By Lungile Ntimba 

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University (SU) have joined forces with Roam, a technology-driven electric mobility company in Nairobi, to test the tailored electric motorcycle designed in Kenya for Africa. 

Prof. Thinus Booysen, who is a founder of the Electric Mobility Lab, said the aim of the project was to inspire people in the society.

“We want to educate and to create awareness to show that it can be done and more importantly that it can be done with green energy,” he said.

The sun powered electric motorcycle left Nairobi last week Sunday. It is expected to arrive at SU on 18 October, in time for the university’s Electric Mobility Day celebration.

It is the first time that an electric motorcycle developed in Africa will be covering approximately 6000km with only solar power as its energy source. 

The motorcycle is being accompanied by two support vehicles, on which solar panels are transported to charge the motorcycle batteries. 

Booysen highlighted that Roam had donated two of its electric motorcycles to the lab for research and testing. 

“We cannot think of a better way to kick-start our research collaboration than testing the motorcycle overland. To do this within the African fraternity of ingenuity is an enormous privilege”, he said.

Researchers at the newly founded lab, which is situated in the Industrial Engineering Department, are focused on Africa’s unique modes of mobility, and specifically the infrastructure and operational changes required to make electromobility work.

This collaboration intends to develop and apply research on electric vehicles and the supporting ecosystem, including but not limited to the electric motorcycles, electric vehicle powertrains, local manufacturing and digital pilots for planning for electric urban mobility. 

Masa Kituyi, who is a micro mobility product owner at Roam said: “This journey showcases Kenya’s ability to design and locally manufacture world-class electric vehicles for African conditions. It’s a testament to local innovation, leading the way in sustainable mobility solutions.”

The motorcycle is being piloted by PhD candidate and co-researcher on the project, Stephan Lacock, as well as Kituyi.

“The emphasis is not on the whether such a trip can be done as there has been other similar journeys in the world, but rather to showcase African ingenuity and collaboration between SU and Roam to overcome African conditions with green solar energy,” said Lacock.

The university emphasised that their research team aimed to observe the performance of the drivetrain and swappable batteries, as well as the efficacy of the solar recharging solution.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

By Collin Bjork

The university sector in Aotearoa New Zealand is at a tipping point due to chronic underfunding, shifting enrolments and increasing costs from inflation. In response, the government has established two working groups to assess the health of the sector and provide recommendations for the future.

Meanwhile, universities find themselves increasingly beholden to the education technology (EdTech) industry, which claims to improve student learning by selling hardware and software – often built with artificial intelligence (AI).

Most universities already pay for services from EdTech companies such as Turnitin, Grammarly, CampusTalk and Studiosity, all of which use AI in their products.

But critics say this trust in EdTech is misplaced and amounts to what technology writer Evgeny Morozoc calls technological solutionism – “the idea that given the right code, algorithms and robots, technology can solve all of mankind’s problems”.

Intellectual property and profit

To better understand how EdTech providers work, consider the plagiarism-detection company Turnitin, used by 20,000 institutions in 185 countries.

Student essays are intellectual property (IP). According to university policy, students and universities have a shared licence over any IP written by students.

But when teachers require students to upload their essays to Turnitin, students must grant the company a “non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable licence” to use their IP.

Turnitin adds those essays to its massive database, which it uses to build its plagiarism detection tool. The tool – built with student IP – is then sold back to universities so educators can police student writing in the name of academic integrity.

After 20 years of growth with this business model, Turnitin was bought in 2019 by Advance Publications for US$1.75 billion. On Twitter (now X), higher education researcher Jesse Stommel asked: “How much of that $1.75B do you think is going to the students who have fed their database for years? I have a pretty good guess: zero billion.”

By claiming ownership over student IP, Turnitin also profits from Indigenous students’ ideas. But this threatens Indigenous data sovereignty – that data produced by or about Indigenous communities should be governed by those communities.

AI teaching clones

EdTech organisations such as Prifina, Khanmigo and Cogniti are now developing new AI teaching clones. These “AI twins” are trained on educators’ own course materials and can interact with students around the clock.

For overworked teachers, an AI clone might seem appealing. In one promotional video, a lecturer praises the clone for helping him teach biochemistry to more than 800 students.

Of course, another way to improve the teaching of such a large course is to hire more teachers. The Tertiary Education Union will surely emphasise this point in its collective bargaining with universities this year.

But it’s not surprising universities are looking for cheaper options, given the sector has endured long-term government underfunding.

Here’s the catch, though: we don’t yet know the full cost of AI agents in education. They may be free or cheap now, but it takes a lot of computing power to create and engage with a customised AI agent – almost certainly more power than teachers and students have on their personal computers.

For that reason, organisations that develop AI agents rely on access to high-performance servers provided by the likes of Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. After sufficient market penetration, though, these multinational companies will want a return on their investment. Will AI agents still be cheaper than teachers then?

Energy-intensive investment

We also don’t know how much energy it takes to build and operate hundreds of AI clones for tens of thousands of students. But we do know Microsoft recently retracted its goal of being carbon-negative by 2030 due to AI’s increasing demand for “energy-hungry data centres”.

Many New Zealand universities also aim to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Will they too have to renege on their green commitments? Or will outsourcing AI to EdTech companies allow them offload responsibility?

Historically, it has been difficult for teaching institutions to untangle themselves from EdTech investments. This is despite research showing “85% of EdTech tools are poor fits or poorly implemented”.

If AI is “pushing the world toward an energy crisis” is it worth the financial and environmental cost to create AI agents for educators?

Product or public good?

Without sufficient government funding, EdTech products look appealing to universities. But tertiary stakeholders must question whether EdTech “solutions” really contribute to a university education.

If a university education is primarily viewed as a product in a global marketplace, then EdTech tools might add monetary value.

But if a university education is viewed as a public good that contributes to the improvement of society, then EdTech tools might be less valuable.

Now is the time for a broader conversation about the cost and value of a university education, and the role of EdTech within it.

Bjork is a Senior Lecturer at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University.

This article was originally published in The Conversation.

By Amy Musgrave

The KwaZulu-Natal education department is focusing on reviving its programme for school sports, which it says is especially important because not every learner is academically inclined.

“As part of our programme to see the revival of in-school sports, we have recently introduced Siyadlala Thursdays to encourage schools to dedicate time to sports every Thursday. This programme is gaining traction throughout the province,” said education MEC Sipho Hlomuka. 

“We urge district, circuit and school leadership to ensure that every school in our close to 6000 schools participates in school sports.”

He was speaking at the MTN 8 activation programme for the MTN 8 final taking place at Moses Mabhida Stadium in eThekwini.

The programme forms part of the province’s efforts to promote school sports.

Four schools in the Pinetown district are benefiting from the MTN school sponsorship of R10,000, soccer kits and soccer clinics headed up by soccer legends.

“As the department… we would like to express our gratitude to MTN for identifying some of our schools to benefit from their CSI programme. Our schools are going to benefit enormously from this sponsorship, and we are very excited that our soccer legends are going to give soccer clinics to our learners,” he said.

The department understood that additional resources were needed to help revive sport at schools, and this was why it was mobilising big business to come on board, the MEC said.

.Also, the department was keen on introducing sporting codes that were unpopular among the majority of its learners as “this is important because we know that gifts and talents know no race and knows no gender”, Hlomuka said.

“Other than that, we need to be very creative to see our way through. We cannot let financial challenges deter us in our resolve.

“We do this because we understand acutely that not all our learners will make it in life through academic means; that some will thrive only if they are given an opportunity to display their God-given talent,” he said.

The MEC told everyone attending the event that “a healthy mind goes with a healthy body [and this] must be our collective anchor”.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Akani Nkuna

President Cyril Ramaphosa has likened the responsibilities of teachers to those of surrogate parents, social workers, counsellors and disciplinarians.

Speaking at the National Teaching Awards on Saturday, Ramaphosa said that a good teacher was a role model who encouraged a child to achieve their potential.

“But a teacher who disregards their responsibilities, who rules by fear, can demoralise a child, damage their self-esteem and put them off learning,” said.

The gathering, which was held on World Teachers’ Day, placed significant emphasis on the pivotal role of educators in shaping the trajectory of national progress and development.

For 24 years, the Basic Education Department has sponsored the awards to recognise outstanding teachers.

Ramaphosa said that the very essence of teaching and learning went beyond classroom walls, with the skills that learners acquired impacting on society as a whole.

“The skills that build thriving households and communities and that promote an active, engaged citizenry and a productive workforce, are all taught in the classroom,” he told the gathering.

South Africa was riddled with unemployment and inequalities that affected the socio-economic status of the country’s citizens, the president said.

“With the high youth unemployment in our country, educators need to ensure that our schools are producing the skills our economy needs.

“They need to ensure that every school leaver has the confidence and capabilities that enable them to study further, find employment and be self-employed,” he said.

Ramaphosa also acknowledged that enhancing teacher capabilities, resources and support was crucial to foster excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics amongst learners.

Moreover, the recent enactment of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act marked a significant step towards creating a more efficient and equitable education system, focusing on enhanced early childhood education, parental accountability and an inclusive learning environment, Ramaphosa said.

This year the Basic Education Department increased the number of categories for the awards to 14 to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts made by excellent teachers, often in very difficult conditions.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

Educators and policymakers from around the world are coming together to celebrate World Teachers’ Day on Saturday and highlight the vital role teachers play in shaping the future of education.

This year’s theme, “Valuing teacher voices: Towards a new social contract for education”, emphasises the urgent need to incorporate teachers’ perspectives into educational policy and decision-making processes.

World Teachers’ Day is held annually on 5 October to celebrate the work of educators.

The day’s celebrations will begin with an opening ceremony led by UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay. It will feature messages from co-convening agencies, including the International Labour Organisation, UNICEF and Education International.

A series of discussions and activities will follow, including the awarding ceremony of the eighth edition of the UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development.

Teachers will also share their insights and experiences on a panel, stressing the importance of their participation in decision-making processes and the need for a dignified teaching profession.

According to new data published by UNESCO, 44 million teachers are still needed to achieve the goal of providing primary and secondary education for all by 2030.

It says the problem is not only one of funding, but also the unattractiveness of the profession.

In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the 24th National Teaching Awards (NTA) in Kempton Park in Ekurhuleni.

The event, hosted annually by the Basic Education Department, recognises and rewards exceptional teachers who have made significant contributions to education despite challenging circumstances.

“The NTA aims to focus public attention on the positive aspects of basic education, thereby raising the public image of the teaching profession, recognise, appreciate and promote excellence in teaching performance,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said in a statement. 

This year’s theme, “Empowering educators to educate a South African learner fit for the 21st century: Strengthening Resilience, Building Sustainability”, highlights the critical role teachers play in shaping the country’s future.

The categories include excellence in teaching, leadership, science education, and technology-enhanced teaching and learning.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba

Not every learner wants to or can go to university, so it is important that the education system equips them so that they can become productive members of society, according to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube.

The minister is on a national listening and learning tour and visited Olympia Park School in Springs, Ekurhuleni, on Friday.

Olympia Park is a school for learners with special needs. It offers a technical occupational curriculum over four years and consists of years, not grades.

“It’s very important to understand that not every child aspires to be an academic and that we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got schools of skills such as Olympia Park, which really seeks to give kids an opportunity to come and hone their skills.

“But, also, so that they may be able to go into the economy with a skill, so that they can live lives of dignity,” Gwarube said during the visit.

She said this was especially important for children with special academic needs and intellectual disabilities.

“I’m incredibly proud of this model and I’m hoping that we can see more of it and more of these interventions replicated across the country,” said Gwarube. 

The minister also highlighted that when she had a meeting with various officials, that she was able to get a better understanding of the “pressure points” in the Gauteng education system.

She said there was a lot of good happening in the province in terms of academic performance.

“Of course, there are challenges that we as a department, alongside our colleagues in Treasury, need to make sure that we try and meet… [There are] demands around infrastructure to avoid overcrowding in classrooms because there is a high pressure and a high-density problem,” said Gwarube.

She added that it was not only important for the department to have a theoretical understanding of the system, but to also have a far more in-depth and practical understanding.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johannah Malogadihlare

The Gauteng education department has denied allegations by the Democratic Alliance of bursary fraud involving senior department officials.

Department spokesperson Steve Mabona told Inside Education that the allegations of fraud and corruption were fabricated.

The DA in Gauteng has demanded that the province’s education MEC Matome Chiloane launch an immediate investigation.

This follows reports that a group of anonymous department employees have  accused HOD Rufus Mmutlana, and head of human resources, Kgabo Morifi, of allegedly running an elaborate scheme to coerce junior administrators into diverting payments and stipends intended for students funded by the department’s bursary scheme, the Gauteng City Region Academy.

However, Mabona dismissed the allegations, saying that students were being remunerated.

He also said that the MEC had not heard anything about the claims.

“The department has not received any complaint from employees regarding these allegations. If an employee has information of substance, such must be reported without fear,” Mabona said.

DA MPL Sergio Dos Santos said it had been reported that the employees had called on the Hawks to intervene.

“The accusations point to severe mismanagement and possible misuse of funding designated for students from underprivileged backgrounds”, Dos Dantos said. The DA warned the department that it would take action if Chiloane ignored the matter.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Simon Nare

The DA has refused to be drawn on whether it will heed a call by civil society group AfriForum to leave the Government of National Unity over the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, which the organisation believes threatens the existence of Afrikaans schools.

Rather Democratic Alliance spokesperson Karabo Khakhau said the party was engaging the African National Congress in the GNU to resolve matters of concern in the legislation and properly protect mother tongue education for all.

“If the DA were not in the GNU, the full act would already be in force, but it isn’t,” said Khakhau.

She, however, refused to comment on whether the party would consider quitting the GNU if the talks over two clauses and court action failed, saying the party would report any progress soon.

AfriForum announced that its board has unanimously decided to officially request the DA and FF Plus to reconsider their participation in the GNU should the Act be implemented in its entirety.

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed the bill into law but suspended the clauses that deal with language and the powers of school governing bodies.

Ramaphosa gave the parties in the GNU three months to find common ground failing which he would sign the other clauses.

The DA in its initial response said it would take the matter court.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said the organisation decided on this move after learning about a group of ANC members acting contemptuously towards Ramaphosa’s decision to give parties three months to find a common ground.

Kriel described the group within the ANC as anti-African and was primarily within the Gauteng government.

“This anti-African group is openly out to derail constructive discussions and steamroll the implementation of the Bela Act in its current format and try to make any cooperation within the GNU impossible,” claimed Kriel.

Kriel said the hope that the GNU had ushered in a new era of cooperation would be dashed if it turned out that the ANC has simply co-opted the DA and FF+ to slavishly follow ANC policies.

He argued that parties like the DA and the FF+ did not have the right to participate in the injustice that would be perpetrated against Afrikaans children and schools by the Bela Act in its current format.

“Afrikaans speakers do not, like other cultural groups in the country, have large traditional areas in which their cultures are promoted and, therefore, Afrikaans schools play a central role in the survival of the respective Afrikaans cultural communities across the country.

“Precisely because of this, the fight against Bela is not just a fight against another law, but it is a fight for cultural survival,” said Kriel.

Kriel said the organisation’s concern stemmed from Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi who has publicly said there would be no room for a single medium Afrikaans school.

He said these comments by Lesufi were made while parties were negotiating. He also cited Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane for his “wistfully counting down the days” to implement the new law.

“This disdain for further discussion is also shared by a number of senior officials in the national Department of Education. This was clear during a meeting where an official acted very aggressively towards AfriForum, Solidarity and Saai’s (Southern African Agri Initiative) delegates and even indicated that the implementation of the Bela Amendment Act was a foregone conclusion,” said Kriel.

INSIDE POLITICS

By Lungile Ntimba 

A total of 173 inmates will sit for the National Senior Exam, according to the Correctional Services Department.

Department spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said the department was pleased with the level of preparedness.

The inmates have completed the academic syllabus on time and have undergone various assessments throughout the year. 

“Educators from the department’s 18 schools remain optimistic, having made significant efforts to ensure that all candidates are thoroughly prepared,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

He added that during the exam preparations, the department ensured that all required textbooks and stationery were delivered in a timely manner.

Correctional Services national commissioner Makgothi Thobakgale has praised teachers for their dedication and hard work in preparing the inmates for this important milestone. 

“Education not only empowers offenders with knowledge, but also offers them a path to a new life. It remains our commitment to provide growth and development opportunities for every inmate, as we believe in the power of education to transform lives”, commented Thobakgale.

Last year, inmates achieved a 93% overall pass rate, with nine schools attaining a 100% pass rate.

“Correctional Services attributes these results to the conducive learning environment it fosters within correctional centres, as well as its commitment to providing offenders with education and skills that will help them reintegrate into society after their release,” said Thobakgale

He said that the department has also embraced technological advancements in education.

Earlier this year, the Johannesburg Correctional Centre introduced Intelsat Telematics System, which provided access to valuable study materials for both inmates and educators.

He said he appreciated the department’s officials for maintaining their professionalism and dedication in adhering the strict exam protocols set by the Basic Education Department.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Nkhensani Chauke

Western Cape education MEC David Maynier has congratulated two learners from the province who received special awards at the recent Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair.

Salusiwe Mxayiya, a Grade 11 learner at Luhlaza High School, was presented with best development project award for investigating the population dynamics and infection rates of Hector’s lantern fish – a common species found along the West Coast.

And Grade 12 learner Lukusa Tshizubu from Parow High School won the award for best energy project.

The goal of his project titled ‘GreenHauler – Construction Debris Management’ was to build a truck designed to use renewable energy and innovative on-site debris processing for efficient construction debris management. 

This project expertly advanced sustainable practices in the industry, highlighting the importance of investing in green technologies and paving the way for further innovations in environmentally friendly construction solutions, the MEC said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Congratulations to our two Western Cape learners who have represented us so well on an international stage.

“It is exciting to see the innovative ideas of our learners in this field, and I look forward to seeing our achievers continue their journeys of curiosity and exploration in the sciences. I hope that their success will inspire other learners to follow this same path,” he said.

The expo served as a platform for young scientists to showcase their work and engage with peers, fostering the next generation of innovators.

It drew participants from across South Africa and the rest of the world.

Other winners included Ammarah Patel and Naveera Chana from the Johannesburg region for best female project, and Aman Pati from the Mopani region for best innovation project.

The winners each received R10,000.

INSIDE EDUCATION