Johnathan Paoli

THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has blamed the National Treasury for the severe budget cuts education departments are facing across the country, which have resulted in a reduction and non-renewal of teaching jobs and services.

DA spokesperson on Basic Education Delamaine Christians said on Sunday, that the crisis is the direct result of Treasury’s failure to fully fund the 2023 wage agreement leaving provinces to absorb significant budget shortfalls.

“It is unacceptable that provinces are being forced to make difficult decisions because of a wage agreement that was negotiated at the national level but not fully funded,” Christians said.

Currently, the Western Cape is facing a R3.8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years, KwaZulu-Natal is unable to afford over 11 000 educator posts and Gauteng has been forced to reduce learner transport and delay Early Childhood Development (ECD) expansion.

The North West is in need of R485 million, while Mpumalanga has a budget pressure of R876 million.

Free State and Northern Cape have had their budgets cut by 1.8% and 5.8%, respectively, while the Eastern Cape received a limited budget of R42bn for the 2024/2025 financial year

The Limpopo education department has attributed the lagged progress of school infrastructure development to funding constraints due to fiscal consolidation.

Christians said as a result of the shortfall, some contract teachers will not be reappointed after their contract ends, and some permanent teachers may be relocated to fill vacancies at other schools.

She said the national government has a responsibility to protect essential services, including education, and that the underfunding is not only unfair but also threatens the future of South African communities.

“The DA urges the national government to find alternative areas for budget cuts and to ensure that essential public service roles, including those of teachers, are fully protected,” Christians said.

She said her party remained concerned over the potential impact this will have on the quality of education and on the lives of the teachers affected; and will continue to fight for fair funding and quality education for all.

The Western Cape Education department (WCED) announced last month its intention to cut teaching jobs from 37 135 to 34 728, a reduction of 2 407.

WCED’s Superintendent-General Brent Walters confirmed that the department received only 64% of the cost of the public sector wage agreement and subsequently had to fund the remaining 36% itself.

Walters said the costs related to the employment of educators outweigh the department’s budget and that the only choices the department has are to either run into the red financially or to reduce the number of educators in the system.

The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has rejected the department’s proposal with contempt.

SADTU provincial secretary Sibongile Kwazi said that while the union acknowledged the reduction of the provincial budget, it was not convinced that the department had explored all areas for potential spending reduction.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Edwin Naidu

Ahead of World Teacher’s Day on 5 October, the lifeblood of the nation, indeed the world, educators in South Africa, are under the spotlight over the vagaries of the country’s tight budget.  

Many have lost their posts due to budget cuts and responsibility for their engagements being passed from the National Treasury to provincial departments. Teacher jobs depend on what’s left in the government kitty, and the National Treasury’s budget cuts seem to be sacrificing educator posts. 

This is bad news if South Africa hopes to improve the quality of educational outputs based on the most important person who will deliver these learnings – teachers. 

As reported in Inside Education last month, teachers face a lack of professional development, poor working conditions, heavy workloads, and low salaries. There’s also a general lack of respect and recognition of their critical contribution to society.

This current challenge shows that they are not taken seriously. 

According to the Democratic Alliance, the Treasury’s alleged failure to fund the 2023 wage agreement resulted in provinces absorbing significant budget shortfalls and putting jobs on the line. 

As highlighted by MEC David Maynier, the Western Cape is facing an R3.8 billion budget shortfall over the next three years, even after implementing drastic cuts. 

Other provinces are similarly impacted, with KwaZulu-Natal unable to afford over 11,000 educator posts and Gauteng forced to reduce learner transport and delay Early Childhood Development expansion.

As the world – South Africa included – prepares to celebrate teachers next month, something must be done to address this growing crisis. 

The DA has called on the Treasury to address this funding shortfall immediately. They say it is unacceptable that provinces are forced to make difficult decisions because of a wage agreement negotiated at the national level but not fully funded.

Teachers should be given the job security needed to improve South Africa’s education system. 

According to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “Teachers are central to nurturing every country’s greatest resource: the minds of its people. Yet today, we face a dramatic shortage of teachers worldwide, and millions of teachers who lack the support, skills and continuing training they need to meet the demands of rapidly changing education systems.”

In the euphoria over the Government of National Unity, the lack of unity in the purpose of serving the nation better, especially where teachers are concerned, is disappointing. 

The silence from the teacher bodies, like NAPTOSA and SADTU, over the culling of teachers due to a lack of government funds is deafening.

It beggars belief that President Cyril Ramaphosa would justify spending R44 million on eight imbizos while teacher jobs are being shed in their thousands. 

Ramaphosa believed that this spending was justified so that the government was in touch with its citizens. 

If Ramaphosa held an education imbizo, the president would have heard how the funding cutbacks hurt the economy (contributing to unemployment) and thwarted learning and teaching in South Africa. 

But whether he would do something about it is up for debate. 

World Teachers’ Day will celebrate how teachers transform education, reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and rethink the way ahead for the profession globally. 

But it starts with treating teachers better than the current situation in South Africa, at least. After all, where would we be without our teachers?

Edwin Naidu is the editor of Inside Education.

Johannah Malogadihlare

THE Limpopo Department of Health said that a team of healthcare professionals have been deployed to administer Bilharzia treatment to 142 learners at Malwandla Primary School on Wednesday.

Department Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said last week the department sent a mobile clinic team to conduct tests after parents and teachers suspected that learners at the school might be having the condition.

“The dispatched team will provide immediate medical care and treatment to the affected learners. All learners who test positive will receive appropriate anti-schistosomal medication to treat the infection,” said Shikwambana.

Bilharzia may have been caused by contaminated water since the school uses water from boreholes.

Symptoms of Bilharzia include abdominal pains, diarrhoea, urine mixed with blood or blood stools.

The department is working closely with water service authority in the area to assess and improve water quality in the affected areas.

However, the department said that measures will be put in place to ensure that all water sources used by the school and the surrounding community are safe and free from contamination.

The community has been warned to temporarily distance itself from the local rivers as the water may not be safe.

Parents are also urged to seek medical attention at their nearest health facilities once they notice symptoms of Bilharzia in their children.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Johannah Malogadihlare

Four Schools that were affected by measles in the Northern Cape province re-opened their doors for learning on Monday after the Education Department together with the Health Department took steps to contain the virus.

The four affected schools in the Delportshoop District were temporarily closed for fumigation after the measles outbreak affected 100 learners.

The Northern Cape Department of Education said it has a recovery plan to help the learners catch up with missed school work.

The Education MEC Abraham Vosloo had reported that learners in Grades 4 and 6, were affected by measles. But only Grade 12 learners would be allowed to write the preliminary exams for precautionary measures to avoid further infections.

The Department of Health reported that over 800 children were vaccinated for measles. One learner has recovered from severe symptoms after 5 days of isolation.

The Health Department’s head of Communication Lehuma Ntuane said the rollout of the vaccination at the affected schools had  begun.

“We are happy to announce that schools have reopened and our subject advisor will be assisting learners to catch up with missed school work,” said Ntuane.

Furthermore, lessons started on Monday and everything is back to normal, vaccination continues in the four affected schools, he said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Edwin Naidu

A groundbreaking research study, the first of its kind conducted on the internationalisation of higher education in South Africa, has revealed a pressing issue of xenophobia.

According to the findings of the research report ‘Exploring Internationalisation of Higher Education at Public Universities in South Africa: Intentions, Practices, Opportunities and Constraints,’ universities in the country often follow an unwritten ‘South Africa-first policy’ in their staff recruitment.

Presented during last week’s 26th annual conference themed Navigating Internationalisation in Challenging Times, the comprehensive study, jointly commissioned by the International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) and the British Council, found that academic xenophobia is driven by local politics and staff unions in universities.

The study noted that over the years, the South Africa-first policy has significantly impeded the recruitment of international staff in universities, a concerning trend that needs to be addressed. In some universities, it said that if a South African candidate meets the threshold criteria for recruitment, the question of recruitment by quality falls away as the South Africa-first policy dictates that universities ought to only opt for non-South Africans after an exhaustive search as dictated by the labour law.

According to the study, where a South African meets the minimum requirements of a position, priority should be accorded to recruiting them. Consequently, the study found that excellent international prospects are lost.

Local party and labour union politics have a significant role in this dynamic. Although this can be considered negative for internationalisation to a larger extent, universities consider it part of transformation and employment equity legislation.

Xenophobia, however, was denounced by all deans who took part in the study and seemed to affect different universities differently due to location. Some universities had always been international as much as they had been local. Hence, xenophobia had not concerningly manifested itself in these institutions.

In universities that were now beginning to embrace internationalisation, tensions were reportedly arising concerning the acceptance of international students and staff; hence, xenophobic tendencies were reported.

The South Africa-first recruitment practice was also an issue of concern despite the changing recruiting market and the great demand for international staff. While xenophobic tendencies were acknowledged, they were strongly condemned, and some institutions committed to protecting their international staff and students.

The only limitation was the area of jurisdiction within which such institutional control could be exercised, mainly where students lived within communities susceptible to xenophobic attacks. On the effects of xenophobia and the South Africa-first recruitment practice, one of the deans said:

“I would say for [university named), we’ve not had a lot of instances of xenophobia. However, [one day], this young academic went and requested the head of the department to give him some hours to do, to teach. When he started teaching, all hell broke loose, and they say he’s bringing foreigners because the head of the department himself is foreign.”

The comment illustrated the dismissive opinion demonstrated by most deans about the occurrence and effects of xenophobia. However, by analysing such comments, one can see the subtle occurrences of xenophobia and its impact on institutions and the internationalisation project.

The effects of xenophobia and the South Africa-first practice could be seen in the response given by one of the deans: “We’re not getting the expertise coming from outside because of this, and this is a limitation (xenophobia) … It’s not an institutional issue, it’s a political issue and you, as a person, should know very well that as much as we have management, the student force is controlled by political allegiance to certain parties.”

Similarly, but without making mention of the political issues surrounding the South Africa-first practice, another dean said:

“In fields where it is difficult to attract South African academics, such as engineering, we don’t have a choice but to appoint international academics.”

The study found that xenophobia and the recruitment practice policy seemed to contradict the efforts espoused by the DHET Policy Framework. This is particularly true of the framework clauses: “It is in South Africa’s interests to appoint the best possible people in academic positions in its higher education institutions, including talented and qualified scientists and scholars from elsewhere in the world.”

This must be balanced with addressing race and gender transformation through creating opportunities for black and female South African citizens. There can be no justification for any South African institution prioritising and preferring foreign nationals to South Africans who qualify equally for the same post.

The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) launched the DHET framework in 2019. However, many institutions have yet to adopt it fully.

The milestone study was unveiled on Thursday during a panel discussion by the esteemed Dr Samia Chasi of IEASA. The panel was composed of distinguished individuals, including George Barrett, Country Director of South Africa British Council, Prof Felix Maringe, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Institutional Development, Research & Innovation at the University of Kigali, Dr Phethiwe Matutu, Chief Executive Officer, Universities South Africa, Dr Lavern Samuels, IEASA President and Dr Idah Makukule, University Education Branch, Department of Higher Education and Training, all of whom brought their expertise to the discussion.

The research for this project was conducted between 2022 and 2024. It examined South Africa’s 2019 policy framework on Internationalisation by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

According to the study, the interpretation and understanding of internationalisation at both conceptual and policy levels in public universities are diverse, with the DHET Policy Framework itself in South Africa focused on pursuing integration, establishing regional and international connections, and incorporating intercultural and global dimensions into a university’s strategic objectives, functions, and the delivery of post-secondary education.

Since the study found that the higher education sector is not fully ready to implement the DHET Policy Framework, one recommendation was that the DHET, in conjunction with its significant partners, such as IEASA and the British Council, organise a higher education summit to kickstart the implementation of the DHET Policy Framework.

The summit would address institutional issues of awareness-raising concerning strategy development, resource mobilisation, and leadership training for internationalisation.

It was also recommended that the visa and immigration dynamics in HE be reflected and reformed both nationally and institutionally. Inadequate visa and immigration arrangements for international students are the most significant issues raised by staff and students.

The prevalence and impact of academic xenophobia at universities in South Africa should be probed further, as well as the need for cognitive justice, equality and social justice for international students.

Xenophobia remains a sick South African problem, as shown by the recent furore over Chidimma Adetshina, the Sowetan of Nigerian descent, who was subject to awful abuse before pulling out of a beauty contest.

Academia, as the study shows, is no different from South African society in displaying xenophobia. They seem to have a subtle way of pulling it off.

Edwin Naidu is a veteran journalist. He writes in his personal capacity.

Inside Education Reporter

Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, has provisionally agreed to reinstate the registration of private education group Educor subject to certain conditions. 

A statement from the DHET said the decision was on condition that Educor fully comply with the Council on Higher Education (CHE) accreditation requirements before commencing any teaching and learning activities. Compliance with these accreditation standards is imperative to ensure the quality and integrity of the educational programmes offered by Educor.

Furthermore, according to the conditions laid down by Nkabane, Educor is: 

Required to submit comprehensive monthly reports to the Department. These reports must include, but are not limited to, detailed financial statements, student enrolment statistics, and progress updates on compliance with CHE accreditation standards.

 The quarterly reports should particularly focus on the financial health of Educor. The financial statements must demonstrate transparency and adherence to sound financial management practices. Any significant financial concerns must be reported immediately to the Department.

The Department said that the decision to provisionally reinstate Educor is made purely on humanitarian grounds, with the primary aim of minimizing the disruption to the education and prospects of the students currently enrolled. 

Furthermore, the provisional reinstatement does not in any way waive the Department’s rights and powers entrusted to it in terms of the Higher Education Act or invalidate the legal proceedings that the parties were involved in, and, the Minister reserves the right to revoke this provisional reinstatement should Educor fail to adhere to the stipulated conditions or if any further non-compliance is detected. 

The statement said the DHET remains committed to supporting institutions that demonstrate a genuine commitment to providing quality education while adhering to the regulatory frameworks established to protect students and uphold educational standards. 

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

THE University of Pretoria (UP) in partnership with EyeBrainGym recently hosted the national finals for the Reading Riot competition, a national initiative that promotes literacy and comprehension skills, and fosters a love of reading among learners across South Africa.

Since 2021, recipients of UP’s Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Merit Award (VCDMA) have been given the opportunity to participate in the EyeBrainGym programme offered by LectorSA.

This programme seeks to enhance the visual intelligence of learners to help them read faster, recall information more effectively and think more clearly.

“Working with EyeBrainGym on this has been a delight, and the Reading Riot competition emphasises our determination to enhance literacy skills and encourage a culture of reading among learners and the broader community,” said Wallace Isaacs, UP’s Deputy Director for Enrolment and Student Administration.

The competition was supported by UP, EyeBrainGym, employment law consultancy SEESA and car subscription company Drive.

Recent research has highlighted literacy challenges in South Africa. According to the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), more than 80% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning.

Through its JuniorTukkie programme, UP has been working with LectorSA for more than 10 years to address this issue.

The Reading Riot national finals, held on 5 August at UP, showcased the reading talents of Grade 6 learners from across South Africa. The competition tested comprehension and reading speed, bringing together top performers from all nine provinces.

The winners of the national finals were Stanton Steenkamp of the Northern Cape, who became the national champion; first runner-up Ridge Lawson of the Eastern Cape; and second runner-up Ayesha Paruk of KwaZulu-Natal. Steenkamp received a new device, a gift bag and other sponsored prizes, while his teacher, school and principal received a prize.

“We are immensely proud of all the participants who demonstrated such dedication and skill,” said Marinda Marshall, CEO of LectorAfrica. “The Reading Riot national finals were a celebration of young South African talent.”

UP hopes this initiative will spark a renewed interest in reading among students and contribute to improved academic performance across all levels of education.

For more information on the Reading Riot competition, visit: www.reading-riot.com or email readingriot@EyeBrainGym.com

Staff Reporter

THE University of the Western Cape (UWC) women’s football team delivered a dominant performance, thrashing Young Buffaloes of Eswatini 6-0 on Thursday to secure their place in the final of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifiers in Malawi.

UWC will face Gaborone United of Botswana on Saturday afternoon to determine the regional qualifiers, who will represent COSAFA in the eight-team CAF Women’s Champions League later this year.

This will be UWC’s second final in about two weeks, following their victory in the Varsity Football Women’s title on August 9.

They are currently second in the Hollywoodbets Super League – South Africa’s premier women’s football league.

At a packed Mpira Stadium in Malawi, UWC opened the scoring as early as the 7th minute, with Nondumiso Manengela converting a penalty after goalkeeper Philisa Mjambane brought her down in the box.

Captain Bongeka Gamede doubled the lead in the 26th minute when she netted her third goal of the tournament with a fine header from a corner.

The score remained 2-0 at halftime, but in the 65th minute, UWC extended their lead when substitute Ntombifikile Ndlovu capitalised on a goalkeeper error to slot in a rebound. Tiffany Kortjie, Koketso Mamabolo and Sibulele Holweni also found the back of the net, adding to the definitive result.

Coach Thinasonke Mbuli praised her team’s strong overall performance, acknowledging the challenges of the qualifiers.

“Our motto is, ‘One game at a time,’ and we’re not done yet. We have one more game to go. Gaborone United, our opponents in the final, are a solid team with experienced players who represent Botswana at the national level.

“They’re the only team that hasn’t lost a match in this tournament, which says a lot about them. If we give them time and space, we’ll be in trouble. We won’t take them for granted.”

Meanwhile, UWC’s dominance in the tournament is reflected in the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers team of the group stage, where five of the 11 top players are from UWC.

These include goalkeeper Siphesihle Dlamini, who conceded only two goals in the group stages; defenders Gamede (who scored twice during the group stage) and her Banyana Banyana teammate Fikile Magama; as well as midfielder Amogelang Motau and forward Noxolo Cesane.

INSIDE EDUCATION