By Lungile Ntimba

In an effort to equip learners with automotive engineering knowledge and electronic systems, the Gauteng government has launched the revamped Ribane-Laka Maths, Science & ICT School of Specialisation in Mamelodi East, Pretoria.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi said that in a rapidly changing world this was “education that makes economic sense, education that works and education that empowers”.

Accompanied by education MEC Matome Chiloane and his infrastructure counterpart, Jacob Mamabolo, Lesufi reminded learners that they were the innovators and leaders to tomorrow.

The school has been extensively renovated. New additions include modern ICT infrastructure, specialised classrooms that merge theory with practice, science labs and a multipurpose auditorium.

Boasting a 95.24% National Senior Certificate pass rate in 2024 and 98% for the term ending March, Ribane-Laka’s academic excellence complements its technical focus, according to the department.

The launch featured demonstrations by learners, including advanced engine diagnostics, working engine models and two custom-built cars — Chi-Panya Panya and Ngom Ngom — both capable of transporting up to 500kg. 

Learners also showcased a conceptual mobile fuel and mechanical support company, as well as projects in drone, coding, and robotics technology.

“We are not just teaching learners about engines or electronics — we are equipping them with tools to drive the future of this country,” said Chiloane. 

He emphasised the transformative role of the school, saying it represented the intersection of innovation, technical knowledge and opportunity. 

SAAB Grintek Defence, Ford Motor Company, Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone and Lanseria Airport are involved in the school through various initiatives.

SAAB provides academic recognition support and mentorship programmes. The partnership with the education department aims to empower high-performing students, some of whom have gone on to join Saab Grintek Defence, creating a full-circle approach to talent development. 

The partnerships are important, as they ensure that learners are immersed in real-world engineering environments, tackling authentic industry challenges and preparing for employment in high-demand sectors.

In South Africa, high-demand education and career sectors include technology – specifically cybersecurity, software development and data science – engineering, healthcare, finance and business.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba

Since its inception in August last year, a student and stakeholder help desk launched by Higher Education Deputy Minister Mimmy Gondwe has responded to more than 20,000 queries.

The deputy minister established the help desk as part of the Government of National Unity’s commitment to support students and stakeholders in the Post-School Education and Training sector.

“I’m pleased to see the help desk positively impacting thousands of students and stakeholders,” Gondwe said in a statement.

“It became clear to me soon after I assumed office that there was no direct platform for students and stakeholders to escalate their queries and grievances.”

She said the desk has dealt with 20,377 queries, with a resolution rate of 81%. 

It primarily assists with issues related to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), delays in issuing results and certificates, and various administrative hurdles that students face across higher education institutions.

It also operates in close coordination with the department’s internal exam and diploma section, and TVET and university branches within the department and NSFAS. 

Gondwe said the desk was currently being managed by two women, Lufuno Lidzhade and Lenah Moseri, in her office, however, they planned to transition to a digital system due to the growing number of queries.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Alicia Mmashakana

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane is devastated by the death of Simphiwe ‘Mcebo’ Biyela, an 18-year-old Grade 11 learner from Musi High School in Soweto, saying the department is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of pupils.

Biyela was allegedly stabbed by a University of Johannesburg student while returning home on Tuesday, resulting in disturbances at Musi High School and other institutions in Pimville, Soweto.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the learner’s family, friends, and the entire community during this painful time. The department remains committed to supporting the school and ensuring the safety and well-being of all learners and staff. Learning and teaching will continue as normal tomorrow,” he said in a statement.

Schooling was disrupted again at Musi during the third period when a group of approximately 150 students forced their way out of the school grounds on Thursday. They disrupted classes two other schools in the area before marching to the University of Johannesburg in protest of Biyela’s death.

The department has confirmed that the pupils at the schools are safe and police are investigating Biyela’s stabbing.

“We plead for communities in the surrounding areas to allow law enforcement agencies to address this injustice, and refrain from further disrupting schooling,” Chiloane said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has achieved a clean audit and 100% performance against all Annual Performance Plan (APP) targets for the second consecutive year.

The Auditor-General of South Africa confirmed CHIETA’s clean audit for the 2023/24 financial year.

“This is not just about performance — it’s about purpose,” CHIETA CEO Yershen Pillay said on Thursday. 

“You can’t drive innovation without good governance and clean administration. The results reflect our team’s dedication, systems of accountability, and a culture of zero tolerance for non-compliance.”

He also acknowledged the support of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and Minister Nobuhle Nkabane.

“Our performance is aligned with the vision of the DHET. Clean audits aren’t just numbers — they reflect a commitment to delivering real value to South Africans,” he said.

As the Seta looks to the future, its recently launched Fusion 2030 strategy will steer efforts toward innovation, digitisation, AI-readiness and inclusivity, with a sharp focus on underserved communities. 

“By investing in Smart Skills Centres, supporting new occupational qualifications and funding TVET and higher education partnerships, CHIETA is enabling more young people to access the training they need to compete in a green, digital and globally connected economy.”

To date, more than 30,000 rural youth have benefitted from CHIETA’s SMART Skills Centres, which are aimed at preparing young people for opportunities in a green, digital economy. 

A new centre in Gauteng, developed in partnership with PG Glass, is set to expand that impact further through a public-private collaboration model.

“South Africa’s future depends on skills — not slogans,” Pillay said. “We don’t just train people for jobs. We build pathways to dignity. Because the end goal isn’t just employment — it’s empowerment.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Lungile Ntimba

The Democratic Alliance has urged the Gauteng education department to open online learner admissions for the 2026 academic year early, to avoid repeated delays and disruptions that plague school placements.

“This will give parents more time to apply, allow the department to review submissions, open the late application period earlier and prevent a situation where learners are left without school admission and miss days and months of schooling,” DA MPL Sergio Isa Dos Santos said in a statement on Thursday.

“In 2025, the GDE confirmed that over 6377 learners were only placed between 15 January and the final deadline of 30 January,” he said.

These delays resulted in learners missing up to two weeks of schooling, which Dos Santos attributed to poor planning and inefficiency within the department.

The DA also cited ongoing issues with the online admissions system, including frequent technical glitches, difficulties with document uploads and what it described as “unfair placement practices” that continued to frustrate both parents and schools.

Online admissions for Grades 1 and 8 opened on 16 September, last year.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

The bail hearing of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) residence manager Manelisi Mampane, who is accused of murdering student Sisonke Mbolekwa during a campus protest last month, has been postponed once again to next week Tuesday.

Mampane faces charges of murder, attempted murder and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, following a shooting incident that left Mbolekwa dead and three other students injured.

During the second day of the bail application at the Mthatha Magistrate’s Court, proceedings were adjourned due to a backlog of other bail hearings.

The presiding magistrate noted that the court was “inundated” and unable to proceed fully with Mampane’s matter. 

The investigating officer, Colonel Mandla Miya, is yet to take the stand.

Outside court, the Mbolekwa family spokesperson, Phiwaba Madokwe, expressed dismay over Mampane’s testimony, calling it “misleading” and “infuriating”.

“There’s quite a number of things that left a bitter taste in our mouths,” said Madokwe. 

“The first one being him refusing to actually say the so-called safe place, or safe house that he’s going to be accommodated in, which he says that the university has given to him, to a point that even the investigating officer does not know where the said safe house is, which therefore means that even if he [gets] bail, no one might be able to get hold of him because he does not have a disclosed address, particularly in terms of the safe house.”

Madokwe further criticised Mampane’s claim of ignorance regarding firearm regulations. 

“He told the court he didn’t know how to handle a firearm, yet the state proved he previously applied for a firearm licence in a particular year and only failed the shooting test. That shows he was familiar with the basics and is misleading the court.”

Mampane insists that he acted in self defence and fired warning shots to disperse protesters. 

The State has rejected this, presenting postmortem evidence confirming that Mbolekwa was shot in the back, with the bullet exiting through his abdomen.

Mampane had initially claimed that the protest was sparked by university policies on student cohabitation. However, under cross-examination, he reportedly conceded that students had submitted a list of grievances including complaints about poor residence conditions, such as unpartitioned shared toilets.

The Mbolekwa family remains adamant that Mampane should not be granted bail.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Levy Masiteng

The remaining payments owed to National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) service providers in KwaZulu-Natal have been processed.

The provincial department said they would receive their money on Friday.

Department HOD Nkosinathi Ngcobo said on Wednesday that they had initially encountered technical difficulties linked to the implementation of a new financial system, BAS Version 6, which led to delays in processing 22% of the payments. 

“We acknowledge the concerns raised by our valued service providers and wish to assure them that the department is doing everything possible to resolve the technical glitches affecting payment processes,” he said in a statement.

He said that the payment delays had nothing to do with the financial difficulties of the department as the NSNP was paid from a grant allocation.

“We remain committed to transparency, timeous communication and the uninterrupted provision of meals to our learners across the province of KwaZulu-Natal,” Ngcobo said.

Earlier this week, the Democratic Alliance said it had requested an urgent special legislature sitting to address NSNP concerns.

It said the department’s failure to pay NSNP service providers during March and April was a “gross dereliction of duty and a broader systemic failure”. 

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thapelo Molefe

The chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Tebogo Letsie, has accused the University of Limpopo of deliberately spreading misinformation regarding its compliance with a parliamentary summons, saying this was “gravely concerning”.

According to a statement issued by the committee, the university falsely claimed it had submitted documents requested by Parliament. 

However, the Office of the Secretary to Parliament confirmed that it had not received any such submission.

“The University of Limpopo has deliberately misled the public by asserting that it delivered the documents to the Office of the Secretary to Parliament,” Letsie said. 

“The Secretary has categorically denied this, confirming the university’s failure to comply.”

Letsie dismissed the notion of a personal conflict between himself and the university, framing the issue as a matter of constitutional accountability. 

“This matter is not a personal dispute… It is a question of constitutional compliance and institutional accountability,” he said, stressing the importance of institutional adherence to legal obligations.

In response, the committee will reissue the summons, this time providing a detailed specification of the required documentation.

Letsie said this move had been anticipated due to what he described as “potential resistance”.

He emphasised that the documents in question were critical for oversight functions and to ensure that public universities adhered to principles of transparency and good governance. 

“No institution will be permitted to operate outside the law or undermine Parliament’s authority,” he said.

The portfolio committee reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing compliance and upholding the rule of law in the higher education sector.

The university has been hauled over the coals recently due to a number of issues, including governance and administration.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Thebe Mabanga

Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) have assisted three million young people to access skills and enter the job market since being operationalised around 2012.

This was revealed by Zamokwakhe Khuzwayo, the Executive Officer of the National Skills Authority (NSA), who spoke on the sidelines of the board induction for the NSA.

The message from the induction ceremony by Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane was that the Post-School Education and Skills Training (PSET) sector was set for a shake up, and that started with the newly installed board becoming solutions driven.

Nkabane sought to infuse a sense of urgency into the challenges faced by the boards and the Setas they oversaw.

“In my budget vote speech at the National Assembly last year, I reported that I have listened attentively to the voices agitating for transformation,” Nkabane said. “South Africans are no longer patient with us. They have been raising their voices with limited actions from our side, we ought to act and act now.”

Nkabane called on Setas to be innovative in their approach to developing for a changed workplace and skills landscape than when they were formed.

“The Setas must respond and exploit the dynamics of technology and its evolution in their innovative approaches towards addressing skills deficit and training,” the minister said.

“Given the pace and changes in industry innovation, our youths are best placed to benefit from continuous development and refinement of skills necessary to effectively navigate and utilise digital technologies.”

She noted that skills such as digital marketing, e-commerce, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and cybersecurity presented opportunities for job creation for young people.

The new chairperson of the NSA is Asanda Luwaca, who is also the executive chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency.

She described her experience and that of her peers as “shaped by protest, refined by policy and training”. However, she was cognisant that most of South Africa’s youth still “wait on the periphery of opportunity”.

Luwaca said she wanted the NSA to be the “centre of gravity” for the PSET sector and be a data driven co-ordinating body that bridged the gap between government and the private sector.

Nkabane also addressed the issue of young people who were not in education, employment or training.

“A national cause for concern is the estimate of 3.5 million young people between the ages of 15-24 who are not in formal education, employment or training. There is no doubt that more could be done to alleviate the plight of our youth…,’ the minister said.

She noted that there was a need to harness the collective efforts by both government and the private sector to reduce South Africa’s high unemployment rate, including youth unemployment.

“It is my commitment to review and ensure that all SETAs focus on their mandate to skill South Africans – particularly the youth.” the minister said.

Busani Ngcaweni, the principal of the National School of Government, urged the board members to be “fearless and courageous” and to lead “with ideas and foresight”.

The NSA will now oversee the appointment of boards and chairperson of the 21 Setas.

INSIDE EDUCATION

By Amy Musgrave

While budget cuts in education have taken their toll, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says there have been notable achievements under the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) and other key infrastructure programmes.

These include all 331 schools previously built from inappropriate materials, such as mud, being replaced, and 1336 schools connected to clean water.

Gwarube, who was briefing the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in Parliament on the department’s progress and challenges in delivering safe, dignified school infrastructure, said 373 schools were electrified and 1086 schools received new sanitation facilities through the ASIDI programme.

A total of 96% of pit toilets from the Sanitation Appropriate for Education initiative have been eradicated, with 139 projects remaining, and 90% of schools nationwide were now in a fair, good or very good condition.

But, Gwarube said there was still much work to be done, including a dealing with a huge infrastructure backlog.

More than 8220 schools required additional classrooms at an estimated cost of R32.5 billion; 8% of schools remained in a poor condition and 2% in a very poor condition.

The minister said this reflected the legacy of underinvestment and inadequate maintenance by previous administrations.

A total of 13,485 schools needed additional toilets, which would cost R14.2 billion.

To meet the ongoing challenges of school maintenance, the department was reinforcing the implementation of the Education Infrastructure Strategy that mandated that 60% of the Education Infrastructure Grant be allocated to maintenance.

An estimated R10 billion was required annually for preventative maintenance and R14 billion for reactive maintenance.

Gwarube also spoke about the financial constraints the sector faced due to more than a decade of austerity. However, while the department had a R124 billion infrastructure backlog, progress continued to be made.

“We are not only correcting past wrongs but laying the foundation for a system that prioritises dignity, equity, and resilience. We owe it to this generation and the next,” the minister told MPs.

INSIDE EDUCATION