. We want to appeal to businesses to support us by investing in education, finish
the building so we can teach and conduct science experiments, for example,” she pleads.

Ncalo says she loves teaching and engaging with pupils, especially in the classroom. However, she has observed that teachers are less committed to their careers, with some leaving because they could earn more money elsewhere.

But she hopes that despite limited resources and with the support of businesses, the school can step up and
do better with the five candidates in the matric class of 2023.

Regarding physical education, the school has a playground and children participate in volleyball, athletics and soccer. Infrastructure, learning facilities such as laboratories and libraries, playgrounds and teaching resources continue to differentiate between public and township schools, which shows disparities when results are announced.

But little seems to have changed in bringing about parity for learners, although all provinces had shown
improvement in their overall Grade 12 final exam results.

“We worked hard throughout the year; it was disappointing when the results came out. I do feel that the
parents did not play their part,” says Ncalo, who has been teaching for 34 years and is still passionate about
her profession.

“If parents work with teachers, we can achieve more to ensure what is being taught in the classroom is reinforced by extra work and parental supervision at home,” adds Ncalo.

She says that with five matric pupils enrolled in 2023, the school reorganised teaching staff and resolved to understand why they had not done well in the past three years and work towards ensuring learners and teachers are on the same page this year.

Asked what would help the school on the path to success, Ncalo, who drives daily from Pretoria to Brits, says
more resources are needed. We want to appeal to businesses to support us by investing in education, finish
the building so we can teach and conduct science experiments, for example,” she pleads.

About 80 kilometres from the Brits school is the Hoërskool Menlopark in Pretoria, the top performing public school in Gauteng. Last year they had 330 pupils who wrote matric with a 97% pass rate. Only three learners failed to obtain a bachelor’s pass.

The school was founded in 1963 by renowned painter Bettie Cilliers-Barnard. Initially, it had 12 classrooms and 372 pupils. But they’ve grown substantially since and now have 1 650 pupils with an average class size of 22 and 25 learners.

The school is on an expansive property with luscious green fields comprising three rugby fields, hockey courts,
athletics fields, five tennis courts, five netball courts, a sports stand over- looking at the ground and a gym. The
school also has a golf academy.

They have well-equipped laboratories and multi-media library facilities, ensuring pupils have the best learning
tools.

To cope with the growth in the number of learners, the school also built residences and is still considering the
expansion of facilities as part of an ongoing pro- cess determined by budget and availability of resources.

“In everything we do, we in still in pupils the desire to have a strong work ethic to be the best when it comes
to academic work,” says Nico Erasmus, the deputy principal in his 33rd year at the school.

Erasmus was a former pupil, completed matric in the seventies and joined the school in 1992. “Our values are
based on integrity, respect, diligence and loyalty,” he adds.

“Our focus is to ensure that not only are they academically strong when they leave, but they are responsible
adults,” Erasmus says. Most of their matric pupils pursue further studies at universities with a high success rate
of students who complete their degrees.

Their former pupils include André de Ruyter, the former Eskom boss, who matriculated in 1985.

Founder of the Firstrand Group Laurie Dippenaar finished matric in 1966, actress Jana Cilliers was in the class the year before, while Springbok coach and player Rudolf Straeuli matriculated in 1981, soapy actress Amalia Uys in 2002, Olympics swimmer Gideon Louw in 2010, and three recent national cricket players Rassie van der Dussen
(2007), Heinrich Klassen (2009) and Theunis de Bruyn (2010).

“If you want to be a successful school, there’s nothing we do that is extraordinary. We have and continue to
maintain a strong culture, ensuring learner buy-in, and get strong parental support to assist in our planning,”
notes Erasmus.

He says one of their proudest achievements was helping learners acclimate to online studies during the COVID-19 pandemic with no failure at the end of the year.

Erasmus says that as a state school, half of the contribution from the government is used on salaries. At the
same time, parents contribute to the purchase of sporting facilities so they can ensure their children are given
the best.

National Pass Rate

The 80.1% pass rate in the 2022 National Senior Certificate exam pass rate was the second highest in South
Africa since 2019.

But for the country’s best and the worst performing schools, it remains a case of the “haves” continuing to stay
ahead of the “have-nots” in almost three decades of democracy.

Inside Education visited four schools in Gauteng and the North-West to probe the conditions of the best and
worst performing schools to provide a window into the disparities and how they affected their performance.
Hoërskool Menlopark was the top performing public school in Gauteng, followed by Hoërskool Waterkloof,
Hoërskool Garsfontein, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisies.

Gauteng’s worst-performing public schools were Simunye Secondary School, Sehopotso Secondary School,
Dinoto Technical Secondary, Lefa-Ifa Secondary School and Dr BW Vilakazi Secondary School.

Gauteng Department of Education Spokesperson Steve Mabona says the department wants accountability for results,
particularly in underperforming schools, with the purpose not to punish the management, teachers and learners but rather to provide the right combination of incentives, support and resources that will bring the changes to improve the quality of education in those schools.

Mabona says that the department will meet the public schools that performed below 65% to put into place interventions to prove the performance of these schools. improve

“We are accelerating interventions in underperforming schools to ensure the future success of all learners,” he
adds.

According to Mabona, the Secondary Schools Improvement Programme (SSIP), a GDE supplementary tuition
programme being implemented across the province, is a core programme focusing on poorly performing schools and schools that have experienced disruptions.

Overall, KwaZulu-Natal had the most significant improvement at 6.2% from last year, which puts them at an
83% pass rate in the matric examination in 2022. But 20 schools in Zululand, Uthukela, Umzinyathi,
Umgungundlovu, Pinetown, Umlazi and King Cetshwayo districts achieved pass rates of 10% to 37,8%.

The Mgwempisi Combined School in the Umzinyathi district achieved a 10% pass rate, with only one of the ten
pupils who wrote matric passing the exams. The Mthaniya Combined School in the Uthukela District recorded
a 14.9% pass rate, and the Zithume High School in the King Cetshwayo District attained 18.2%. Mthaniya and
Zithume have yet to achieve a pass rate of more than 40% in the past three years.

In March, all schools that achieved a pass rate of less than 40% in the 2022 matric results were ordered to
account to the MEC for Education, Mbali Frazer and the head of the department Nkosinathi Ngcobo for their
poor performance and outline plans to improve in 2023.

But while having top-class facilities and playgrounds are critical, Deputy head of Hoërskool Garsfontein,
Maggie Holliday, says the staff at the school are incredibly hard-working and caring towards the children.

“They go the extra mile. We have many children who are academically weak, but for me, the biggest achievement is getting the average child to move up one symbol you don’t see in the papers”.

She adds that as a state school, it is sponsorship and support of businesses that have made it possible to
upgrade facilities and sporting amenities without which they could not afford it.

The school governing body is integral as a partner with the school management in setting goals for learners
and teachers. “Being in Pretoria East, we have many poorer pupils. When there’s no money, parents – be they
plumbers or whatever – try and get all things done for the good of the school,” says Holli- day.

Losing out to Hoërskool Menlopark was disappointing as the school finished Number 1 in 2021 as part of a hat-
trick of top spots.

“When they say you’re number one or three, or whatever because there were only 12 points between the top three schools. But you are excited and say yes, you are number one, but does that matter? My challenge is to get those children, your average child, to improve not only the top, but we cannot only focus on those children,” adds Holliday.

EDWIN NAIDU

THE 2023 and the 8th Basic Education Lekgotla, which laid out the priorities and challenges for the year ahead, was given the presidential seal of approval and attended by teacher unions, school governing bodies, academics and experts involved in the sector.

The three-day Lekgotla took place on 26 -28 January 2023 in Sandton, Johannesburg, under the theme “Equipping learners with knowledge and skills for a changing world post Covid-19 pandemic”.

The Lekgotla was addressed by President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, joined by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, Deputy Minister of Basic Education Dr Makgabo Reginah Mhaule, MECs for Education, leaders of teacher unions and school Governing Bodies, representatives of learner organisations, academics and experts in the education sector and representatives of non-governmental organisations. While addressing unemployment was high on President Ramaphosa’s agenda, the effects of the pandemic, which led to a shutdown of the economy and disruption of schooling, was not lost on Motshekga.

The Minister said the devastating impact of Covid-19 has brought about new thinking around the world regarding the ability of education systems to respond with agility to the unpredictability of pandemics.

“South Africa protected learning to some extent compared to other countries but also experienced severe learning losses. We protected learning through the implementation of a framework for the recovery of learning, and the system began the process of rebuilding,” she said.

She added that key levers of the recovery framework were the emphasis on foundational and core skills that resulted in the curriculum trimming to ensure a focus on deeper learning.

In 2022, the following decisions and recommendations emerged from the Lekgotla:
• A decision not to revert to the original, content-heavy ATPs and assessment plans in the CAPS post-
Recovery, but to use the revised and reduced ATPs and assessment plans
• A shift towards more systematically and deliberately incorporating 21st Century competencies into
the curriculum, assessment, teacher development, and the pedagogical core. Given this mandate,
Motshekga said the work began in earnest in 2022 to design an
approach to strengthening teaching, learning, and assessment. As a result, the initial focus of this
work is Curriculum Strengthening, with the following goals:
• To enhance the relevance of the knowledge, skills, character, and values taught in the current
curriculum so that learners are prepared for a changing world
• To contribute towards greater alignment across the sector, with the ultimate goal of improving
learning outcomes and preparing learners for life beyond school.

This work has included consulting with local and international stakeholders to design a draft competency framework to guide the infusion of competencies into the In 2023, broader consultations will occur to refine and finalise the
draft competency framework.

A detailed curriculum-strengthening blueprint and implementation roadmap will guide the sector-wide activities supporting curriculum strengthening.

“It is also intended to enhance alignment across the sector regarding pedagogical practices, assessment, LTSM, and learning environments that will support the development of desired knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values among South African learners,” she said.

According to Motshekga, to respond holistically and sustainably to these multifaceted challenges, the sector proposes deliberate action in five broad areas:
• Curriculum: Refers to strengthening the existing curriculum statement (CAPS)
• Assessment: Refers to updating and enhancing current assessment practices
• Teaching: Refers to effective classroom teaching, learning, and pedagogical practices
• Learning Environment: Enhancing the space (physical and non-physical/virtual in which learning
takes place
• Learning and Teaching Support Material (LTSM): This refers to strengthening the primary
compulsory learning resources per subject.

To this end, multiple avenues may be considered as part of Curriculum Strengthening: Subject modernisation entailing a review of the current subject offering and introducing new subjects to operationalise the Three Stream Model and ensure the relevance of the curriculum.

In addition, she said there would be content modernisation: entailing a review of content within existing subjects and updating it in line with the demands of the changing world. It could also entail streamlining content to focus on core
concepts and important content in each discipline.

Another proposal related to infusing competencies and cross-cutting priorities into CAPS by deliberately and systematically incorporating social, emotional and cognitive competencies into teaching and learning through updates to the curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

It also entails incorporating relevant across subjects, e.g., environmental literacy.

“Our only objective is to ensure that learners leave school with a holistic breadth of knowledge, skills, character, attitudes, and values to succeed in a changing world,” Motshekga said.

President Ramaphosa said the Basic Education Sector Lekgotla is one of the most important events on the calendar. “It is here that officials, educators, teacher unions, policymakers, the private sector and civil society chart the course for basic education for the next twelve months and beyond.”

He added that Basic education was the foundation of a nation’s development, progress and prosperity.

“Despite the impact of lockdowns, school closures, learning disruption, curriculum trimming, rotational timetables and numerous hurdles, our learners excelled.”

This year’s results, particularly in the performance of learners from poorer schools, show the broadening impact of education spending and the social wage.

“We congratulate all the learners.” President Ramaphosa said: “The biggest heroes are our educators”.

“Because of their dedication to their profession, our learners got the support they needed to sit these exams and to do well. I speak here about the extra hours spent tutoring, the personal time taken to help redraft and amend timetables and curricula, the time spent being part of matric camps and many other initiatives.

“Many of our educators have their own families and children in school, and yet they provide an extended family to their learners. The improved matric results must encourage us as stakeholders in basic education to redouble our efforts to address the severe problem of learner dropout.”

The three-day Lekgotla was a platform for discussions for various stakeholders to address issues in the curriculum and technology, among others, while mapping out the way forward for success in 2023.

INSIDE EDUCATION

A shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade late Thursday, the second such mass killing in Serbia in two days, state television reported.

The attacker shot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, the RTS report said early Friday. Police were looking for a 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack, the report said.

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his father’s guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard.

The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation unused to mass murders.

Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, mass shootings are extremely rare. Wednesday’s school shooting was the first in the country’s modern history. The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursday’s shooting “a terrorist act,” state media reported.

Special police and helicopter units have been sent to the region as well as ambulances, it added.

No other details were immediately available, and police had not issued any statements.

Earlier Thursday, Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent homage to peers killed a day earlier. Thousands lined up to lay flowers, light candles and leave toys to commemorate the nine people who were killed on Wednesday morning.

The tragedy also sparked a debate about the general state of the nation following decades of crises and conflicts whose aftermath have created a state of permanent insecurity and instability, along with deep political divisions.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children.

Police have said that the teen used his father’s guns to carry out the attack. He had planned it for a month, drawing sketches of classrooms and making lists of the children he planned to kill, police said on Wednesday.

Police say a 13-year-old who opened fire at his school drew sketches of classrooms and made a list of people he intended to target. He killed eight fellow students and a school guard before being arrested Wednesday.

The boy, who had visited shooting ranges with his father and apparently had the code to his father’s safe, took two guns from the safe where they were stored together with bullets, police said on Wednesday.

The shooting on Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people hospitalized — six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in a life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

To help people deal with the tragedy, authorities announced they were setting up a helpline. Hundreds answered a call to donate blood for the wounded victims. A three-day mourning period will begin Friday morning.

Serbian teachers’ unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and demand changes. Authorities shrugged off responsibility, with some officials blaming Western influence.

The shooter, whom the police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, has not given any motive for his actions.

Upon entering his school, Kecmanovic first killed the guard and three students in the hallway. He then went to the history classroom where he shot a teacher before turning his gun on the students.

Kecmanovic then unloaded the gun in the school yard and called the police himself, although they had already received an alert from a school official. When he called, Kecmanovic told duty officers he was a “psychopath who needs to calm down,” police said.

The children killed Wednesday were seven girls and one boy. One of the girls was a French citizen, France’s foreign ministry said.

Authorities have said that Kecmanovic is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son got hold of the guns.

“I think we are all guilty. I think each one of us has some responsibility, that we allowed some things we should not allow,” said Zoran Sefik, a Belgrade resident, during Wednesday evening’s vigil near the school.

Jovan Lazovic, another Belgrade resident, said he was not surprised: “It was a matter of days when something like this could happen, having in mind what is happening in the world and here,” he said.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region has among the highest numbers of guns per capita in Europe. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identities.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in a highly divided country like Serbia, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished. They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.

“We have had too much violence for too long,” psychologist Zarko Trebjesanin told N1 television.

“Children copy models. We need to eliminate negative models … and create a different system of values.”

AP

ON International Girls in ICT Day, on 27 April, several industry experts held conversations around diversity and inclusion in a sector largely still dominated by men under the theme ‘Digital Skills for Life’.

Asked to share their hopes for the future of girls in ICT, four female leaders in ICT, were frank yet inspiring leaving one in no doubt on the task at hand.

Ursula Fear, Senior Talent Program Manager at Salesforce, said the greatest challenge to advancing gender equality in the workplace, particularly in the technology industry, is addressing women’s under-representation in emerging roles, such as cloud computing, engineering and Data and AI.

“A successful outcome would be the day that we no longer need to talk about girls or women in ICT as a specific focus area. In the meantime we need to keep nurturing potential, interrogating how to make ICT more appealing to girls and women, and actively debunk any remaining stigmas, myths and stereotypes around ICT being a male field,” she adds.

Rashi Gupta, Managing Director, MFS Africa Hub at MFS Africa, believes that the presence of women in STEM fields is crucial for driving innovation and promoting a sustainable economy.

“Women bring unique perspectives and problem-solving approaches that can lead to new innovations in technology and science. Additionally, having a diverse workforce in STEM industries can lead to more inclusive and equitable decision-making, which is essential for creating a sustainable future for all. Encouraging and supporting women in STEM education and career paths is not just a matter of fairness and equality, it is also a business and economic imperative. Investing in women in STEM is investing in the future,” she adds.

Vanashree Govender, Media Relations and Communications Manager at Huawei South Africa, says Innovation and ICTs are key drivers of economic growth, especially for emerging markets like South Africa.

“The country’s social and economic growth challenges call for solutionist thinking driven by innovation and ICT skills that contribute to demolishing the triple threat challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. It is the type of solutionist thinking that requires the inclusion of girls in ICTs.”

This context, is however often missed when the participation of girls in STEM and their role in ICTs is defined. It is a well-known factor that women approach problem-solving with a brain that places emphasis on specific pieces of the problem-solving process.

“A future for girls in ICT, is one that takes girls beyond seeing STEM as a subject, but more as an enabler of a future they desire for themselves, where they have the digital skills and are fully aware and conscious of how these can empower them to change their worlds,” she adds.

Head of MiWay Blink, Keletso Mpisane, says one of the biggest barriers in ICT has always been access to market and competition but for women it is also gender bias.

“The ICT space has historically been male dominated and though there have been strides made – over the years, there is still room for a higher presence of women in the field. These women would act as role models for the next generation, who would be in the position to take this field even further forward into a more equally representative space,” adds Mpisane.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, has expressed her heartfelt condolences to the Kgwadi family on the passing of Professor Daniel Kgwadi, who served as the Vice Chancellor of the Vaal University of Technology (VUT).

Prof Kgwadi passed away on Sunday, leaving a profound impact on the entire higher education sector, which Mkhatshwa acknowledges and appreciates.

Prior to his tenure at VUT, he also served as the Vice Chancellor of the North West University, and contributed significantly to various professional bodies including Umalusi Council, leaving behind a shining legacy.

The committee had previously engaged directly with Prof Kgwadi in Parliament, where he emphasized the importance of stabilizing management and governance at VUT to ensure that the university could perform effectively on its core mission of providing students with a sound education, knowledge, and skills that are responsive to the needs of the South African industry and beyond.

“The committee is behind the Kgwadi family during this very difficult time of grief and mourning and extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, colleagues of Prof Kgwadi and the entire VUT community. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” said Mkhatshwa.

North-West University’s Professor Dan Metsileng from the subject group Economics said even though it was never an easy ride for Prof Kgwadi, he has achieved a lot and leaves behind a lasting legacy.

“You guided the campus as rector and later the NWU as vice-chancellor on a sometimes bumpy and difficult road, but you never faltered in your resolve. You tackled issues head on, always having the university and its staff and students in mind.”

“The NWU family has entrusted the leadership of this family in your capable hands. As Patrick Lumumba once said – ’Time limits are good things. No matter how good a dancer you are, you must leave the stage’. Farewell Prof Kgwadi – the Mahikeng Campus wishes you good health and all of the best in your future endeavours. You will always be the trusted ambassador of this family,” concluded Professor Metsileng.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

EDWIN NAIDU

THE Eastern Cape DoE had faced severe budgetary pressures that had impacted its ability to carry out some of its planned activities, coupled with the service delivery challenges experienced in different facets of its operational spectrum.

Despite this, the notable improvements in 2022, particularly the examination outcomes, should be seen in the context of the system-wide education transformation plan of the Department.

Its strategic thrust was to maximise opportunities for learners to achieve a good pass in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations whilst improving performance in the whole system.

The Department’s expenditure had increased from R37.507 billion in 2019/20 to a revised estimate of R39.796 billion in 2022/23.

The 2023/24 budget allocation had increased slightly by 3.3% to R41.128 billion, mainly due to additional funds allocated for personnel and norms and standards in the baseline.

Further reprioritisation of the baseline budget had been undertaken to increase funding provision for learner-teacher support material (LTSM), school furniture, coding and robotics, vocational and technical equipment, agricultural schools, maintenance of ECD centres, and information communication technology (ICT) in schools.

During the discussion, the NCOP heard that the Department would continue to prioritise the rationalisation and realignment of unviable schools for optimum resource distribution, through the densification of schools for enhanced and effective school management that would result in improved learning outcomes.

The Department had also said that they would continue to ensure the provision of an appropriate package of support to viable secondary schools in quintiles 1 to 3.

It had also been resolved that the provision of quality education was the main factor behind the rationalisation of small and unviable schools. The second objective was improved financial efficiency and the re-distribution of resources to where they were most needed.

The process of rationalisation of schools was complex, so it would be informed by a provincial education plan, based on a needs assessments and merger trends.

Infrastructure revitalisation and development would be aligned with the rationalisation process.

The Department had also resolved to continue teaching robotics and coding in the primary phase and to increase the number of schools that offered coding and robotics classes.

INSIDE EDUCATION