Edwin Naidu

While former University of Cape Town (UCT) Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng has dismissed the UCT report into governance lapses during her tenure as “gossip”, the Chair of Council, Norman Arendse says the university has agreed on a roadmap to fix past governance failures.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Council met on 11 November 2023 to discuss the implementation plan of the recommendations made by the report of the independent panel of investigation on governance matters at UCT during the period 2018-2022.

At the meeting, Arendse said Council reaffirmed its commitment to remedying past governance failures and strengthening current structures by complying with UCT’s regulations and policies and enforcing the Council code of conduct.

This includes ensuring the delineation of the oversight governance role of Council from the executive management function together with matters that fall within the purview of the Senate.

Student governance via the Student Representative Council (SRC) and the role of the Institutional Forum (IF) remain important arms of institutional governance.

However, while the university is grappling with her chequered career at the UCT, Phakeng has received an international award for her contribution as a leader in Information and Technology Communications.

She also took to social media to let her former employers know that she will respond to every single “gossip” contained in the report.

In a statement, Arendse said a Council sub-committee will establish a framework to strengthen the university’s governance. This will include induction processes for Council members, reviews of Council performance, tightening the terms of reference for key committees of Council, alignment of the functions to execute Council decisions through the management systems and without any undue impediments that may undermine good governance.

The governance role of key committees of Council, like the Remuneration Committee of Council and the University Human Resources Committee, as well as the operational function of key university departments, will be included in this process.

Council took further resolutions:

(1) to report wrongdoing by individuals to external professional bodies;

(2) to initiate disciplinary procedures in instances where university jurisdiction applies;

(3) to reassign the executive reporting line for Human Resources to the Vice-Chancellor;

(4) to recall the current chair of the University Human Resources Committee from that role and from all other Council committees to which Council had made this appointment;

(5) to offer a written apology to be posted on the UCT website to those who had been wronged as referenced in the report of the panel, and so too in the case of the 37 anonymous complainants referred to in the Ombud Report referenced in the report of the panel.

“We believe that this revised focus on governance will set the right tone for a future marked by accountability and transparency. The measures agreed to in the roadmap and framework will live beyond the term of the current Council and go a long way in ensuring that the failures as identified in the report of the panel do not happen again.

“The council is determined to ensure UCT moves forward and in doing so restore the university community and the public’s trust and confidence in us as a leading institution of higher learning,” Arendse said.

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Staff Reporter

Out of one million youth entering the labour market annually, 2/3rds will end up not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) within a year, according to the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA).

South Africa has a slow growth economy that results in young people being locked out of the labour market due to various barriers and although there is high investment in education and training programs, we see limited transition of these youth into earning opportunities.

Citing the example of youth employment accelerator Harambee, which uses innovative technology to speed up youth employment by unlocking and aggregating jobs to make them visible and accessible to youth and providing tools for young people to make themselves more employable. This zero-rated platform is called SA Youth and is part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention.

Harambee breaks barriers for youth through research, intelligence, and advocacy: data and insights gathered from the over 3.5 million young people we have supported through our platform give us the insights we need to reduce the barriers that exclude young people from the labour market.

This platform will give business leaders knowledge of how to reduce existing barriers in youth unemployment. It will also give them a platform to source young talent and be able to give employment to the youth to address the socio – economic issue which is unemployment.

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Inside Education Correspondent

Teaching mathematics in South Africa, like in many other countries, is a complex and multifaceted challenge, according to Yeshvira Brijlall, the Department Head (Acting) for Maths & Sciences at the University of KwaZulu Natal.

Speaking during a maths symposium at UKZN, Brijlall said the effectiveness of mathematics education is crucial not only for individual academic success but also for the overall development of the country.

“South Africa faces significant socio-economic disparities, and this is reflected in the education system. Many students come from disadvantaged backgrounds with limited access to resources, which can impact their learning experiences. At my school, we have learners from Grade R (pre-school) all the way to Grade 12 (Matric).

“Many of these learners’ stem from affluent backgrounds with a few learners coming in from the nearby informal settlements. Even though my school is relatively well-resourced, the learners are not all equal when they leave the school premises resulting in them still having unequal opportunities,” she said.

Brijlall said the learners have parents/caregivers who may not be able to offer these children support and guidance when it comes to homework and re-enforcement of skills.

As a result, these learners are often left behind as teachers check activities and move on with the syllabus in the interests of time constraints. Their school ran intervention programmes for at risk learners.

Citing language of instruction as a crucial factor, she said South Africa has multiple official languages (12 languages – inclusive of Sign Language), and the choice of language in which mathematics is taught can affect students’ understanding.

“It’s important to consider language barriers and ensure that students have a strong foundation in the language used for teaching.”

Remedial classes, literacy and numeracy programmes can increase understanding of the subject.

However, Brijlall noted that the quality of mathematics education depends heavily on the competence and commitment of teachers.

“Continuous professional development is essential to keep educators updated with the latest teaching methods and technologies. Additionally, addressing the shortage of qualified mathematics teachers remains a priority.”

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Lerato Mbhiza

THE Department of Basic Education has assured matric pupils that there is no truth to social media posts suggesting that some question papers have been leaked. 

Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the posts are fake, misleading and seek to cause unnecessary confusion.

Mhlanga said there have been no serious irregularities since the start of the exams.

“This implies that the measures put in place to secure the examinations are working well thus far. A total of 136 of the 231 question papers have already been written and today is day 15 of the 28-day examination period.”

“The Minister of Basic Education Mrs Angie Motshekga has made no such announcement about any incident related to examinations. The social media posts are a pure fabrication and malicious.

“The examinations are proceeding well without any major incidents reported.

“The department wishes to reassure the National Senior Certificate candidates, their parents and guardians and members of the public that there have been no examinations paper leaks nor an announcement about any rewrite of any papers whatsoever,” Mhlanga said.

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Lerato Mbhiza

THE man captured on video viciously stabbing a woman, said to be his wife, several times at a student residence in Belhar in the Western Cape on Saturday morning has been arrested and is in hospital under police guard.

Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said a 30-year-old man was arrested and the Belhar police registered an attempted murder case following a stabbing incident where a 26-year-old woman student was injured.

“Circumstances surrounding this stabbing incident are under investigation. The injured victim was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment. Investigations continue,” said Van Wyk.

A spokesperson for the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Lauren Kansley said the university offered assistance to students who may have been traumatised by the incident.

“The incident happened at a privately owned residence. The female student sustained serious injuries and has been transferred to Tygerberg Hospital for emergency surgery.

Gasant Abarder, the spokesperson for the University of Western Cape where the attacker is alleged to be a student, said they condemned any act of gender-based violence.

“At a time when UWC pronounced its zero tolerance for gender-based violence and communicated its condemnation of any acts of gender-based violence and femicide, it notes a disturbing report of the stabbing of a female CPUT student on 11 November 2023. It is alleged that the student’s spouse, who is a UWC student, stabbed her at her South Point residence.

The incident has sparked outrage, with the DA saying it would visit the university on Tuesday to meet with university management.

“Heightened security measures on campuses and residences must be prioritised. Our thoughts are with the victim and the wider student community.

“The DA calls on authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident and take decisive action against the perpetrator,” it said.

Meanwhile,  Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has welcomed the arrest of the suspect.

“Minister Nzimande welcomes the swift response of law enforcement agencies in arresting the perpetrator who, according to the video footage in circulation, was so merciless and barbaric in committing the crime against his spouse.  

“Minister Nzimande urges all institutions working with Higher Health (which oversees wellness at higher education institutions) to continue working collectively in implementing programmes towards addressing the challenges of sexual and gender-based violence within the Post School Education and Training system,” said spokesperson  Ishmael Mnisi.

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INSIDE EDUCATION REPORTER

THE Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) will present its findings and recommendations of the South African National Survey on Health Life Experiences and Family Relations study to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation in Parliament on Friday following another violent incident at a tertiary institution in the country.

A University of the Western Cape student who reportedly stabbed a female student believed to be his wife at a private student residence at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town was arrested in connection with the incident.

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education Science and Innovation, Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, welcomed the arrest and said tertiary institutions must do more to address violence on campuses.

“Institutions of higher learning are one of many social institutions that ought to play a role in shaping and harnessing the social construction of societies in alignment to our constitution that speaks of a non-sexist society.”

The committee continuously invites the portfolio committees on police, and women, youth and people with disabilities on a wide range and cross cutting GBV and gender related matters.

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education Science and Innovation has extended an invitation to the chairpersons of the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and of the Multi Party Women’s Caucus to its upcoming meeting.

Furthermore, the committee further urged Higher Health and the institution’s mental health services to ensure that the victim and the entire CPUT community receives the support it needs to get through such a traumatic experience has welcomed the arrest of the University of the Western Cape student who reportedly stabbed a female student believed to be his wife at a private student residence in Cape Town.

The committee wishes the victim of the assault from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPTU) a speedy recovery and further calls for a multipronged approach to addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in society and at institutions of higher learning.

The committee is concerned that a scourge of GBV continues to plague society and has reached unacceptable levels, in which institutions of higher learning have not been spared.

The committee calls upon the full implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBV which aims to provide a multi-sectoral strategic policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated response to the GBV crisis.

The committee welcomes initiatives of the Department of Higher Education and Training in introducing programmes such as the Higher Health Civic Education and Health Skills Programme as well as the Transforming MENtalities programmes as part of the curriculum.

The Transforming MENtalities Initiative is a programme focused on men in the higher education sector to be part and champions of a world free of GBV and against all forms of discrimination.

The committee welcomes the introduction of these programmes in the Post School Education and Training sector as they contribute to assist in shaping the social construction of students.

The committee said it engages with the Commission for Gender Equality on its investigations in universities and TVET colleges regarding GBV, and gender related matters reported at institutions.

The committee has had follow up meetings with institutions to ensure that they implement observations and recommendations of the CGE.

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Inside Education Correspondent

Dr Phumzile Langa, Director for the Rural Education Directorate at the DBE, recently participated in a Work Integrated Learning Conference hosted by the UNISA’s College of Education in Pretoria. 

The Conference was attended by renowned education experts from various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The theme of the Conference was “Employing and strengthening Work Integrated Learning as a strategy to enhance academic and workplace competencies in the context of 4IR”. 

On welcoming the delegates, Prof Mpine Makoe. Executive Dean of the College of Education highlighted that, “UNISA is one of the key developers of the education profession in the country, and so, through this Conference, we want to sharpen and refine the application of theory by aspiring teachers we produce through the application of Work Integrated Learning”.

In her official address, Dr Langa informed the attendees that the DBE had initiated the Integrated Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development in SA, 2011-2025, in line with its ambition to
recruit suitable young vibrant teachers.

“Through this Framework, the DBE has committed to making concerted efforts to attract and encourage high-achieving school-leavers to strengthen the teaching profession. 

“This will be achieved through effective implementation of strong teacher recruitment strategies and the sustainability of bursary programmes such as the Funza Lushaka Bursary Programme. 

“Despite these efforts, attracting and retaining young, qualified teachers in rural schools has remained a serious challenge. The need for new teachers is more pronounced in certain phases of schooling and subject areas. 

“One of the primary factors contributing to this challenge is the high cost of obtaining a degree, which prevents students from embarking on teacher education studies, especially for those from poor socio- economic backgrounds. 

“There is a need to explore teacher recruitment and retention strategies that respond to contextual and economic needs of the country,” elaborated Dr Langa.

Dr Langa proposed a Context-Specific Work Integrated Learning Model for Initial Teacher Training. 

“Through this model, HEIs would benefit from course planning and needs analysis in their teacher education programmes. It will ensure that courses offered align with the needs of schools in terms of phases of schooling and subject areas. Furthermore, the model will also contribute to enhancing the livelihoods of rural youth”. 

The DBE has committed to achieve this through the contextualisation of the National Framework for Rural Education, which provides a basis for the development of context-specific, relevant and sustainable strategies
to improve teacher recruitment and retention. 

It recommends youth exposure to working in rural schools through an effective and targeted Education Assistants Programme as a significant strategy. While still on the Framework, it is noteworthy to mention that
the DBE piloted and conducted a three-year action research known as the Rural Education Assistants Project (REAP). 

The project targeted unemployed youth to work as Education Assistants in rural schools with the aim of enrolling them in School-Based Initial Teacher Training Programmes using various models from distance, online and block release for face-to-face sessions.

“The findings emanating from the research conducted by the DBE on REAP, demonstrated the strategy as an effective mechanism for teacher recruitment and retention in rural schools, especially by exposing the youth to experiential training in the teaching profession; the realities of rural schooling contexts; and as a way of providing ongoing school-based mentorship, all of which are crucial to the development of skills, attitudes and attributes to become a quality teacher on exiting the system. 

“The proposed model therefore will solve the challenges of teacher recruitment and retention, but its implementation would require the DBE to forge a strong partnership with HEIs, including UNISA,” emphasised
Dr Langa.

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Inside Education Reporter

THE international launch of the African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development (ASCEND) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) is set to accelerate the pace and nature of climate change action across Africa and globally.

Launched on 1 November, ASCEND will provide a specialised infrastructure for teams of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to harness and integrate diverse data and knowledge on climate change
to accelerate discoveries and enhance equitable and effective action on climate change and development.

The new centre will be hosted at UCT’s African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) and represents a first for the continent. It is also the world’s first synthesis centre that focuses on climate change and development and will be underpinned by a strong focus on the Global South. “The 2020s are a critical decade for climate action.”

In an era of rapid climate change, research knowledge and data on climate change impacts and solutions have burgeoned worldwide, said ASCEND director, Dr Christopher Trisos.

“We often think of sophisticated equipment like a radio telescope or a biotech laboratory as essential for scientific discovery, but in this age of complex social and environmental challenges –such as climate change
– another form of research infrastructure is now essential too: synthesis centres.”

As a synthesis centre, ASCEND will provide a platform for transdisciplinary teams of policymakers, researchers and practitioners to synthesise and leverage the wealth of existing data and knowledge for climate change solutions. 

The aim is to generate actionable research that will advance climate-resilient development, the core of which is the well-being of people and ecosystems.

The 2020s are a critical decade for climate action,” Dr Trisos said at the launch, attended by high-level researchers, government representatives and funders from Africa and abroad.

“Decision-makers, practitioners, and researchers must address complex problems that cut across disciplines, geographies and socioeconomic divides to enable the transformative change necessary to secure a sustainable future for all.

“Climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty are interlinked problems that cannot be solved by any single discipline. A lack of data and knowledge synthesis limits breakthrough research and decision-making.”

The centre will welcome synthesis teams in 2024, when work begins on the BAOBAB synthesis project for African research on climate change.This will bring together climate change data, researchers, and decision- makers from across the continent and nurture African scholars and scholarship.

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Staff Reporter

Having won the Varsity Football Women’s league and fought tooth and nail for the Hollywoodbets Super league (equal on points with the mighty Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC with an inferior goal-difference), the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Women’s Football team has undoubtedly achieved significantly this year.

The selection of four of its players to the senior national women’s team Banyana Banyana World Cup squad in Australia and New Zealand put a cherry on top of coach Thinasonke Mbuli’s side’s accolades, which undisputedly earned them Team of the Year at the 2023 UWC Sports
Award.

Mbuli walked away with the Coach of the Year accolade for a third consecutive year, while one of her star players, Bongeka Gamede, who played all Banyana Banyana games in the World Cup, took home the biggest prize – the Sportswoman of the Year award. Sprinter Gianno Peddy received the Sportsman of the Year award.

Mbuli, who is also the assistant coach of Banyana Banyana, attributed the success to teamwork.

“I’m a believer in teamwork, so when the team does well, individuals then get to shine. But then I don’t work alone. I work with an amazing technical team and super talented players that I always say we are
blessed to have. Our job becomes easy when you work with committed and hard-working individuals.”

Mbuli’s aspirations for the future involve witnessing players graduate and continue to compete at a high level.  “We want to be the team that produces players that can go play professional football abroad after completing their studies.”

Jenna Bam was among those celebrated at the event when she received the Outstanding Recognition Award. 
 
“This award means a great deal to me as I am so passionate about what I do. To be recognised for something you see as a hobby, something you look forward to doing every day you wake up, is unbelievable. I can’t
thank UWC enough for this award and I am so grateful for what the University has done for me.”
 
Bam credits UWC for giving her an opportunity to acquire valuable video analysis skills. When she was at UWC, she worked as the Rugby Sport Scientist and Performance Analyst for three-years. 

“To go from not knowing how to code three-years ago, to becoming the South African Netball Video Analyst in three-years is testament to the educational environment that UWC offers and encourages. 

“Any person that enters that high performance environment is sure to come out with valuable experience and a lifetime of knowledge that no one can take from them,” said Bam happily. 
 
Bam also wished that UWC Sport would continue to shine. “I hope that UWC Sport only goes upwards from here. There is so much talent that is dying to be recognised and so many determined student athletes that have a bright future ahead of them.”

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