PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE South African Democratic Teachers’ Union says it is extremely concerned by increasing number of violent incidents at South African schools. 

This comes after a series of incidents of violence were reported at various schools in the form of bullying, suicide, stabbing and shooting since the beginning of the 2023 academic year.

The teachers’ union called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and relevant ministries to establish a police unit dedicated to school violence in South Africa, including offering psycho-social services at schools.

“Violence in schools is increasing unabated and our schools, instead of being safe havens they are meant to be, are endangering the lives of teachers and learners,” said SADTU General-Secretary, Mugwena Maluleke.

Maluleke said the tragedy of South African schools is that they do not have enough infrastructure to ensure learners, teachers and communities do not bring weapons to schools. 

“We call for properly trained security personnel to oversee security in schools. We therefore reiterate our call to all stakeholders in education, more especially, communities and parents to be involved in schools in their neighbourhoods,” he added. 

“SADTU is calling for the creation of safe spaces for learners to confide in them about the issues they face. We again reiterate our call for dedicated psychosocial services in schools.

SADTU said during 2023 academic year alone, there were more incidents of violence at the following provinces since the reopening of schools in January:  

· At Geluksdal Secondary School in Brakpan, Gauteng: A Grade 10 learner was stabbed to death allegedly by fellow learners.

·  At Kagiso Secondary School, Gauteng: A man allegedly entered the school and took hostage some staff members. He allegedly stabbed and wounded one of the teachers and was subsequently shot dead by another teacher.

·  At Tlotlisong Secondary School in Ficksburg, Free State: A Grade 9 pupil allegedly poisoned himself and died following alleged humiliation by teachers in front of other learners. Following the suicide, angry learners attacked teachers, damaged the school, police and teachers’ vehicles accusing them for being the cause of the learner’s death.

·  At Sonyongwane High School, Southern KwaZulu Natal: A 17-year old Grade 11 learner committed suicide allegedly because of bullying by her schoolmates who constantly told her she was ugly and teased her about the shape of her head.

·  At Ntsu Secondary School in Bethlehem, Free State: The school principal allegedly used corporal punishment on a learner who had allegedly skipped detention.

Said Maluleke: “These incidents clearly indicate that schools are no longer safe havens they are supposed to be, but they endanger the lives of learners as well as teachers.” 

Maluleke said the union will now engage the Presidency and other government ministries and agencies to join hands with SADTU as it rolls out “I am A School Fan” campaign.

“Through this campaign, we acknowledge that schools are a microcosm of the society and therefore the violence cannot be divorced from what is happening in the community. We aim to mobilise for more parental and societal involvement including the private sector to play an active role in ensuring that our schools are safer,” he said.

Maluleke also said SADTU condemns the use of corporal punishment by teachers as it was a violation of children’s rights and dignity, and “perpetuates violence and may lead to the learner being aggressive and anti-social.”

“In a number of schools across the country we still observe the sexual assault and harassment of learners by those who are supposed to protect being teachers. This group of unprofessional sex pests continue to damage the profession. It is only counterrevolutionaries who can engage in this kind of violence against our children in our schools,” said Maluleke.

INSIDE EDUCATION

JENNIFER WARREN

WITH the New Mexico legislative session in full swing, there is a lot of talk going around regarding how to improve our educational outcomes. There are a variety of bills – House Bills 130 and 194 to name two – seeking to address this, but for the most part, they are assuming that simply adding more time – minutes, hours or days – to the school year will lead to the hoped-for results.

Instead, why not implement what teachers know will improve student learning and put money into these areas that will have a direct, measurable and positive effect on the students and families of New Mexico? Last month, I was at the Roundhouse twice and could see there is much effort going into the writing of these bills. In conversations with my fellow teachers, though, we quickly came up with many alternative solutions. If even just a few of them are undertaken, we will see results. I am asking for money to be put into these areas, rather than simply adding time:

• Reduce classroom sizes. Small class size has been proven to be the most successful way to address learning challenges and for overall student success.

• Bring back K-5 Plus that is voluntary so that teachers who want to teach during the summer can, and those who prefer not to aren’t forced to. Many parents have mentioned they will simply not bring their students those last two weeks if we just add more days to the school year.

• Allow for individual districts to continue to offer enticing summer month-long camps in a variety of subject/interest areas such as STEAM. Also continue the Newcomers Program as an enriching opportunity.

• Create a “Parent Academy” at some/all schools to help parents better support their students.

• Create community partnerships with existing kids’ camps to offer opportunities to those receiving special education services. This would allow them to access experiences they would not otherwise be able to offer and challenge the community to find creative ways for kids of a variety of abilities to participate.

• Provide more educational assistants in classrooms to allow teachers to provide more individualized support during regular class times, assist in classroom management, and be able to act as substitutes when teachers need to be absent so other teachers and administrators can do their own jobs instead of getting pulled into classes to sub, and pay these EAs a livable wage for their important work.

• Have in-service days built into the schedule where teachers can attend relevant professional development, have opportunities to visit other schools and talk with colleagues from around the district.

• Provide teachers with subs so they can observe in other schools/classrooms, thus gaining valuable insights and ideas to apply in their classrooms.

• Continue to offer affordable, quality child care to families throughout New Mexico.

• Address the need for legislation on excessive absences; currently students are promoted no matter how many absences they have.

Teachers have rarely had a voice in addressing educational issues. This needs to change.

Jennifer Warren teaches first grade at Nina Otero Community School in Santa Fe.

MINISTER of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, has invited the public to comment on the proposed
2026 calendar for public schools.

All interested persons and organisations are invited to comment on the Proposed 2026 School Calendar in writing and direct the comments to the Director-General for the Department of Basic Education, for the attention of Mr S Mlambo, e-mail: Mlambo.S@dbe.gov.za; cc Manaka.L@dbe.gov.za.

The Proposed 2026 School Calendar and the National Policy for Determining School Calendars for Public Schools in South Africa (The Policy) is obtainable on the following Departmental website: http://www.education.gov.za.

INSIDE EDUCATION

UTSA kinesiology major Kendall Kloza was born and raised in San Antonio in an athletic family. Her mother retired from a 30-year career teaching dance and her father serves as the head football coach at Robert E. Lee High School. From gymnastics and dance to volleyball and basketball, Kloza has been involved in sports from the moment she took her first steps. Today, she is one of the top soccer players at UTSA and a competitive Valero Alamo Bowl Community Partners Scholarship recipient.

Originally a student-athlete at a university in Virginia, Kloza felt something was missing. During a visit to UTSA, she fell in love with the community and the positive team culture in the athletics department—a missing part of her experience on the East Coast—and decided to transfer and move back to San Antonio. Now in her fourth year as a Roadrunner, Kloza’s supportive coaches and teammates continue affirming that she made the right decision when she returned home to Texas.

“All of the coaches here have made me the player that I am today and the person I am today, and I mean that whole heartedly. I am so glad I chose to come back to San Antonio for UTSA,” Kloza said.

Highly involved in campus life, Kloza has been a recruiting assistant for Roadrunners Football for the past two years. In this role, she accompanies prospective student-athletes on campus tours to answer any questions they have and spends time with their families downtown to make their visits to the city more comfortable and comprehensive.

She also leads the university’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, where she attends weekly leadership meetings and conducts Bible studies in community meetings with other members on the soccer team.

Her extracurricular activities and excellent athletic and academic performance earned her the Valero Bowl Community Partners Scholarship, which is allowing her to continue working hard without the burden of financial stress.

“My scholarship has given me so much peace of mind. First of all, to receive a scholarship at a Division I university really acknowledges all of the hard work I’ve put in over the years. It also shows me that I’ll be taken care of while getting a full UTSA college experience without financial stress,” Kloza said.

Kloza is dedicated to helping people grow in their fitness, personal and spiritual goals and plans to continue on this path after graduating this fall. She spent this past summer interning at a family-owned gym in San Antonio, LivingStone Athletics, where she enjoyed coaching CrossFit. Her experience opened her eyes to the idea of professional coaching and the possibility of opening up her own gym after receiving her degree.

“I really want to say thank you to those that invest in us students. I hope they realize how much scholarships help us and how much easier they make the lives of all student-athletes. Their support opens up doors of endless opportunities.”

UTSA

GLOBAL chemicals and energy company Sasol and independent statutory body the National Research Foundation (NRF) have established and awarded four jointly-funded South African research chairs.

A competitive call was launched during 2022 for two chairs that considered the critical areas of research investment in energy and power systems modelling, and green hydrogen.

Informed by the “excellence” of the proposals submitted, it was agreed that two additional chairs would be funded.

This total joint investment of more than R40-million over the next five years is expected to significantly increase the capacity and capability of South Africa in just energy transitions.

In addition, and considering the specialist areas of skills necessary, six fellowships have been awarded as part of the bespoke joint Postdoctoral Innovation Fellowships Programme.

These awards are expected to stimulate and accelerate joint academia-industry research in clean and sustainable energy and contribute to South Africa’s transition towards sustainable clean energy.

AWARDS

Two Sasol-NRF Research Chairs in Energy and Power Systems Modelling have been awarded to Professor Ramesh Bansal from the University of Pretoria (UP) and Professor Sunetra Chowdhury from the University of Cape Town (UCT).

Two Sasol-NRF Research Chairs in Green Hydrogen have been awarded to Professor Tien-Chien Jen from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Professor Prathieka Naidoo from Stellenbosch University.

Meanwhile, six postdoctoral innovation programme fellowships have been awarded and focus on research in the areas of green hydrogen, energy storage, waste utilisation towards a circular economy, in-situ characterisation of catalysts, and Fischer-Tropsch catalysis for power-to-liquids applications.

The successful applicants are from UJ, UP, UCT, the University of the Witwatersrand, the Durban University of Technology and North-West University. The two-year fellowships will include dedicated research time at Sasol’s research facilities in Sasolburg.

The growing partnership between Sasol and the NRF is posited to play a key role in the acceleration of the co-creation of knowledge for impact and skills development, and to address the critical energy challenges, showcasing the value of effective partnership within the innovation ecosystem.

These programmes are said to further advance the strong partnership among Sasol, the Sasol Foundation and the NRF that has supported 400 students and researchers from academic and research performing institutions in South Africa.  

Engineering News

EDWIN NAIDU

LAST month, the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation visited several KwaZulu-Natal Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) project sites.

The committee, led by Chairperson Nompumelelo Mkhatshwa and accompanied by senior managers of the DSI and Department of Higher Education and Training, visited several research facilities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s Biorefinery Industry Development Facility to learn more about how DSI-funded initiatives work.  

On 24 and 25 January 2023, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation conducted oversight visits to several sites in KwaZulu-Natal, where the DSI funds programmes.

Following the walkabout at the Biorefinery Industry Development Facility, which is working on using the methods developed to ascertain the causes or sources of problems in manufacturing, Ms Mkhatshwa said that there are not enough women in science and that institutions like these need more women to take engineering and science courses so that South Africa can grow its scientific expertise.

Professors at UKZN made presentations on the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), the Aerospace Systems Research Group (ASReG), and the Indigenous Knowledge Bioprospecting and Product Development Platform, and committee members engaged with management on the presentations.

Mkhatshwa said she was pleased to be at UKZN to see how the DSI was using government funding and to make sure it could account for expenditure.  She added that the Department’s work needed to impact the citizens of this country directly, or it would be meaningless.

“I imagine a day when a young black person from rural KwaZulu-Natal can be, for example, an astronaut who goes to the moon. As the committee, we look forward to the day when young people from all backgrounds can take the lead in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, allowing South Africa to become a global leader in this field,” said Ms Mkhatshwa.

UKZN Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nana Poku echoed this sentiment, saying that the future of science can only be addressed fully if universities go to schools to motivate, enthuse, and give learners a sense of purpose to engage with science.
 
Highlighting genomic surveillance at KRISP

According to Prof. Tulio de Oliveira, the director of KRISP, the platform aims to put science on the global stage through critical interventions like genomic surveillance, which can significantly assist South Africa in investigating gender-based violence cases by providing DNA.

Prof De Oliveira said that African science should take centre stage globally, and Africa’s scientists can assist the rest of the world to prepare for the next pandemic.

“African and other low and middle-income countries need the opportunity to lead global consortiums, host large grants and events, and guide the global scientific agenda.”
 
Advancing space-related research through ASReG 

The ASReG, located within UKZN’s School of Engineering, runs flagship programmes such as the Phoenix Hybrid Sounding Rocket Programme, a rocket training programme started in the context of the government’s prioritisation of skills and resource development in space-related research.

“We need to give hope to the young people of this country, and this rocket technology can help us do that,” said Prof. Michael Brooks, co-founder of the ASReG.

As ASReG is the only dedicated sounding rocket propulsion research group in South Africa, it generates substantial human capital in mechanical and aerospace engineering research.  

In 2021, it launched the Phoenix-1B Mk II-R rocket, which set a new African altitude record of 17.9 km.  

Prof. Brooks also spoke about the ASReg’s talent pipeline programme, which acts as a bridge from the undergraduate to the postgraduate level by exposing students’ talents to aerospace engineering and providing them with financial assistance.  Last year, the programme reached approximately 1 600 schools in rural KZN and surrounding communities.

Building indigenous knowledge systems

Representatives from the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Task Team, comprised of leaders from traditional health organisations and traditional healers, shared their experiences working with traditional medicines and how they collaborate with the university using their knowledge and skills.

Traditional healer Thulani Shangase, a steering committee member, said that traditional healers should be included in nation-building activities and that the committee would advocate for the recognition and integration of indigenous knowledge into the country’s landscape.

Mayashree Chinsamy, the Research Manager for the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in IKS at UKZN, said that the centre uses a ground-up approach in science, research, and community engagement to influence the centre’s areas of focus.

For example, she said, most people associate IKS with traditional medicine as it is usually the first thing that comes to mind. “We are talking about community-based knowledge systems, or culturally and ecologically specific knowledge,” she said.

“If you go into a certain space and look at the cultural communities there, yo u will notice that they have devised a certain knowledge system from different disciplines coming together to live and survive. People have been putting knowledge on the ground for a long time, whether to ensure food and nutrition security or public health and well-being. They are the scientists on the ground,” added Chinsamy.

Prof. Nceba Gqaleni, a Fractional Research Professor at UKZN, said that boosting traditional medicine can solve societal problems that Western medicine cannot cure.

INSIDE EDUCATION

THE Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) is to visit schools throughout the country, to monitor and
ensure equitable access to education for children of all social classes. 

CGE commissioners and staff will visit a sample of eight schools and four Early Childhood Development Centres (ECD) in the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Western Cape provinces to monitor learning conditions and ensure free access to education.
 
The monitoring campaign, which kicks off this month and continues in March, will put a special focus on the following issues:
 
•          School nutrition programmes. 
•          Learner populations in classrooms.
•          Availability and quality of learning/teaching resources.
•          School hygiene sanitation and female learners’ menstrual health 
•          Educator knowledge and awareness of the Policy Framework for the Prevention and Management of Learner Pregnancy Management of pregnancies and sexual abuse.
•          Promotion of dignity and provisions for learners with disabilities.
 
In line with accountability and transparency, the CGE will engage with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), Provincial Departments of Education and the Portfolio Committee on Education in Parliament about the findings and recommendations.

The Commission for Gender Equality will also hold a media launch to share its findings and recommendations with key stakeholders and interested parties in the education sector.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

RENOWNED scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the former first woman President of Mauritius and current first ambassador for the SIDS at the World Diplomatic Academy, delivered a powerful message supporting the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the weekend.

“I’ll mention that 52% of any country’s population are women, and if we exclude this powerhouse, which this population represents, I think we’re all heading towards failure.”

Gurib-Fakim sent a short message to the girls studying at Mont Lubin in Rodrigues, Mauritius, on Saturday, telling them that science was close to her heart.

Her message was supporting the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science to promote full and equal access and participation for women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

Annually, 11 February celebrates the essential role that women and girls play in science and technology.

And why science matters?

“I’ll give you a statistic, which I’ve read which is quite mind-boggling, 85% of the jobs that will be in
exercise in 2030. These jobs have not yet been invented. And many of these jobs will be within the
science and technology realm. So, bringing women on board, looking at their intuition, and looking at
their talent will give a new perspective.”

“Now science, as you know, is at the basis of everything science at the business of life. And if you look at sectors where science can impact, let’s start with agriculture…I can safely say that women feed Africa.”

“Women are very involved in the agricultural sector but remain underdeveloped because most women who practice in this sector are not empowered. Now, imagine the impact of empowerment of these women in this sector if they have the tools of science and the mechanism of technology in this area with her culture. She will earn more, she’ll feed her family better, and she’ll be better educated. She can become that famous entrepreneur that we are all thinking about.
Now the other sector is the other word. Instead, it is the word of empowerment. Why do we need to have women empowered?”

“Because the decisions made when women are at the table, these decisions make the family work better. They make the community perform better. They make society operate at a different level and the country fares. So that’s why I say to these women if you find that there is not a chair for you at that decision-making table, bring your chair.”

“The other thing I must say to girls is that you must live your dream. It would be best if you made whatever you do become your passion. Because when you’re passionate about something, you can rest assured that you do it well. You will enjoy it. Confucius said, “if you make your work become your passion, you will not have to work a single day in your life”.

“The other issue I would like to touch on very quickly is gender equality. Gender Equality matters a lot in the world of work. We need to ensure that women are equally paid for what they do. Unfortunately, in many countries worldwide, this is still not a reality. Women are still underpaid. So let us all think on this 11th February how we can make society work better with the proper empowerment of our girls about women so that they become the drivers of change. And we knew that if we put our heads together, we could make It.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa praised the Class of 2022 in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Thursday.

“Last year, our matriculants defied the effects of the pandemic to achieve a pass rate of 80%, and we congratulate them for that great achievement,” said Ramaphosa.

“What we have achieved as a nation over the past year, despite our challenges, remind us that the
promise of South Africa is alive.”

Appealing to companies, departments and SOEs to remove the requirement for work experience for young people seeking entry-level positions, the President said skills development was integral to job creation.

Therefore, government would allocate R800m to the National Skills Fund to develop skills in the digital and technology sector through an innovative model that links payment for training to employment outcomes.

“Last year, we said we would place over 10 000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college graduates in employment. We have surpassed that figure and have now set a target for 2023 of 20 000 TVET to be placed in employment,” he added.

The number of students entering artisan training in TVET colleges will go up from 17 000 to 30 000 in the 2023 academic year.

One of the critical ingredients for economic growth and competitiveness is attracting skills that the economy needs.   
  
Last year, Ramaphosa spoke about the value of the Presidential Employment Stimulus in providing work and livelihood opportunities. The initiative has now created over one million opportunities, reaching every province and district in our country.   
 
Furthermore, a new cohort of 150 000 school assistants began work last week at more than 22 000 schools, offering dignity, hope and vital work experience to unemployed young people.   
 
The Social Employment Fund is recruiting 50 000 participants in its next phase to undertake work for the common good.

The revitalised National Youth Service will create a further 36 000 opportunities through non-profit and community-based organisations. 

The Department of Home Affairs has appointed the first cohort of 10 000 unemployed young people to digitise more than 340 million paper-based civic records.  
 
There are now more than three million users registered on SAYouth.mobi, a zero-rated online platform for young South Africans to access opportunities for learning and earning.  
 
This has been done in close collaboration with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), which continues to provide valuable assistance to young entrepreneurs and work seekers.  
 
“These are examples of the difference government can make in people’s lives through innovation, creativity and commitment. Access to quality education for all is the most powerful instrument to end poverty,” he said.
 
Ramaphosa added that laying a better foundation through Early Childhood Development for young children was critical so they could write and read to learn and develop.

Significantly, the number of children receiving the Early Childhood Development (ECD) subsidy doubled between 2019 and 2022, reaching one-and-a-half million children.

The Department of Basic Education is streamlining the requirements for ECD centres to access support and enable thousands more to receive subsidies from the government.

While at the other end of the primary education journey, Ramaphosa applauded last year’s matric pass rate of 80%, with all provinces showing improved results – up from 76% the year before.

The share of bachelor passes in no-fee schools improved from 55% in 2019 to 64% in 2022.

“These results reveal that a silent revolution is taking place in our schools. Schools must be safe and
allow for effective learning and teaching,” he added.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

GAUTENG MEC for Education Matome Chiloane has expressed ‘shock and disbelief’ after a Grade 11 girl learner from the Protea Glen Secondary School in Soweto died during a horror car accident on Monday.

“We are dismayed by the news of a tragic incident which has taken the life of one of our learners. We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the learner’s family for their loss. We also wish those learners who were injured by the accident a speedy recovery,” said Chiloane.

The accident occurred on Monday morning on the R599 Randfontein Road in Protea Glen, Soweto, when the driver of a private scholar transport, a Toyota Condor, which was transporting 14 learners from the Protea Glen Secondary School, lost control of the car and overturned.

“It is alleged that the scholar transport driver lost control of the vehicle after the car ahead was seen to be taking a turn but decided to continue [straight]. This caused the scholar transport to overturn,” Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson, Steve Mabona, told reporters on Monday.

“Unfortunately, this accident resulted in the death of a Grade 11 girl learner. Of the other learners who were onboard, three were in a critical condition while 10 sustained injuries. All these learners were transported to different medical facilities.”

Mabona said the GDE earlier dispatched a Psycho-Social Support Team to the scene of the accident where the team members met and offered counselling to the family of the deceased learner and other ‘traumatized’ learners. 

“They [Psycho-Social Support Team] extended their support to the family and managed to schedule counselling sessions with them before proceeding to different schools to further assist those who have been left traumatised by the incident,” Mabona added. 

INSIDE EDUCATION