Johnathan Paoli

A Life Sciences teacher at Protea Heights Academy in Brackenfell, Western Cape, Dr Mariette Wheeler, has been selected as a Top 10 finalist for the prestigious 2023 Global Teacher Prize.

Wheeler was selected from over 7 000 nominations and applications from 130 countries around the world.

The Western Cape Education department (WCED) congratulated Wheeler and said her dedication to education and making a difference in the lives of her learners has put her where she is.

Wheeler said that she appreciated all the support and considered it an honour to represent Protea Heights Academy, the WCED and the country at the awards ceremony in Paris on 8 November.

“Teachers matter and teachers do so much for the youth of our country, not just in igniting curiosity but also in being there for our learners,” Wheeler said.

WC Education MEC David Maynier congratulated Wheeler on her award and said candidates for the Global Teacher Prize were judged on a rigorous set of criteria to identify an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession of teaching.

“To have a Western Cape teacher in the Top 10 is a real testament to the quality of teaching taking place in our province,” Maynier said.

The Global Teacher Prize is an annual $1 million award by the global educational charity, Varkey Foundation, to a teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the profession.

The Prize, which has been referred to by some as the Nobel Prize for teaching highlights and celebrates the profession while giving greater recognition to the work of teachers all over the world.

Nominations of teachers who meet specific criteria are open to the worldwide public, with judging being done by the Global Teacher Prize Academy, consisting of head teachers, education experts, commentators, journalists, public officials, tech entrepreneurs, company directors, and scientists from around the world.

This follows on from the National Teachers’ Awards which was held at the Hatfield Christian Church in Thaba Tshwane, Pretoria earlier this month.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Lerato Mbhiza

The EFF Student Command (EFFSC) President Sihle Lonzi has threatened to open a fraud and corruption case against NSFAS and called for people who were involved in the stealing of the money to be arrested.

“We want to see all those involved in this to be arrested not only to be removed in position but to put on Orange overall.”

Lonzi was speaking at EFF’s Winnie Madikizela Mandela’s House on Thursday a day after NSFAS fired its CEO Andile Nongogo, fingered by the SIU for fraud and irregularities in the awarding of R47 billion contracts to direct payment service providers.

He questions the NSFAS board’s decision in allowing those accused of malfeasance to explain themselves instead of taking action against them for theft.

He also questioned why the contracts of the implicated service providers were not terminated with immediate effect.

“Why are the contracts being terminated in the future and not now?”

Lonzi said the EFF is happy the students’ demonstrations have paid off and the contracts of the service providers have been terminated, while pointing out that the EFFSC has won 16 university SRC leadership positions.

“This shows that we have a majority, and sends a strong message to the ANC that we will remove you from the union building in next year’s general elections”.

Nongogo was fired and the four contractors he appointed to disburse student funding are being terminated after a report by legal firm Werkmans Attorneys and advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi, found that not only did he play a role in handpicking the companies, but he had direct links with some of the companies from his previous job as CEO of the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services Seta).

The report also found that Nongogo appointed Dr George Chirwa, who has links with eZaga Holdings and its subsidiary eZaga Remit; Africawide Consulting, and Africawide Foundation as technical advisor.

eZaga and Tenet Technology have denied the allegations made against them, claiming to not have received the full report in which these were made.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Johnathan Paoli

THE Universities South Africa (Usaf) – a membership organisation representing the country’s public universities – has requested an investigation of Nsfas staff members to determine possible involvement in the awarding of contracts for the direct payment system.

Usaf CEO Phethiwe Matutu said the Usaf Board was watching with interest, the outcome of the processes concerning Nsfas CEO Andile Nongogo and the disciplinary enquiry pertaining to staff involved in wrongdoing.

The funding scheme board on Tuesday confirmed Nongogo’s immediate dismissal, following his submissions regarding his conduct.

Calls for the probe into staff collusion in awarding of the tender comes after the scrapping of the controversial eZaga payment system, together with Coinvest, Tenet Technologies and Norraco Corporation, by the Nsfas board last week.

The board found a conflict of interest in the appointment of some of the services providers who received the funding scheme’s direct payment system tender.

Last week the Nsfas board briefed the media in Pretoria on the system and allegations made against Nongogo.

Nongogo was placed on a leave of absence earlier this year, following the Nsfas board’s investigation into the allegations made against him, with board chairperson Ernest Khosa confirming that Nongogo actively participated in the presentations to the bidding committee.

In addition to Nongogo’s investigation and a probe into possible employee involvement, Matutu said that Nsfas supply chain management also needed to be reviewed.

Matutu said the membership organisation was supportive of the decision taken by the Nsfas board to look at the issues and to accept the recommendations of the report, which was investigating these four service providers.

“We categorically equate the success of Nsfas to the success of the entire post-school education and training sector, given the reported wide reach of the scheme to 1,1 million students in 2023. It is therefore imperative that NSFAS restores the administration of student processes to normality,” Matutu concluded.

Tenet Technologies has expressed its intention at possible legal action against the state, with CEO Ryan Passmore saying that they had not been informed of any damning allegations or cancellation by the scheme board.

“We are not aware of any damning findings, and neither have we been accused of any wrongdoing. We are not aware of anything other than the media reports of a cancellation. We will, however, challenge any cancellation that is unlawful and without cause,” Passmore said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

With the deadline fast approaching to enrol Grade 1 or Grade 8 scholars into schools in Gauteng for the 2024 academic year, there is help for parents who might need more support with the online application process.

Mohlago Ndebele, Service Team Lead at SPARK Schools, offers suggestions and tips to guide parents and guardians through the process.

“You cannot delay your application until the end of the year to secure a spot for your child in the school of your choice. Gauteng has hundreds of thousands of parents applying for schools, especially for Grade 1. The application process might feel daunting, but if parents and guardians do a little homework and preparation, the process should go much smoother,” she says.

Application tips and suggestions:
 Visit the school website: Set some time aside to go through the school of your choice application process to understand what you will need to ensure your application is successful. Look at the documents required and ensure you have them all. If you need clarification on the documents, call the school’s enrollment team to assist you with the list of documents. Most schools require the following documents: birth certificate of the child, proof of parent’s residence, immunisation card (Grade 1), latest report card, and parent or guardian ID.
 Pay attention to the details: Check before proceeding with the application; for example, ensure that you choose the correct grade and add the proper age to the application. It’s well worth reading the form carefully and double-checking when you are done.
 Don’t assume anything: Submit the required documents and pay to ensure the space is secured. Also, having a sibling at the school does not provide automatic enrolment for a younger child. You still have to apply for a position; do not delay the application, or you might have to find a new school for the younger sibling.
 Follow up: Once you’ve applied, call the school or their enrolment office to check progress. Checking your application is essential to know if anything is missing or any issues might delay your application.
 Visit the school: If your application is complete, visit the school. This is a great way to learn about the school values and the environment your child will learn from. You can also ensure that the school fits your child correctly.

“The application process might seem intimidating. However, it doesn’t need to be. With these easy steps, your child will be enrolled in no time,” says Ndebele.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) will hold a training workshop for school principals from special needs schools to focus particularly on the recent legislative amendments regarding sexual offences – Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act of 2021 which came into operation on 31 July 2022.

This legislation has, among others, amended the National Register of Sex Offenders by broadening its scope to not only protect children and mentally disabled persons but all vulnerable groups. It extends the list of persons entitled to submit applications to the Registrar of the National Register of Sex Offenders.

Further, it regulates the reporting duty of persons aware that sexual offences have been committed against vulnerable persons.

This training will occur a week after the South African Council for Educators (SACE) presented its 2022/23 Annual Report before the Parliamentary Education Portfolio Committee on 18 October.

The Report stated that SACE received 734 professional misconduct allegations against educators. Of these, 163 were related to sexual harassment of a learner (failure to report rape, rape of a learner, impregnating of a learner).

One hundred principals from all nine provinces are expected to attend this training, which aligns with the Union’s 2030 Vision, which is focused on creating a learning nation and servicing union members.

This workshop targets principals because they are the main drivers of change in schools so that they can steer their schools in the right direction. It is envisioned that they will use the information for their schools and cascade it to others through Professional Learning Communities.

The training session will also include presentations on mental health and other communicable diseases and leadership.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

In a world where we are increasingly living in the digital space, teaching young people how to manage their digital lives safely and responsibly is imperative.
 
As the world observes Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, Shaun Fuchs, founder and CEO of Centennial Schools, points out that while the internet has opened a whole new world of possibilities for young people, they must be taught about cybersecurity and given the tools to keep themselves safe online.
 
Centennial Schools is highly invested in digitally-led education, with cyber security central to its teaching. “Given that almost 70% of South Africans regularly frequent the digital, the opportunities for students are vast. However, it can also be dangerous without essential tech-safety education,” Fuchs says.
 
“Gen Z is the most digitally literate generation on the planet. They live on their mobile phones. Using multiple online applications and platforms comes naturally to them. By modelling healthy tech habits and communication skills, we are helping them establish online boundaries, including communicating with people effectively online,” he says.
 
“We are in the middle of the 5 th  industrial revolution, which means that almost everything we do has an online presence. This means we must teach our children to be vigilant and smart about their digital interactions. This includes password safety, determining the authenticity of an online profile, limiting the amount of information they reveal online, distinguishing between real and fake sites, and mitigating
cyberbullying and scam-based situations,” he says.
 
Kreaan Singh, co-founder of CoinEd, who has partnered with Centennial Schools to provide blockchain and cryptocurrency training for students, says there are three essential rules for students to follow;

Be careful about the information that you share with people and online. Criminals will use this information to manipulate you to gain access to your personal information, including your cryptocurrency holdings. 

Always do your research. Be wary of opportunities that sound too good to be true. A simple internet search will often be the difference between falling victim to a scam and avoiding one. 

If your teenagers use Cryptocurrency or interact with any payment processes online, they need to understand how to secure their funds. Use unique, strong passwords if you are holding your investments on cryptocurrency exchanges. “By making sure our children are digitally literate and digitally safe, we are giving them the tools they need to succeed in life and work,” Fuchs says.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

The world faces a healthcare workforce crisis, and the available number of health workers does not meet the demand for accessible medical care.

The current number of health practitioners, both globally and locally, needs to be revised to tackle the burden of disease. 

South Africa’s health system is overburdened, which significantly impacts the nation’s health, resulting in poor national health outcomes, poor standards of service delivery, long patient waiting times and high rates of healthcare worker burnout. 

However, the dire situation can be significantly alleviated with the recognition of the important supporting – but overlooked – role that public health graduates can play, says Dr Jackie Witthuhn, Programme Manager: Public Health at IIE MSA, a brand of The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s leading private higher education provider.

“The role that undergraduate public health graduates, especially non-clinical staff, can play in the healthcare system is often overlooked. However, their skills can make a huge difference to increase public health capacity, freeing up medical staff to focus on patients while also focusing on primary interventions,” she says.
 
Undergraduate public health qualifications differ from medical or healthcare degrees, focusing mainly on disease detection, surveillance and prevention. The field or discipline aims to reach populations and communities and detect and prevent health problems before they start, rather than waiting to work with people once they are sick. Therefore, the public health approach is based on a preventative health model rather than a curative health model, explains Dr Witthuhn.

“There are many reasons for the health workforce crisis which need to be explored, including the Covid pandemic, which highlighted the structural weaknesses in our healthcare system, including neglecting primary care and prevention.  Other reasons for the healthcare workforce crisis include poor workforce planning and a lack of proper planning, including task shifting, which is an approach to help address the shortage of healthcare workers by reallocating available and skilled resources.

“The burden of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, which are increasing at alarming rates, increases the pressure on the healthcare system. Primary prevention can largely prevent these diseases, an approach that emphasises the need for a preventative public health focus and approach. The significant role undergraduate public health graduates can play in this regard is often underestimated.”

South Africa can ensure a proactive approach by utilising existing public health resources more effectively and focusing on non-clinical Public Health graduates. 

The question of how to provide an adequate health workforce is a pertinent one. A clear strategy is necessary and can include, among others:
 A more integrated approach to the planning and allocating of health workers and task shifting to use non-clinical public health graduates.
 Higher education institutions and health services work together to achieve distributed training and develop norms and standards.
 A more competent mix of staff per level of care to take stock of the available workforce, their training and skills.
 Government and industry recognise qualified staff such as public health undergraduate students who can be responsible for delivering a defined package of essential health interventions aligned to their skills and based on their qualification’s core discipline.

“We have the resources, but we need to start creating a system that can make optimal use of all of them,” says Dr Witthuhn. 

“Future health workforce plans should focus on utilising existing healthcare resources and infrastructure considering South Africa’s developmental status. All of the conditions that can make change possible are already in place. Investing in the supporting role of public health graduates and focusing on primary prevention can greatly address the current healthcare workforce shortage to deliver significant health and economic dividends.”

INSIDE EDUCATION