Lerato Mbhiza

THE Mpumalanga Provincial Government has introduced coding and robotics in 128 schools, as part of a pilot programme, according to the Premier RefilweMtshweni-Tsipane in her State of the Province Address on Friday.

“That pilot is progressing well and 128 schools, from Grade R to 3 and Grade 7, are currently doing coding and robotics,” Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

The Premier said in the government’s quest to improve learner performance, in 2022 it provided all Grade 12 learners and teachers in Quantile to 3 schools with tablets and laptops.

These devices, the Premier said, are loaded with e-content and will be provided this year with an offline application to enable access to learning even outside the four walls of the classroom without data or connectivity.

“This government continues to strengthen e-learning in our schools. This year, the province will introduce the smart schools concept in eight schools where both teachers and learners will utilise technological devices and thus making the schools paperless,” Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

She added that the land for the construction of the proposed School for the Deaf and Blind has been secured at Emalahleni Municipality.

“Once the school is completed, the 250 deaf learners currently studying at Bukhosibetfu Full Service School and the 200 in other special schools will be relocated to the new school.”

Job creation

By the end of January 2024, a total of 63 478 jobs were created through the 21 identified programmes, including the Siyatentela Road Maintenance Programme, Government Nutrition Programme, School Handymen and Tourism Safety Monitors, to name a few, the Premier said.

“Since 2021 and through the Presidential Employment Stimulus, we have trained and created a total of 65 296 job opportunities for unemployed youth in different schools.

“Since its inception in 2019, the Premier’s Youth Development Fund has disbursed R258 million to fund 182 youth-owned enterprises. The funded beneficiaries have created more than 630 jobs in agriculture, mining, manufacturing as well as film and production,” Mtshweni-Tsipane said.

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Inside Education Reporter

THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) on Tuesday launched its annual national Civic and Democracy Education Tertiary Institutions campaign to improve the youth’s understanding of and participation in the country’s democratic processes.

The launch will take place at Mopani Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College in Limpopo.

The campaign aims to engage the youth of South Africa in democracy education and encourage participation in electoral processes. The event will expose over 3 000 young people of Phalaborwa and the surrounding areas to various electoral processes.

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, will deliver the keynote address. Also in attendance will be IEC chairperson, Mosotho Moepya; Commissioner Judge Dhaya Pillay; Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo and Dr Levy Baloyi, the principal of Mopani TVET College.

In the 2021 Municipal Elections, 71% of registered youth aged 18 – 19 turned up to vote, while only 35% of youth aged 20 – 29 voted. However, less than 10% of eligible voters aged 18 – 29 were registered to vote in the elections. 

It is against this backdrop that in the run-up to the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, the Electoral Commission heightens efforts to empower youth to participate meaningfully in democratic and electoral processes.

The campaign will be rolled out to nearly 100 tertiary institution campuses countrywide until September 2024.

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Inside Education Sports Writer

Sport is not just about physical activity. It has been shown to be a remarkable tool to affect social development, holistic education and peace. Such outcomes are desperately needed in South Africa to strengthen our communities and our nation and build a better future, according to Professor Marion Keim is the UNESCO Chair for Sport, Development, Peace and Olympic Education.

Pierre de Coubertin was a French educator and historian best known for reviving the Olympic Games in the modern era. Coubertin strongly believed in physical education and sports as integral components of a well-rounded education for the youth. He famously said: “Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of a good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”.

This month, the team from the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) UNESCO Chair for Sport, Development, Peace and Olympic Education, along with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), facilitated a critical training session for the first 100 teachers on how to – among other things – use the universality of sport to support the delivery of curriculum inside and outside of the classroom.

The latest 50 Life Orientation and Physical Education teachers were the second group of educators from the WCED to receive the highly sought after Olympic and Olympic Values Training offered by International Olympic Committee (IOC) accredited trainers Professor Christo de Coning and myself.

Other facilitators included the UNESCO Chair team, coach Jose Cabral, Pierre de Coubertin Liaison Jasmina Majiet, facilitator Raedene Lucas and student volunteer Mawethu Mbanga.

This training programme will equip educators to become Olympic Education Champions at Western Cape schools in urban and rural areas. Having conducted OVEP Training globally with international coaches and educators in the past, the team could barely contain their excitement at sharing their expertise with the WCED and its educators.

The initiative is a unique cooperation between UWC’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support, Professor Matete Madiba, the WCED and their partners, the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CIPC) and the African Continental Association.

Comité Internationale Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CIPC) Secretary, General Elvira Ramini, complimented the initiative as an excellent example of spreading the Olympic ideals and values and the mission and vision of the father of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, at South African schools and with the youth.

Teachers were introduced to the theoretical components covering topics such as Olympism, the history of the Olympic Games and the significance of the Olympic Values.

Furthermore, they were taught practical activities to use in classroom situations.

These activities focus on the Olympic Values of respect, excellence, friendship, fair play, joy of effort and the balance of body, mind and spirit.

Ms Majiet is from the Hague Primary School – the only Pierre de Coubertin School in South Africa. There are Pierre de Coubertin Schools around the world which focus on holistic education as well as Olympic education.

She encouraged other teachers to join the international school network and to become more involved in the Olympic Movement. Feedback from the educators was overwhelmingly positive. Many remarked that the training offered them a new way to conduct Physical Education lessons with a particular Olympic focus.

The UNESCO Chair team is following up on teachers’ requests to initiate Olympic initiatives at their respective schools.

Prof De Coning, who conducted the training evaluation, stated: “The findings of the evaluation showed that the course exceeded expectations and teachers described the event as very successful and a valuable experience. Teachers were provided with material and guidelines for their own use, and teachers reported feeling empowered to offer Physical Education lessons in alternative ways. The emphasis on values was regarded as highly relevant to the challenges that learners and the country are experiencing”.

A senior WCED official observed that “with the use of relevant examples and stories, the course engaged the audience and established a sense of unity among strangers. This was a very successful and joyous experience. Your passion ignites the same in others who might not have been as passionate before”.

The next training session will be held in a rural community, and it is expected that this Olympic Initiative and training for educators and coaches, as well as sports leaders and managers, will soon be offered in other provinces in the country.

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Johnathan Paoli

THE National School Funding Scheme NSFAS has officially called on universities and other tertiary educational institutions to take responsibility for the upfront payment of students’ allowances.

Nsfas Board and Executive Management, led by the Acting Chairperson, Lourens Van Staden, held a press briefing addressing the registration process, payment of allowances and the student accommodation pilot project on Monday and said the scheme was planning on opening offices all over the country.

Currently, NSFAS only has one office, located in Cape Town and Van Staden said plans are in place to have NSFAS offices available to students and applicants in all provinces.

Van Staden said the scheme has deployed servicing administrators to all institutions to assist students for the past two weeks and aims to alleviate the tensions and contribute to a harmonious academic environment for all the institutions.

“It is through this intervention that we will continue to ensure the unmediated and seamless interaction between NSFAS and all its beneficiaries. As a scheme, we acknowledge that this transition required a significant increase in NSFAS financial resources, effective and efficient information and communication technologies and capable personnel to drive this transition phase,” he said.

The chairperson said that this initiative will propel NSFAS to be agile in handling a large number of student applications, process them timeously and give feedback to all applicants without any delays.

NSFAS funding has increased from R21.4 million in 1991, when it was introduced, to almost R50 billion now to broaden access to post school education and training.

For the 2024 academic year, NSFAS disbursed R2.8 billion to universities in January 2024 to cover one month of student accommodation and half of the book allowance, with an additional two months’ worth of allowances being provided to assist institutions with registered medical students whose academic year began in January 2024.

Further upfront payments were made in February to cover remaining allowances, including the second half of the book allowance, accommodation for March 2024, transport for February and March, meal allowances for February and March, and personal care allowances for February and March.

For TVET Colleges, NSFAS disbursed over R580 million for tuition fees in January 2024 and an additional R1 billion for student allowances for the first three months of 2024, with TVET Colleges being urged to promptly load their registration information to facilitate payments on the direct payment platform.

NSFAS confirmed that allowances will be distributed using the direct payment method, utilising the same partners assigned to respective institutions in the previous year. Students must therefore ensure they complete the on-boarding process for NSFAS allowances.

Due to challenges experienced at the start of the academic year, universities were asked to pay allowances for both February and March. Direct payments for the 2024 academic year will commence in April 2024, NSFAS said.

NSFAS emphasised the importance of institutions uploading student registration data promptly to prevent delays in fund distribution, and said that students may be provisionally funded, however, they only begin receiving allowances when their institution uploads their registration data with NSFAS.

“Any discrepancies in registration data may result in temporary blockage of transactions, with affected students receiving guidance on account reactivation via email and SMS notifications. This includes cases where NSFAS detects students who are registered at multiple institutions,” the funding scheme said.

In conclusion, Nsfas executives advised institutions to contact the NSFAS Servicing Administrator for further assistance.

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Johnathan Paoli

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has denied reports that the department is failing to sort out decaying infrastructure at schools.

The statement comes after a group of Grade 6 pupils at Umthambeka Primary School in Tembisa were injured on Tuesday when a ceiling board in their classroom collapsed.

The Gauteng Education Department confirmed that 18 Grade 6 pupils sustained injuries and were rushed to nearby hospitals and said that two pupils are still recovering at medical facilities while the others were sent home.

GED Spokesperson Steve Mabona said the cause of the incident is being probed, but that it remained uncertain at this stage.

“The cause of the incident is uncertain at this stage. As such, we have launched an investigation into circumstances surrounding this incident. Further information will be acquired from the School Management Team, School Governing Body (SGB) and the district accordingly,” Mabona said.

The MEC vehemently denied allegations by some that the incident was an example of the department’s failure to actively ensure sustainability of school infrastructure.

“There are a number of schools that we’ve also earmarked for major refurbishments, and these are some of schools, like for instance, Umthambeka, is also earmarked for major refurbishments because the infrastructure is quite old,” Chiloane said.

This comes on the heels of an accusation by EFF member Naledi Chirwa-Mpungose accusing the department of mishandling funds intended to address the infrastructure challenges in township schools.

Chiloane arrived at Soshanguve on Wednesday in order to launch the Lethabong Maths, Science and ICT School of Specialisation with a focus on Automotive technologies, in partnership with BMW South Africa, this being the 34th school of its kind to be launched in the province.

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Lerato Mbhiza

Deputy President Paul  Mashatile said teachers have a crucial role in nurturing, fostering critical thinking, inspiring dreams and pushing the limits of human potential, while speaking  at the 14th policy dialogue forum of the International Task Force on teachers for education 2030 in  Johannesburg on Monday. 

“We thus owe it to these titans of our society to recognise, honour, empower, and value them as well as the job that they do. Most importantly, significant consideration must be made on how we should improve their working conditions and remuneration as a way of appreciating their hard work, so that they can be able to fulfill their important task without getting discouraged”  he said.

The Task Force is a global platform for education stakeholders, which aims to foster advocacy, knowledge exchange, peer learning and monitoring progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.

Mashatile added that as we are in a digital age, educators  need to learn  how to  effectively utilise new technologies to remain relevant and efficient.

“To increase participation in the teachers profession, we should provide competitive compensation and recognise teachers’ achievements. This may be achieved by creating a culture that promotes excellence and creativity, as well as cultivating a sense of pride and purpose among educators” Mashatile said.

“We have to do whatever it takes to attract young people with bright minds to this profession and address the issue of teacher shortages”.

“As we gather here at this conference, we anticipate that the six outcomes of the 2024 Policy Dialogue Forum will present opportunities for improvement, develop insights and policy recommendations, and strengthen methods of addressing teacher shortages”.

To tackle the worldwide shortage of teachers, a comprehensive strategy is needed that focuses on improving, diversifying, and embracing the teaching profession, he said.

“Let us commit to working together to create a safe and inclusive learning environment for young children, while also recognising the important role played by our teachers.

“As policymakers and leaders, it is our responsibility to attract and retain exceptional educators. I also believe that a key component of any effective educational system is the ability to recruit and maintain a workforce of highly qualified teachers”.

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