LaMia Ruby

On Mandela Day, 18 July, South Africans are encouraged to give up 67 minutes of their time to help others.

But due to the many problems South Africans face and the ever-increasing unemployment rate, more than 67 minutes is needed to address these issues.

Mandela’s vision was for a just and fair society where every citizen had equal rights and opportunities. When addressing these issues, we should focus on meaningful and sustainable efforts.

Unemployment represents a significant challenge that South Africa faces today. It occurs when individuals actively seeking employment need more opportunities to secure jobs.

Unfortunately, a significant portion of our country’s unemployed population comprises young people aged 15 to 24. As Mandela Day approaches, we must come together to address this pressing issue and empower our youth.

Statistics reveal that a staggering 10 million young South Africans are currently unemployed. This number emphasises the urgent need for action. Unemployment, if addressed, can lead to a host of negative consequences.

One of the key factors contributing to unemployment is the legacy of apartheid, which has resulted in the uneven distribution of job opportunities across the country. To combat this, we must focus on creating new avenues for employment.

Embracing renewable energy sources could help address the adverse effects of load shedding and create employment opportunities for the youth.

Equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary for farming allows them to generate income while fostering self-sufficiency.

Skills shortages are another critical aspect that needs to be addressed.

The government should allocate a substantial portion of funds towards providing unemployed youth with the necessary materials, tools, knowledge, and skills required in sectors experiencing skill gaps.

By bridging these gaps, we create a more inclusive workforce that can meet the demands of various industries.

On Mandela Day, we must unite to empower our youth and create sustainable job opportunities.

Let us honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy by working towards a South Africa where unemployment is a thing of the past and every citizen has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to our nation’s success.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Edwin Naidu

‘South Africa talks a great deal but lacks a great deal of implementation capacity.’

This was the opinion of Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, during a policy debate around unemployment held at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Future Africa Institute in Hatfield, Pretoria.

The debate, themed ‘Rethinking traditional approaches to tackling unemployment in South Africa: Exploring feasible, well-designed grant-based approaches for the unemployed to complement active labour-market policies’, was hosted by Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED) programme and independent research forum Econ3x3.

SA-TIED is a programme that looks at ways to support policy-making for inclusive growth and economic transformation in the southern Africa region through original research in collaboration with the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), South Africa’s National Treasury, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and other governmental and research organisations in the region.

Econ3x3 is an independent forum for critical public debate on unemployment and employment, income distribution, and inclusive growth in South Africa, and it publishes accessible research-based contributions and expert commentaries.

The debate at UP encouraged an analysis of the success of grant-based approaches to tackling unemployment in other developing countries.

Participants suggested that South Africa could learn from other countries by assessing the relationships between grants and active labour market policies and how, collectively, these can boost employment.

“Many of the things I heard during this debate are quite important, and they are worth repeating, but I have to add that this is not the first time I am hearing these sentiments,” said Prof Marwala, who is also a UP alumnus and the former Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg.

We are starting not from point zero but from negative.

“My message to South Africa and South Africans is that it is time to implement. We do talk quite a great deal about implementation capacity. We need to start doing things. And I am reminded of what the first Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, once said: ‘Like never before, we need thinkers of great thoughts; like never before, we need doers of great deeds.’ It is time for us to start doing.”

He said South Africa’s struggles with implementation stem from a pressing shortage of technical capacity, which can be easily seen in the inadequate skill sets among the country’s political groupings.

“Go and look at some of the layers of our government. Go to local governments. I come from Limpopo province in Thohoyandou, and we can see that we need engineers to be able to run that municipality,” Prof Marwala said.

“Where will we get them because we do not train enough technically skilled people in South Africa? They do not want to go and live in rural areas, and we need to change that mindset. But we also need to expand our training process.”

“Secondly, organisational and managerial skills are something that we need to develop actively, but we need to start at a young age. The idea that somebody can suddenly start knowing what needs to be done when they have just graduated from university is false.

“Education starts in our homes at the earliest of ages, and we need to be actively involved in making sure that we have a cohort of cadres who are equal to the task when it comes to confronting the problems that we are facing as a society.”

Discussing timelines for when South Africa should implement solutions, Prof Marwala said: “We obviously ought to have known in the past. Today is too late. It needs to have been done in the past. When should we start? We should start now. And we should know that we are beginning not from point zero but from negative. We have lost time. We have lost ground. This is urgent. Our people want jobs. Our people want prosperity. We need to have good roads. We need to once and for all replace informal settlements with decent living areas for our people. We need to fix our education and health systems.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

Schools throughout the country face a variety of challenges when it comes to ensuring the efficient functioning of the Representative Council of Learners (RCLs).

But these young minds, who have a critical governance role under the South African Schools Act (SASA), a Representative Council of Learners (RCL) promotes quality learning and teaching in schools as the elected representative structure.

In terms of the Act, they can allow learners to voice their concerns and formulate strategies that respond to various challenges faced at schools.

Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, together with Deputy Minister Dr Reginah Mhaule, last month addressed the 2023 National RCL Conference under the theme, “Advancing learner participation and Functionality of Learner Leaders in South African Schools.”

The Conference was hosted to strengthen the functioning of RCLs in provinces while seeking to create a platform where the Department and stakeholders can engage in progressive ways to improve RCLs to highlight the challenges schools face in ensuring the efficient function of RCLs.

Minister Motshekga said it made her proud to witness the enthusiasm and dedication of young minds shaping the future of the educational landscape.

“Your mission as the youth of 2023 is to use the words of wise African statesman Thomas Sankara: “We must dare to invent the future”.

The Minister further stated that the youth have the potential to drive positive change, overcome societal challenges and build a more inclusive and prosperous South Africa.
Minister Motshekga concluded her ad- dress by highlighting the importance of learner leadership towards positive discipline in schools and the power of reading.

She said this platform acknowledges the potential of learner leadership in schools, nurtures the passion for reading, and explores the significant role that learner leadership plays in maintaining discipline within our educational institutions.

Deputy Minister Mhaule also touched on the importance of being a true leader. “Being a leader begins at this very moment; I urge you to go out there and make it a mission to make a difference in our country and to transform society for the better. Positive action will make you a true and selfless leader who puts the needs of others first.”

The Conference drew inputs from various representatives, including the Agape Youth Movement (AYM), Ubuntu Youth Leadership (UYL), the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), the Ngangezwe Foundation and the University of South Africa (UNISA).

The selected RCLs engaged in robust discussions whilst applauding the DBE for their inclusion in the mission towards shaping a brighter future for the next generations.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

Nelson Mandela University has launched a multi-year global Giving Campaign, to raise R30 million to support four projects, based on empowerment and social redress.

University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sibongile Muthwa is leading the campaign with the endorsement of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, whose Mandela Month theme for 2023 is “Climate change and food security”.

Prof Muthwa explained that funds raised would go towards projects that address student hunger, bursaries, support a greenhouse project and empower sustainable community food kitchens.

“We are launching this fundraising drive in the build-up to international Mandela Day on 18 July. It is an opportunity to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s most beloved statesman and global icon, someone who became the world’s moral compass.”

Prof Muthwa said the story of how Mandela, a young man born in a remote rural village, became one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century was one of overcoming hardship and never losing sight of hope.

“It is a story that inspires generations of young people the world over.

“We are seeking your help to provide opportunities for thousands of young people who, because of their social circumstances, are faced with hardship and adversity.

“Who knows? With your assistance we could be nurturing the next generation of Nelson Mandelas.”

The new campaign is over and above the University’s day-to-day fundraising initiatives, which range from raising funds for postgraduate bursaries, to capital projects such as new buildings and laboratory equipment.

Globally, student numbers at universities have significantly increased. This has also been the case in South Africa.

However, government subsidies to universities in South Africa have been declining in real terms, made worse by, among other factors, rising inflation and the effects of COVID-19.

“This is why all universities need to raise third stream income. It helps to maintain high quality education, as well as broaden the net to accommodate academically deserving students who cannot fund their studies,” said Prof Muthwa.

She appealed to all stakeholders to donate any amount to the campaign, “as every cent counts”.

The campaign will benefit four projects aimed at helping students and the broader community: deal with financial exclusion challenges, student hunger, provision of community kitchens and a greenhouse project tackling unemployment by supporting a group of technical and vocational education and training college graduates with a greenhouse and community food systems project, using environmentally sustainable technologies.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Edwin Naidu

The South African Cabinet has urged all fellow South Africans to rally behind our team Proteas – as they battle it out in the 2023 Netball World Cup, the first of its kind to be hosted in the African Continent.

The Netball World Cup 2023 (NWC2023) in Cape Town, South Africa, will run from 28 July to 6 August and will be the first to take place on the continent with 16 teams battling it out across the ten days, in the hope they will be crowned champions in netball’s most prestigious event. The Road To Cape Town began in March 2019, when Netball South Africa was announced as the host for the staging of the 16th Netball World Cup.

Since then, many key milestones have been achieved in the build-up to the World Class Event, including all five Netball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. As the tournament nears, the Vitality Netball World Cup (VNWC2023), the official Trophy Tour, ended last month.

Having travelled across the country over June, the famed trophy crossed from the Eastern to Western Cape provinces of South Africa – the Western Cape being its final destination before being handed to the VNWC2023 champions when they were crowned on 6 August.

Even more significant was that the handover took place at the Tsitsikamma Khoisan Village – so honouring the indigenous inhabitants of South Africa.

The Khoikhoi and San are believed to be among the oldest cultures in the world. Apart from its pristine beaches, the Tsitsikamma is well-known for its enticing tourist attractions, including one of the highest bungee, jumps in the world at the majestic Bloukrans Bridge
and the Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours through Outeniqua Yellowwood trees that are up to 700 years old.

After a special celebration in Kareedouw with dignitaries, cultural groups and performances by local entertainers, the NWC trophy was taken to the Tsitsikamma Khoisan Village, where Eastern Cape MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Nonceba Kontsiwe officially completed the handover to Anroux Marais, the Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport.

“The Western Cape Government is pleased and honoured to receive this trophy and to embark on a tour across our province to get all communities excited for the Netball World Cup,” said Marais. “Cape Town is ready and looking forward to hosting the
Netball World Cup for the very first time on African soil.

“Although all the matches are being played in Cape Town itself, we want to include the whole province in the build-up and actual tournament, and so we are delighted that various municipalities have partnered with us to host fan zones and viewing centres.

“These will ensure that people across the province can watch the live matches for free at a venue close to their homes. “During this trophy tour, we will also encourage people to watch the matches at these venues so that we can make sure that no one is left out in supporting our home team,” added Marais.

In a statement, members of the Cabinet headed by President Cyril Ramaphosa called on ‘everyone in the country to support our girls as they strive to make history by winning gold on the African Continent’.

“In the next few days, the eyes of the sporting world will turn to Cape Town, in South Africa, for the start of the 2023 Netball World Cup from 28 July to 6 August. This is the first time this prestigious global showpiece is being held on the African continent.”

Earlier, the Cabinet urged South Africans to get into the spirit of the 2023 Netball World Cup tournament, where 16 nations will be participating, including our own Proteas. South Africans are urged to fly the flag and the Protea colours on Fridays each week, and
communities in Cape Town and elsewhere are encouraged to prepare to host international players and guests who are likely to visit all parts of the country.

“South Africa works diligently and innovatively to attract such global events which place a spotlight on the country and create economic opportunities and support jobs in a range of sectors,” Cabinet said in a statement.

Defending champions New Zealand may come to Cape Town as favourites, but their coach Noeline Taurua reckons the trophy currently belongs to every team.

“We don’t believe that we have ownership of that cup,” said Taurua. “The cup now belongs to everybody so that every game will be tough. That mentality to win every game is paramount, so it’s not a guarantee at all.”

New Zealand claimed the trophy for a fifth time when they beat Australia by just one goal in the final four years ago in Liverpool. Six of the players from that squad will compete in this year’s tournament. Having since had to settle for bronze at the Birmingham 2022
Commonwealth Games after being beaten by Jamaica in the semi-final, the Silver Ferns are aware that repeating their heroics of four years ago will come with its challenges.

“I think there is pressure that goes along with whether you’re defending or not. Our messaging that we’d like to put across is that we are out there to win like everybody else,” explained Taurua, who has coached the Silver Ferns since 2018. “I think Australia are number one

because they are the best, and you can’t deny the consistency of their ability to perform under intense pressure. “I think another thing that we have to be mindful of is that everybody has the opportunity to put out a good performance every time [they are] out on
court; you can’t negate anybody. Home support for the Proteas would also put them in with a shout! Let’s rally behind the Netball South Africa team.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

Google has announced the expansion of Bard, its conversational AI service, to 40 new languages including Swahili- the first African language to be included and 59 new countries and territories.

The expansion includes new features that allow users to better customize their experience, boost their creativity, and get more done.

With the expansion, Bard is now available in most of the world, including countries in the European Union (EU), and in the most widely spoken languages, including Swahili, Chinese, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Hindi, and Spanish. Users can now access Bard in their preferred language with text-to-speech also enabled in 8 languages.

 “We’re excited that this is Bard’s largest expansion to date – we see its global availability as a great democratizer of knowledge,” said Dorothy Ooko, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, SSA, Google.

 “That’s why we created Bard: to help you explore that curiosity, augment your imagination and ultimately get your ideas off the ground — not just by answering your questions, but by helping you build on them.”According to UNESCO, Swahili is among the 10 most widely spoken languages in the world, with more than 200 million speakers.

The inclusion of more languages and territories will also help to make Bard more inclusive and safe, through feedback from a wider range of users.

“The launch of Bard in Swahili is a major milestone as it allows Bard to reach even more people in Africa, where approximately 150 million people speak Swahili. This makes Bard more accessible to everyone in the region, and we believe that it has the potential to be a powerful tool for creativity and learning. We are excited to see how people in the region use Bard to explore their ideas and discover New things,” said Rachael Ndichu, Language Manager at Google.

Bard seeks to combine the breadth of the world’s knowledge with the power, intelligence and creativity of Google’s large language models.

It draws on information from the web to provide responses. As an experimental technology, Bard may occasionally make inaccurate statements in response to user prompts.

 So if a response from Bard is inaccurate or unsafe, if one experiences an issue, or just wants to provide feedback, there’s an easy way to do that.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Staff Reporter

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education is far from over, according to St Martin’s School principal Warren Venter, who warned that liquidating the deficit as soon as possible to protect an entire generation from “dangerous regression”.

He said the learning deficits were worse in mathematics and literacy.

Recently, South Africans were shocked to learn that Grade 4 learners struggled to read with meaning. The 2021 results of the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) were recently published and indicated that 81% of South Africa’s grade 4 learners are unable to read for meaning.

But Venter said that the problem stretches through to matriculants, too, and that a direct line can be drawn between much of the country’s reading with meaning challenges and the pandemic.

Venter, who is the principal of St Martin’s School, one of the country’s reputable private schools, said that as a remedy to the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the school developed personalised ‘catch-up’ curricula for learner sets that were identified as somewhere on the spectrum of an education deficit.

Venter said that the school has developed compulsory intra and extra-mural sessions across all grades to address gaps in education, including addressing learners’ ability to focus and function effectively within a scholastic environment.

“It’s a programme that I feel all schools must adopt to avoid a problem that could recur as each learner progresses to successive grades. It has to be nipped in the bud, because South Africa cannot afford to graduate students with unsuitably developed skills. The knock-on effect on future growth could be dire,” Venter warned.

Venter noted three primary reasons for the lag. “While there was no alternative, online learning became the go-to for families. It played a crucial role, but anecdotal evidence suggested that students were struggling to focus. Online learning is usually paired with multi-tasking and attention and focus on the subject matter being taught often lacked the intensity required.”

He also listed social media as a thorn in learning’s side. “It proved to be a massive distraction during the pandemic, and it continues to be an attention segue for students today,” he said. It then translated to the classroom as lockdown restrictions waned, creating challenges in concentration, reading and digestion of learning materials.

It’s been just over a year since South Africa lifted all lockdown restrictions, and Venter said that understanding the enormous impact of the pandemic has only recently started to surface.

“Intervention is the only way to assess, understand and remedy a situation. Notwithstanding other challenges, the deficit hangover could become one of the biggest crises in education in the country’s history. Addressing it through individualization and group remedy is the only path ahead,” he said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

LERATO MBHIZA

THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) met with the South African Students Congress (SASCO) to iron out problems surrounding defunded students and direct payments, NSFAS spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday after a meeting in Irene Pretoria.

Nsfas teams were dispatched to engage Student Representative Councils and University Management on direct payments and related matters. This comes after weeks long student protests.  

The meeting also dealt with student complaints, such excessive charges, inaccessibility of the service providers, lack of clarity on how to access funds and  allegations of funds not reaching their intended beneficiaries.

Nsfas said that it will not allow a system that was established in good faith, to be muddled with activities that defeat the purpose of direct payment and its spokesperson Slumezi Skosana said investigations will be conducted and where the allegations are proven true, appropriate action will be taken.

“Service providers will be instructed to increase their physical presence at institutions of higher learning so that they can respond directly to student queries on direct payment.

“There should be an immediate enhancement of explanations on how students can access their funds to avoid delays in the distribution of allowances” .

Skosana added that there will be a three-way meeting between student leaders, Nsfas management and the service providers on 11 July to iron out all relevant matters.

However he stressed that it should be kept in mind that the transactional costs are standard across all partners.

In addition, Nsfas urged students to complete their onboarding process to speedily access their Nsfas  bank accounts by going to the Nsfas  website, under the heading “For Students and Learners’ ‘ click on Nsfas  Bank account (under student support). There they will find the name of their institution and can click on the register here button and then follow the prompts.

The EFF said “the inability of Nsfas to streamline its processes and ensure timely assistance has caused immense frustration and despair among those who rely on its support. 

“Year in, year out, these failures have had far-reaching consequences, affecting the lives and aspirations of countless students”.

Furthermore, the EFF claimed that the new direct payment service provider which came with high recommendation from Nsfas management and the ministry of Higher Education, as an alternative for distributing funds for unfunded students. 

However, up to date only a few students received allowances, and those who have, received less than what they deserved and with high transitions.

INSIDE EDUCATION