By Levy Masiteng 

The Western Cape will start rolling out a universal newborn hearing screening programme in three areas later this year.

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has partnered with Hold My Hand on “Little Ears”, an early hearing detection and intervention programme that will initially be rolled out in George, Oudtshoorn and the Khayelitsha sub-district.

Implementation will continue across the respective sites early next year.

The programme comes against evidence of significant gaps in newborn hearing screening nationally.

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A 2026 policy brief by Hold My Hand and Change Ideas, developed with an Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Community of Practice, estimates that fewer than 10% of newborns in South Africa currently receive hearing screening. It says around 17 babies are born with permanent hearing loss each day, or more than 6,000 a year.

More recent Western Cape research has found similar problems closer to where Little Ears is being introduced.

A May 2026 study reviewed records from Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital’s audiology service between August 2019 and August 2024. Of 7,871 children under six seen during the period, 511 had documented newborn or infant hearing screening results.

The researchers found the mean age of initial screening among the study group was 16.3 months — well beyond the newborn period — and said screening in the tertiary setting was delayed, resource-dependent and disproportionately concentrated at higher levels of care.

ALSO READ: Maile: Gauteng has enough school places, but not where parents want them

The study found 60.7% of children in the sample had been referred from tertiary facilities, while only 10% came through primary healthcare centres. Researchers said strengthening screening at primary healthcare level was essential to improving access and identifying hearing loss earlier.

The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness says it has prioritised newborn hearing screening through its Start Well portfolio, which focuses on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.

“This is to ensure all children in the Western Cape thrive and reach their full potential by supporting them in the first 1000 days, with a specific focus on early intervention, particularly in the neonatal period,” said Nicolette Henney, Deputy Director of the Early Life Course Unit at the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness.

“With the launch of Little Ears, a universal newborn hearing screening programme that integrates early hearing detection and intervention by leveraging public-private partnerships, we have focussed on strategic partnerships, integrated data management, systems strengthening, and civil society engagement,” Henney said.

The provincial department has previously said newborn hearing screening is quick, gentle and painless and that objective screening is the most reliable way of identifying hearing loss early because a baby’s behaviour alone can be misleading.

In a World Hearing Day statement in March, the department said babies may respond to facial expressions rather than sound, making hearing difficulties difficult to identify through observation alone. It encouraged parents with concerns to approach their nearest clinic or community health centre for assessment and referral where necessary.

ALSO READ: CPUT extends academic year after three weeks of lost tuition from protests

The drive for earlier screening has also moved onto the national policy agenda.

Cabinet approved the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children in December 2025. Among its priorities are stimulating language and learning in young children and ensuring the timely screening and referral of children with hearing and visual disabilities.

Hold My Hand said that identifying hearing loss early allows families to make decisions about communication and intervention while children are still in the critical early stages of development, including through South African Sign Language, spoken language or both.

In a separate hearing-screening campaign earlier this year, University of Pretoria Professor of Audiology De Wet Swanepoel said: “No child should wait years for a condition that can be identified within hours after birth!”

He added: “No caregiver should leave a facility without knowing whether their baby’s hearing was checked and what to do next if there is a concern.”

Hold My Hand Strategy Lead Dr Noxolo Gqada said Deaf Awareness Month should also be used to challenge assumptions about deaf children and focus on access to language and communication.

“We hope everyone can use this month to learn more about what it means to be Deaf, celebrate Deaf culture and South African Sign Language and back the full inclusion of deaf people in South African life,” Gqada said.

“We are also calling out to parents and caregivers to find out more about hearing screening for their child and remember that bonding does not depend on how they hear, it depends on how you communicate.”

She added: “Healthcare workers, communities and governments, all have a part to play in making sure children with hearing loss get early access to language, communication and the support they need to thrive.”

The focus on language comes three years after South African Sign Language was formally recognised as the country’s 12th official language when President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Constitution Eighteenth Amendment into law in July 2023. The amendment was intended to advance the cultural acceptance of SASL and strengthen equality and dignity for Deaf and hard-of-hearing South Africans.

The Little Ears rollout also coincides with Deaf Awareness Month in September.

PanSALB launched this year’s observance under the theme “Declaring Deaf People’s Human Rights”, with CEO Dr Keaobaka Seshoka calling for greater access to information and SASL interpretation.

“We must, as a society, come together and ensure that access to quality information becomes a lived reality for the deaf community. We must also make sure that providing South African Sign Language interpretation is not treated as charity; it is a right,” Seshoka said.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Gauteng has 405,627 available school places for the 2027 academic year, but the province says a mismatch between where capacity exists and where families want their children to attend is fuelling overcrowding at popular schools.

The Gauteng Department of Education received 805,688 applications for Grade 1 and Grade 8 for 2027, representing 346,877 individual learners after accounting for parents who applied to multiple schools.

Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile said at a press briefing on Sunday about online placements and admissions for 2027 that the figures show that the province’s problem is not simply a shortage of school places, but the concentration of demand in particular areas and schools.

“We have 405,627 available spaces. So in theory, we don’t have a problem,” Maile said.

However, he said the available capacity could not simply be used to accommodate learners because parents’ demand is heavily concentrated around certain schools.

At Grade 8 level, Hoërskool Langenhoven in Tshwane West received 3,462 applications, while Alberton High School received 2,756, Katlehong Secondary School 2,747, Katlehong Engineering School of Specialisation 2,573 and Parktown Boys’ High School 2,448.

At Grade 1 level, Laerskool Akasia received 1,355 applications, followed by Palmridge Primary School with 1,330, Alston Primary School with 1,207, Lakeside Primary School with 1,162 and Stoneridge Primary School with 1,153.

Maile said the department could not move learners from one part of the province to another simply because another school had available classrooms.

“I went to a school in Sebokeng. I think they’ve got space for about 500. There’s space for about 500, but it’s in Sebokeng. And then if you go to a school here in Alex, there are 500 more or 1,000 more, but Alex is here. So you can’t take those kids from Alex to Sebokeng because they stay here in Alex,” he said.

Maile said the department needed to rethink how existing capacity across Gauteng’s public schools is used, rather than continually expanding schools that are already popular.

He said the pressure was particularly difficult when thousands of parents selected a school that could accommodate only a fraction of the applications.

The department said placement would therefore have to follow its prescribed criteria, including the learner’s home address and proximity to the school.

Other factors include whether the learner has a sibling at the school, the learner’s previous school in the case of Grade 8 applicants, the parent’s work address and whether the learner lives within 30 kilometres of the school.

Where none of the schools selected by a parent has available space, the department may offer a place at the next closest school with capacity.

Maile said the concentration of learners at popular schools also had consequences beyond admissions.

“Unfortunately, where there’s overcrowding, there’s many other social problems because sometimes kids don’t have enough furniture and that becomes a source of fights amongst learners. There’s bullying, gangsterism, and all those issues,” he said.

The province is also facing pressure to increase capacity as Gauteng’s population grows and new residential areas develop.

Maile said the department had identified the need to build at least 200 schools, which he estimated would require at least R35 billion.

“Those schools include some of the schools that are just temporary schools,” he said.

The department said it was considering a combination of permanent infrastructure, public-private partnerships, alternative construction methods and mobile classrooms to respond to demand.

It is also considering whether leasing mobile classrooms could be more practical than buying them in areas where enrolment pressures are temporary or likely to shift.

At the same time, Maile said the province needed to make better use of existing facilities, including underused libraries, while expanding hybrid and e-learning.

“If you’ve got, for instance, libraries, which are not utilised and classrooms are full, you can still have kids going to those libraries and we teach them from there,” he said.

The department said placement offers for learners with complete applications are scheduled to begin on 15 October.

Parents will receive offers by SMS and will have seven days to accept or decline an offer. Placement will continue through the remainder of the year as the department works to accommodate all learners.

Maile said the goal was to have as many learners placed as possible before January to reduce the disruption that typically accompanies the start of the school year.

The department has also warned parents against paying people who claim they can secure school places, saying such payments amount to corruption and cannot guarantee admission.

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Staff Reporter

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology has extended its 2026 academic programme after losing about three weeks of teaching time during a student shutdown, with the revised calendar now expected to run until 14 December.

“Senate, at its special meeting, considered the proposed adjustments to the 2026 academic calendar following the disruption of the academic programme and the loss of approximately three weeks of tuition,” CPUT management said in a statement.

“Its intention was to restore the academic year and to safeguard the students’ graduation prospects across all qualification levels.”

The shutdown began in early August over a range of financial and governance grievances, with CPUT’s proposed 2027 Financial Recovery Plan at the centre of the dispute.

Students objected to proposals that could have required some returning students to make an upfront payment of as much as R7,000 to register in 2027. Other grievances included historical student debt, residence costs, the NSFAS accommodation funding cap, access to academic records and what student leaders said was inadequate consultation over the proposed financial changes.

CPUT initially said the plan was still under consideration and that no final decisions had been made. Council withdrew the draft plan on 12 August for further consultation, but the protest action continued.

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The unrest later escalated, with CPUT reporting damage across three campuses, including broken windows, a burnt vehicle, damaged classroom, flooded buildings and damage to security equipment and the recently restored IKAMVA building.

On 17 August, the Old Education building at the Bellville campus was set alight. CPUT described the incident as an arson attack and the following day ordered all campuses closed, suspended academic activities and instructed students to leave university residences.

Student leaders rejected suggestions that they supported the destruction of university property.

Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela subsequently sent a departmental team to facilitate talks between university management, Council and student leaders.

READ| Manamela steps in as arson, violent student protests shut down CPUT campuses

At a Special Council meeting on 29 August, CPUT unconditionally withdrew the draft Financial Recovery Plan and agreed that students who had accumulated debt because of the NSFAS accommodation cap should be allowed to receive their academic transcripts and certificates.

The same meeting asked Senate to consider adjustments to the 2026 calendar to “rescue the academic project”.

Under the revised programme, the scheduled recess from 4 to 14 September will remain unchanged.

Tuition will be extended by two weeks, while faculties will recover the equivalent of another five teaching days through arrangements suited to their disciplines.

“Based on the current scenario the revised adjusted calendar will complete by 14 December 2026,” the university said.

Implementation is dependent on academic activities resuming on 14 September.

CPUT said operational support departments would continue cleaning and repairing damaged facilities to ensure campuses were ready for students and staff to return.

Reassessments and special assessments will be accommodated during the existing January 2027 reassessment period, while the summer graduation scheduled for 10 December will proceed as planned.

Additional days worked by academic staff will be credited to their leave, subject to further discussions and finalisation through the university’s human capital processes.

“Staff who complete their academic responsibilities earlier, could commence leave sooner by arrangement with their Heads of Department,” the statement said.

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By Thapelo Molefe

Nearly half of older learners who leave school before completing Grade 12 are affected by financial pressure or barriers to progression, with a lack of money for fees emerging as the single biggest stated reason for non-attendance among 16 to 18-year-olds.

The findings are contained in the Department of Basic Education’s latest analysis of the 2024 General Household Survey (GHS), released in August, which shows that while the country has made progress in keeping children in school, “the drop-out problem in South Africa is mainly among older learners”.

According to the report, 23% of 16 to 18-year-olds who were not attending an educational institution in 2024 said the main reason was a lack of money for fees. A further 12% said they had not been accepted for enrolment.

The report found that the risk of dropping out rises sharply in the later grades.

For the most recent cohort, covering young people born between 1998 and 2000 and surveyed between 2022 and 2024, the grade-specific dropout rate increased from 11.9% after Grade 10 to 20.9% after Grade 11. By comparison, dropout rates remained below 4% from Grades 1 to 6.

The report states that dropout rates are “low in the primary school grades and increase with each grade, peaking after Grade 11”.

This means learners are generally more likely to remain in school during their primary years, but the pressure becomes much greater as they approach the end of secondary school.

It also found that 29.8% of those in the latest cohort who reported completing Grade 11 did not complete any further education and were therefore assumed to have dropped out.

The DBE said, however, that the reasons learners give for not attending school should not automatically be regarded as the underlying causes of dropout.

“The main predictor of dropping out is poor quality early education,” the report states.

It explains that the reasons reported by learners may instead be immediate triggers for leaving school, particularly among those already struggling academically.

The report notes that these factors may not necessarily result in dropout among learners who are progressing well, “especially if they are in a good quality school”.

The findings come against a general improvement in school survival rates. Among young people aged 22 to 26, the proportion completing Grade 12 increased from 38% among those born between 1979 and 1981 to 60.3% among those born between 1998 and 2000.

The report says the improvement in survival rates is particularly evident among younger generations. For the latest cohort, the survival rate was 92.2% by Grade 9, 86.5% by Grade 10 and 76.2% by Grade 11, before falling to 60.3% at Grade 12.

Overall, the number of children aged seven to 18 who were out of school declined from about 435,292 in 2013 to approximately 405,718 in 2024.

Among 16 to 18-year-olds, the number fell from about 325,166, or 11%, in 2013 to approximately 265,723, or 8.6%, in 2024.

The financial pressure on older learners nevertheless stands out in the 2024 findings. This is despite the expansion of the no-fee school policy, which has increased the proportion of public-school learners paying no school fees from about 50% in 2009 to approximately 71% in 2024.

“The main reason (97,5%) given for not paying fees by learners in public schools was that the school did not ask for fees,” the report states.

The increase in no-fee schooling means that the cost of school fees is not affecting all learners in the same way. However, the GHS findings show that money remains a barrier for a significant group of older learners who are already outside the education system.

The proportion of seven to 15-year-olds outside the education system has remained relatively stable at around 1.2%.

Among seven to 15-year-olds, disability was the main reason identified for non-attendance. The report notes, however, that about 87% of learners with disabilities do attend an educational institution.

A smaller group of learners also said they were out of school because they regarded education as having no value.

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By Akani Nkuna

A Grade 7 learner died on Thursday after being electrocuted at Mokutupi Primary School in Limpopo’s Mopani West District during lunch break.

According to preliminary investigations by the Limpopo Department of Education, the learner was electrocuted next to a mobile classrooms on the school premises.

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The learner was certified dead at the scene following the arrival of emergency services, despite efforts by members of the school and paramedics to save the child’s life.

The department said an investigation was underway to determine the circumstances that led to the incident.

“The department extends its deepest condolences to the learner’s family, friends, fellow learners, educators and the entire Mokutupi Primary School community during this difficult time, while currently working with the relevant authorities to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident,” said the department in a statement on Friday.

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It said assessments would be conducted to ensure that the safety and security of learners and staff were not compromised.

It also called for calm at the school and in the community while investigations continue.

The department said psychosocial support would be provided to affected learners and staff members to assist them in dealing with the trauma caused by the incident.

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Staff Reporter

At least 153 Gauteng learners needing specialised schooling are out of class while they wait for placement.

Gauteng Education MEC Lebogang Maile said on Thursday during an update on the status of inclusive education in the province that 702 learners were being supported while awaiting placement in Special Schools.

Of those, 419 were currently attending school, while 153 were out of school and receiving support through Resource Centres, together with their families.

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A further 52 learners were in Special Care Centres, while 140 learners were expected to enter Special Schools offering the Technical Occupational Curriculum in 2027.

The largest group awaiting placement comprised 213 learners with autism, or 30.3% of the total, followed by 164 learners with severe intellectual disabilities, and 140 with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.

Another 112 learners had specific learning disabilities. Together, those four categories accounted for almost 90% of identified placement demand, the department said.

“Placement is not determined simply by whether an empty classroom exists. It requires appropriate specialist capacity, transport, hostel availability where necessary, therapeutic services, proximity to families and a suitable match between the learner’s needs and the services available at a particular school,” Maile said.

The province has expanded the number of Special Schools from 94 in 2012 to 131, an increase of 37 schools, or 39.4%, but said demand continued to place pressure on available capacity.

Gauteng has more than 2.8 million learners across more than 2,200 public schools, with about 43,000 learners attending Special Schools.

ALSO READ: Gwarube keeps Foundation Phase catalogue suspension in place for 2027

A further 9,735 learners with disabilities are accommodated in ordinary mainstream schools, while another 38,304 learners identified through annual screening are receiving additional support.

The department said more than 91,039 learners were receiving direct inclusive education and support interventions across the province.

Gauteng is also preparing another 69 mainstream schools for designation as Full-Service Schools, which are equipped to support learners with mild to moderate support needs.

The province currently has 51 Full-Service Schools. The planned expansion would take the total to 120, an increase of about 135%.

Maile said specialist support could not depend solely on expanding the number of Special Schools.

The province currently has 30 Special Schools operating as Resource Centres, which provide assessments, educator development, reading interventions, assistive devices and other support to surrounding mainstream schools.

Special Schools recorded a 95.57% matric pass rate in 2025, when 453 of the 474 learners who wrote the National Senior Certificate examinations passed. That was up from 93.16% in 2024.

“Progress must never become an excuse for complacency,” Maile said.

“We must continue building a Gauteng in which a learner’s disability or support needs do not determine the limits of their future, and where no child is denied the opportunity to learn because the education system was unable to respond to their needs.”

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By Thapelo Molefe

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has maintained the suspension of the new Foundation Phase National Catalogue for Grades 1 to 3, saying the decision is necessary to protect the 2027 academic year while concerns over the procurement process are addressed.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) said on Wednesday that the existing catalogue of previously approved Foundation Phase learning materials would remain available to provinces and schools for procurement for the 2027 school year.

The decision follows an independent investigation into the development, evaluation and implementation of the new catalogue.

ALSO READ: Santa Shoebox pledging opens with more than 84,000 children listed

According to the department, the investigation identified material areas of non-compliance, governance weaknesses and potential risks relating to procurement and financial management.

“My first responsibility is to protect our learners and ensure that schools are ready for the 2027 academic year. I will not allow uncertainty around a procurement process to become uncertainty in our classrooms,” Gwarube said.

The minister has instructed the department to continue with the legal verification and rectification of the new catalogue.

The DBE said the legal implications of the investigation’s findings and the appropriate remedies still require independent legal advice. Gwarube has therefore enlisted the State Attorney to obtain advice from Senior Counsel.

The department said the interim arrangement would allow provinces and schools to secure previously approved learning materials while the new catalogue undergoes legal scrutiny and remediation.

“The investigation has identified material problems that cannot be ignored. At the same time, millions of children cannot have their education placed on hold while those findings are properly addressed,” Gwarube said.

“We can and must do both: protect the integrity of the process and ensure that schools have the materials they need.”

Provincial education departments and schools with procurement powers will remain responsible for purchasing the materials in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

The DBE said it would coordinate with provinces and other stakeholders to ensure that ordering and distribution timelines were not disrupted ahead of the 2027 academic year.

The department said the decision was also intended to provide certainty to teachers, who need clarity about the learning and teaching support materials available to them.

It said delays in procurement could affect teachers’ ability to plan effectively, while parents and taxpayers had a direct interest in ensuring that public funds were spent responsibly and transparently.

The DBE said the arrangement would remain in place while the legal processes surrounding the new catalogue were completed.

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By Levy Masiteng 

The Santa Shoebox Project has opened its 2026 pledging season, with the children’s charity aiming to deliver festive-season Shoeboxes to more than 80,000 children as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

A total of 84,663 children’s names were made available for pledging when the campaign opened this week.

The Cape Town-based project said the milestone year would be marked by an ambitious collective goal of bringing joy to thousands of children across South Africa.

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“A pledge is a promise made to a specific child,” Santa Shoebox Project CEO Deb Zelezniak said.

The project’s 2026 campaign centres on the theme #WhatAPledgeStarts.“When someone chooses a child by name, age, and gender, they aren’t just shopping for supplies. They are creating an experience where a child in their community, whom they’ve never met, feels important and loved,” Zelezniak said.

The pledging process begins when donors visit the Santa Shoebox website and select a specific child. Donors are provided with details including the child’s name, age, gender and clothing size, allowing them to put together a personalised Shoebox.

Once the Shoeboxes have been prepared, local volunteers receive them at designated drop-off points during October and November.

The boxes are inspected for safety before being sorted according to the beneficiary facilities they are destined for.

The Shoeboxes are then handed over to children at schools and care facilities during November and December.

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Each Santa Shoebox contains eight specified items: soap, a washcloth, toothpaste, a toothbrush, new clothing, educational supplies, a toy and sweets.

The organisation said the items were intended to address practical needs while also giving children an experience centred on dignity, excitement and joy.

“The children carry that feeling in their hearts, and many, once they are grown up, pay it forward to another child,” Zelezniak said.

The project also offers Virtual Santa Shoeboxes throughout the year, with surplus funds from their sale and other donations supporting its SSP Legacy programme, which includes early childhood development infrastructure, teacher training and reading initiatives.

Established in 2006, the Santa Shoebox Project says its work has reached more than 1.5 million children through its Shoebox and Legacy programmes.

This year, its SSP Legacy programme completed its eighth school build at Reaiteka Pre School in Maruping in the Northern Cape, while the organisation plans to build more rural schools during the coming decade.

“The Santa Shoebox Project is one big #beautifulstory – made up of more than a million and a half beautiful chapters of giving and receiving joy since 2006,” Zelezniak said.

This year, 10,000 Snugglehead toys were ordered from Kya Crafts, an upliftment and skills-development project run by NPO Project Purpose.

The latest order brought the total number of handcrafted toys ordered from the initiative to 27,400.

Other organisations Santa Shoebox has partnered or collaborated with include Book Dash, ORT SA Cape, The Reach Trust, Breadline Africa, the Centre for Early Childhood Development, Singekwenza and Taking Care of Business, as well as numerous crèches and early childhood development centres.

Supporters can also contribute to the project’s longer-term work by selecting the Santa Shoebox Project as their cause through Woolworths’ MyDifference programme, allowing them to support its Legacy initiatives at no additional cost when shopping.

“With 70 drop-off points around the country, in every single province, and thousands of volunteers and donors making the magic happen, we are truly grateful for the collective impact of our incredible community,” Zelezniak said.

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By Thapelo Molefe

KwaZulu-Natal has recorded the highest rate of corporal punishment by teachers in South Africa, with 21.1% of learners in the province reporting that they were subjected to physical punishment at school in 2024.

The figure is contained in the Department of Basic Education’s General Household Survey 2024: Focus on Schooling report, based on Statistics South Africa’s General Household Survey, which was released in August.

ALSO READ: Gwarube keeps Foundation Phase catalogue suspension in place for 2027

The rate is more than three times the national rate of 6.9%.

KwaZulu-Natal was followed by the Eastern Cape, where 11.3% of learners reported experiencing corporal punishment by a teacher. The Free State and North West recorded rates of 5.3% and 5.4%, respectively.

The department said corporal punishment by teachers remained the most commonly reported form of violence experienced by learners in 2024.

“This trend is evident in all the provinces,” the report states.

Corporal punishment has been prohibited in South African schools for almost three decades.

Section 10 of the South African Schools Act states that “no person may administer corporal punishment at a school to a learner”. Anyone who contravenes the provision commits an offence and can, on conviction, face a sentence that could be imposed for assault.

KwaZulu-Natal also recorded the highest rate of physical violence by teachers, at 4%, compared with 1.1% nationally.

The province had the highest reported rate of verbal abuse by teachers at 3.6%, more than three times the national rate of 1%.

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Learners in KwaZulu-Natal also reported violence from fellow learners, with 3.5% experiencing verbal abuse by other learners and 0.4% reporting physical violence by fellow learners.

Overall, only 78.2% of learners in KwaZulu-Natal reported that they had experienced no violence at school.

The Eastern Cape had the second-lowest proportion of learners reporting no violence, at 87.8%, followed by the Free State at 92.7% and North West at 93.3%.

At the other end of the scale, Gauteng recorded the highest proportion of learners reporting no violence at 97.6%, followed by Western Cape at 97% and Limpopo at 96.9%.

The national picture was considerably better than KwaZulu-Natal’s, with 91.6% of learners reporting that they had experienced no violence at school in 2024.

Despite the disparities between provinces, the DBE said the overall proportion of learners experiencing violence had been declining.

“It is encouraging to observe, however, that the overall percentage of individuals experiencing violence has been declining,” the report states.

The survey found no significant difference between male and female learners in the prevalence of experiencing corporal punishment or verbal abuse at school.

The DBE report said the General Household Survey asks learners whether they experienced violence, corporal punishment or verbal abuse at school during the three months preceding the survey, as well as the type of violence they experienced.

The findings therefore provide a snapshot of learner experiences during that period rather than a measure of every incident of violence occurring in schools across the province.

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