PHUTI MOSOMANE

GREATER uMgungundlovu District Municipality residents in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) expressed their concerns about the ongoing process of school rationalization in the province.

A significant number of residents were particularly opposed to clause 13 of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, which outlines the procedure for merging small and non-viable public schools.

These concerns were shared with the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education during the second of three public hearings on the Bill held at the Grange Community Hall in Pietermaritzburg over the weekend.

The residents overwhelmingly rejected the Bill, emphasizing that the merger of schools would compromise the right of learners to receive a quality education from schools in close proximity to their homes.

Participants highlighted the potential risks associated with transporting young children to schools located far away as a result of the mergers. They pointed out previous tragic accidents involving learner transport, underscoring the dangers involved.

Parents argued that instead of closing schools with low student enrolment, the Department of Basic Education should provide adequate support to help these schools thrive.

Furthermore, the participants also expressed their belief that the closure of non-viable schools and the excessive regulation of home-schooling would have little positive impact on improving the public education system. They cautioned that these measures could potentially discourage skilled educators from remaining in the basic education sector.

Tiny Lebelo, an Equal Education Researcher, shared the perspective that school mergers can be advantageous if the Department of Basic Education has comprehensive plans in place to ensure transportation and adequate resources for the merged schools.

“Merging is good provided the government makes available reliable and safe scholar transport especially in rural provinces such as KZN. So, the government must ensure that these things are met before moving learners, ensuring that they will still benefit from school nutrition programmes as well. However if the department is merging schools for the sake of merging them, it would indeed deprive learners of their right to education,” said Lebelo.

Additionally, some parents expressed their rejection of clause 37, with home-schooling parents arguing that the proposed provisions aimed to undermine the natural authority of parents in making decisions about their children’s education.

Furthermore, certain parents raised security concerns regarding the implementation of clause 37 (2) (b) (iii) and (3), which propose assessments by competent assessors and site visits. They believed that these measures would expose families to criminal elements and potentially promote crime.

These parents called for alternative measures to ensure accountability within the home-schooling system.

They believed that the current regulations in the Children’s Act adequately regulated the home-schooling environment and requested the complete removal of clause 37.

On the other hand, participants who supported the Bill argued that the regulation of home-schooling, as proposed in the Bill, would ensure equity within the public schooling system and prevent the emergence of a two-tiered education system.

While the majority of participants rejected the sale of alcohol in schools, citing concerns about promoting substance abuse in a country already grappling with that issue, there were some who expressed partial support for the Bill.

They raised concerns about specific clauses, such as clause 14, which they believed should be reconsidered to ensure that the Bill effectively achieves its objectives. They believed that the current wording of the clause, which requires the submission of financial interests, could deter potential School Governing Body members from volunteering.

The public hearing experienced a change in venue due to a double-booking of the initially secured hall.

The committee apologized for the inconvenience and assured participants that efforts were made to transport everyone to the new venue to ensure their participation in the hearings.

Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, the Chairperson of the committee, expressed gratitude to the municipality for providing an alternative hall nearby the Pietermaritzburg Town Hall, which was filled to capacity during the hearings.

The committee concluded the hearings in KwaZulu-Natal with a session at the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality on Sunday.

INSIDE EDUCATION

GIDEON BOADOU

THERE are two camps when it comes to teaching children: one says teachers should focus on guiding students to find things out for themselves. This approach makes learning meaningful and prepares students to connect learning to the real world. It’s known as inquiry-based learning.

The other camp is critical of inquiry-based learning. It argues that teaching should be more structured and led by a teacher who provides information and explains concepts. Research shows that this approach supports student skill development. In practice, teachers often combine methods that focus on inquiry and teacher-led teaching methods to support student learning.

The approaches matter in all subjects. But my area of interest is history. There are many ways in which history teachers can support students in developing curious minds. That includes teaching them to ask questions about the past, comparing past and present developments, and taking them to historical sites to have a first-hand learning experience of past events and people.

I had already studied the methods of secondary school history teachers in Ghana and found that they preferred to narrate historical events to students. So I set out to understand why Ghanaian history teachers don’t use inquiry-based teaching methods.

My key findings were that secondary teachers felt unsupported in their work as the resources that could support inquiry-based teaching were not available. Teachers also complained about heavy workload. These findings matter as many teachers are reported to be leaving the teaching profession globally. Raising the status of the profession, keeping existing teachers by giving them what they need to teach in engaging, compelling ways and attracting new teachers is extremely important.

Teachers’ insights

For my research I interviewed 24 secondary school history teachers from the Central region of Ghana to understand their teaching approaches as well as what informed their choice of teaching method. These teachers were also observed at work in their own classrooms.

The teachers said they lacked the necessary resources and support to carry out inquiry-based history teaching. They didn’t have access to textbooks, maps, charts and educational technologies like school-owned computers or overhead projectors; some said they used their personal computers to support students’ learning.

Further, they did not have the support of school authorities to take students out to historical sites to see where events happened and investigate them for themselves.

In addition, most teachers explained that large class sizes did not favour the use of inquiry methods. Some of the classes I observed had more than 80 students trying to fit into small rooms. This led to behavioural problems, so teachers spent more time trying to discipline students than they did on class work.

The only teacher I observed who carried out some inquiry-based teaching had just 25 students in his class. He told me that having relatively few students enabled him to do more inquiry-based teaching that got students involved in examining and thinking about the past.

Too much pressure

Teachers also reported that the history curriculum was overloaded with topics. For them, the pressure to cover the entire curriculum within a short period meant that there was no time to carry out inquiry-based teaching. The high importance placed on students’ performance in examinations added to the pressure.

One teacher told me:

The findings are especially disheartening when one considers how many important historical sites there are in Ghana that could provide a backdrop for inquiry-based learning.

The Cape Coast and Elmina slave castles, for instance, hold important historical information and materials that can support inquiry-based teaching. By spending time there students could begin to engage with ideas rather than just being given information about the past.

What needs to be done

My results underscore how important it is to match the demands of teachers’ jobs with the resources and support they need by involving all relevant individuals and groups, including teachers, in discussions about the teaching profession, curriculum design and teacher support.

The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service need to provide the necessary resources and support to teachers to support the preparation of students. It is important to identify schools’ resource needs to enable fair distribution of teaching and learning materials.

Basic resources such as textbooks, maps and other materials for illustrating the past should be made available to support meaningful learning of history. This is even more important given that history was introduced as a new subject at the primary school level in 2019.

Changes to the history curriculum could also create more time for the planning and practise of inquiry-based teaching. It is also crucial to reconsider the country’s priorities and values about education.

Covering the curriculum and ensuring students get good test results cannot be the only way to measure the quality of teachers and students. This will reduce teacher stress and improve their well-being. It will also encourage inquiry-based teaching and support student learning beyond the limits of the classroom.

(Gideon Boadu, Sessional Academic and Research Assistant, University of Newcastle)

THE CONVERSATION

STAFF REPORTER

MINISTER of Education Western Cape, David Maynier, has launched the #BackOnTrack programme, which is a bold intervention to reverse Covid-19 learning losses in the province.

“The pandemic is over, but the effect of the pandemic is not over,”Maynier said.

Earlier this year, he said the release of the 2022 systemic test results for Mathematics and Reading, confirmed that during the pandemic, learning outcomes fell off a cliff.

“We simply cannot say that a child is receiving quality education if more than half of our Grade 3, 6, and 9, learners cannot achieve the basic pass score for Mathematics and Reading,” the Minister added.

“And we expect the results of the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study 2021, due to be released next week, to show learners across our country are facing the same challenge.”

Maynier said the Province has made a R1.2 billion investment into the #BackOnTrack programme over the next three years, to improve learning outcomes so that children have a better future in the Western Cape.

“The programme marks a big change from ‘business as usual’ in our schools.”

The scale of the progamme is unprecedented: 333 schools have been selected to receive targeted support based on the systemic test results, in addition to the 1 100 schools already receiving extra support in the Foundation Phase since 2022.

The new schools selected will identify 126 000 learners, 8 980 teachers and 28 000 parents targeted for focussed participation, in addition to the 310 000 learners and 10 000 teachers already participating in the Foundation Phase.

All school phases are covered, with all grades in the Foundation Phase, and Grade 4 in the Intermediate Phase, Grades 7 and 8 in the Senior Phase, and Grades 10 and 12 in the Further Education and Training Phase, targeted. “We’re using a variety of teaching, learning and support methods, both in person and online. For example, we will be taking some of our Grade 4, 7 and 8 teachers out of class every ten days, for targeted support. And our Grade 12s will participate in biweekly online afternoon sessions with expert presenters in a wide range of subjects.”

The #BackOnTrack programme complements and builds on existing programmes, entrenching previously successful interventions that have been shown to work, including as proven eLearning platforms like the Maths Curriculum Online programme in the Foundation Phase, while introducing new ways of teaching and learning.

The programme is designed to incorporate feedback and change over three years.

“We have invited principals and teachers of the participating schools to let us know what works, what needs more
work, and how we can build the best possible interventions we can.”

Every two weeks, Maynier said officials from across the province will provide updates and feedback, and to work together to resolve challenges, “as we move through the programme”.

“And we invite all residents of the Western Cape to support us on this journey, and make the choice
to invest in our children’s futures. Let us all work together to get our children #BackOnTrack!”

INSIDE EDUCATION

STAFF REPORTER

FOR Mangosuthu University of Technology lecturer Dr Sfundo Gumede, attaining his PhD in applied mathematics for research on relativistic shear-free fluids – important fluids in astrophysics and cosmology – is a step towards propelling his career in academia.

The first in his family to attain a university degree, let alone at the level of PhD, an academic career was an unfamiliar concept to Gumede’s family, but they trusted his decision to pursue this path and lent him all their support. He was born and raised in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal, where he completed all his schooling.

He grew up curious about the structure and the origin of the universe and what underpinned the behaviour of astronomical objects like stars.

He initially set out to qualify as a mathematics and science educator, but an encounter with someone at the University of Zululand’s (UNIZULU) admission office who saw his excellent results in mathematics led him to enrol for a Bachelor of Science that broadened his career options.

As he studied mathematics further, he learnt about the branch that concerned astrophysics, which he said fit with his curiosity about the workings of the universe. As he delved further into the subject, he learnt that the physics of the world and astronomical objects can be described using the laws of mathematics.

At UNIZULU, Gumede completed his Bachelor of Science in mathematics and statistics and Bachelor of Science honours in mathematics with distinction before going on to complete a postgraduate diploma in higher education at Rhodes University.

Having learnt about what an academic career entailed, Gumede aspired to end up in academia and wanted to study to PhD level full time, but his responsibility to support his mother and siblings led to him joining the workforce after he completed his honours degree, achieving all of his subsequent degrees part-time.

Gumede joined MUT in Umlazi as a junior lecturer and chose to continue with master’s studies at UKZN thanks to its proximity to MUT and its high rating in terms of its postgraduate offerings, especially in mathematics. He has now chalked up more than ten years’ experience as a lecturer.

He graduated with his master’s from UKZN summa cum laude and continued with PhD studies under the supervision of Professors Sunil Maharaj and Kesh Govinder. His topic tackled the Einstein-Maxwell field equations, part of Einstein’s theory of General Relativity that describes gravitational interactions between bodies.

Gumede sought to find new solutions to these equations for relativistic fluids since exact solutions to the field equations can be used to investigate the physical properties of observable cosmological phenomena like stars. His research applied mathematical equations to the study of physical phenomena as part of his interest in using various techniques to solve differential equations.

This research resulted in new exact solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell field equations in four-dimensional and higher-dimensional spaces, a significant advance in the subject. He has published papers, on First Integrals of Shear-Free Fluids and Complexity and on Charged Shear-Free Fluids and Complexity in First Integrals in the Entropy journal, with a third publication forthcoming.

Achieving such excellent results for his PhD was challenging primarily in terms of time management as Gumede had to balance full-time lecturing with his studies, as well as prioritise time with his wife and two young children. 

‘For me, obtaining a PhD is a dream come true and the culmination of my hard work and resilience,’
said Gumede.

Gumede is committed to his career in academia, aiming to develop his research expertise further to progress in the field and gain new insights into the universe that has always fascinated him. He plans to initiate research collaborations with the contacts he has made through his own studies and supervise postgraduate students as he expands his own research.

He credited Maharaj and Govinder for their support throughout his studies and thanked his family,
friends and colleagues for the motivation, inspiration and contributions they provided.

INSIDE EDUCATION

STAFF REPORTER

GAUTENG Department of Education (GDE) has launched the Mandisa Shiceka Maths, Science, and ICT School of Specialisation with a focus on mining in Kagiso, Mogale City on the West Rand.

The GDE hopes that the new School of Specialisation in Krugersdorp, will pave the way forward for future scientists, entrepreneurs, and mathematicians.

Schools of Specialisation (SoS) seek to advance learners’ skills through a modernised, immersive and dynamic curriculum. Each SoS achieves this by specialising in one of the following fields: Engineering; Maths, Science, and ICT; Commerce and Entrepreneurship; Performing and Creative Arts; and Sports.

In line with the development of Gauteng’s economic corridors, the location and curriculum emphasis present at each SoS is influenced by the specialty of each corridor. Gauteng West has been identified as an area most suitable to establish a school specialising in mining.

The school is named after Mandisa Shiceka who was a well-known anti-apartheid activist in Kagiso and was also a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature from 1995 until 1999.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane says the launch of schools of specialisations seeks to change the path of the system.

“When we say there is a focus on mining, we are not saying we will move away from the standard syllabus but we will enhance it. In every grade, all learners are going to acquire vocational skills,” said Chiloane.

“As a department, we want to create a model citizen in the community. Young people who are able to ask critical questions that are challenging the mining sector.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

GETTING through high school is a challenge in itself. Still, one of the country’s foremost education experts, Professor Jonathan Jansen, the Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, has several tips to help one navigate the schooling system.

Addressing Western Cape high school youth from Ocean View, Fish Hoek and Masiphumelele, organised by Southside Church, part of the Assemblies of God Group in South Africa, Jansen, who grew up on the Cape Flats, recently offered sage advice to learners.

The professor, currently President of the South African Academy of Science, told pupils that they must learn early on study habits (it will change their future) and urged them to hang out with kids who are more intelligent and motivated than them.

Jansen, who began his career as a Biology teacher in the Cape after receiving his science degree from the University of the Western Cape, warned youth about the dangers of social media.

“What you put on your social media platform can come back to haunt you,” he warned.

Furthermore, Jansen told pupils: “Failure is your friend – but only if you can learn from it.”

Mindful that not all teachers will encourage one to succeed, he advised the youth not to listen to their teacher “if his/her words put you down”. Taking it further, Jansen encouraged learners not to take mathematical literacy; that would be the end of most of their study options when they leave school.

In suggesting how to learn, Jansen urged learners to find a safe, secure and quiet place to study, even if that means doing it away from home. In a country looking for role models, he suggested that youth find a mentor who can advise them about life and learning beyond school.

Jansen’s mentor, who helped shape him as the first Black Dean of Education at the University of Pretoria, was respected psychologist Professor Chabani Manganyi, a writer and former Director- General in the Department of Education from 1994-1999.

“One day, he said: ‘You know JJ, your problem is you get angry before you think’. Since that day, I will turn even the most grievous, upsetting problem into an intellectual puzzle.”

One such example was his award-winning book, Knowledge in the blood, about how young white Afrikaans-speaking youth come to embrace a past they were never part of.

He wrote it while serving as UFS rector.

“The day I stop writing is the day I stop breathing. The day I stop thinking is the day I stop existing,” says this avid sports lover for whom writing for five to six hours a day is the best form of relaxation.

“Coming up with new problems to solve through thinking and writing doesn’t feel like working.”

“I hate Fridays, and I love Mondays. I have long given up working. I enjoy it and will do this to the day I die because I love the life of the mind. No surprise, one of the most essential tips from the professor, a prolific writer and author, is that youth should read at least one good book a quarter.

“It opens of language.” “Set an ambitious goal – and move heaven and earth to get there,” concluded Jansen, who obtained an MS degree from Cornell University and a PhD from Stanford. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Vermont, Cleveland State University and the University of Cape Town.

In 2013, he was awarded the Education Africa Lifetime Achiever Award in New York, the Spendlove Award from the University of California for his contributions to tolerance, democracy and human rights, and the largest book award from the British Academy for the Social Sciences and Humanities for his book, Knowledge in the Blood (Stanford University Press).

An A1-rated academic, the former vice-chancellor of the University of Free State, Jansen, certainly knows about success through work. And the endorsements of his work are legendary.

Among this former science teacher’s many accolades are honorary degrees from universities in Scotland, the USA and South Africa, the Education Africa Lifetime Award and Stanford University’s inaugural Alumni Excellence Award. He is an Elected Fellow of the International Academy of Education, and in 2021 received the Human Sciences Research Council and Universities South Africa’s Gold Medal.

Jansen prides himself more on the popular and academic books and articles he has produced, on the young academics he has mentored, on connecting with his Twitter and Facebook followers, and for the past decade, engaging readers through his weekly opinion piece in The Times and other South African newspapers.

A motivational speaker, who cuts through fluff, with frank posts on social media, reckons that he has visited more local schools than most politicians. In recent months he addressed actuarial graduates and a church group in Cape Town and spoke at the 200th-year celebrations of Muir College, the Eastern Cape and South Africa’s oldest boys’ school.

Another message to attendees of the International Chemistry Education Conference was quite clear: “Teach with attitude, teach for meaning, and teach for change.” Asked to describe himself, Jansen keeps it simple: “I am absolutely passionate about teaching and making the world I live in better for others. That’s it.”

To support, prod and challenge others to grow is fundamental to his DNA. As with his two children, he enjoys seeing younger academics grow and helping them realise their personal and intellectual worth. To this end, leading and teaching the first two cohorts of South Africa’s Future Professors Programme, based at SU, provides great joy. It’s built on a concept that Jansen launched as rector of UFS.

It strengthens and prepares senior lecturer-equivalent scholars to take up their positions in the professorate.

“All we do is take very smart people towards the upper reaches of the academic ladder. And I get the thrill, the joy, of seeing senior lecturers in 26 public universities become associate professors, professors. Do you know what a feeling, what a rush that brings to one’s life?” Jansen, who recently welcomed his second grandchild, said one way that parents can know that they’ve raised their children well is “if they become better than you”.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

MINISTER of Sport, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa is determined to ensure that school sports remain the bedrock for development, cascading into a solid pipeline for the future for national teams in various sporting codes building on work which began a decade ago.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) have partnered in spearheading the National School Sports Championships since its inception in 2012.

Soon after his appointment, Kodwa made clear his intention to ensure that the country returns to basics in unearthing the missing gems in the sports, arts and culture sectors. School sport is pivotal to his vision, with Kodwa telling the media that he wants to “catch them young” and lay a stronger foundation for the future.

As such, the National School Sport Championships (NSSC), the foundation of sport development, is the premier event in the South African school sports calendar.

Kodwa and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga have agreed on a partnership agreement endorsing schools’ sports as the incubators for sports development and talent identification.

“The primary aim of the school sports programme is to ensure that every one of South Africa’s schools, primary and high schools, are allowed to participate in at least one sporting code,” he said.

According to Kodwa, the National School Sport Championships remains the natural stimulant of the rollout of the school sports league programme, where children are provided with access to participate in an organised sports programme as endorsed at the 2011 Sports Indaba.

School sports operational structures were established in March 2012 at the National and Provincial levels to coordinate and roll out the schools’ sports program. The programme further seeks to address all the barriers of entry currently inhibiting broad-based participation in school sports by providing the necessary support material, personnel, and competition opportunities.

Kodwa believes that children must be given the tools to learn and play within a conducive environment. Although early in his tenure, Kodwa has been visible, visiting Kgamanyane High School in Moruleng, Rustenburg in the Northwest Province in March, as part of the buildup programme to the annual South African Sports Awards.

Accompanied by the Northwest Provincial Department of Arts, Culture, Sports, and Recreation, MEC Kenetswe Mosenogi, Kodwa, handed over the netball and football equipment and attire to local schools and clubs as part of the ministerial outreach programme.

Kodwa is committed to ensuring that the partnership between his Ministry and the DBE makes tracks of developing of sporting talents in public schools. The future Bafana Bafana or Banyana Banyana stars may not be too far – if Kodwa has his way and his vision is realised.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal, Mbali Frazer, says some schools in the province are facing closure due to low learner enrolment, which makes it difficult to achieve a high quality of teaching and learning.

This decision was based on a report by the department which identified 900 schools that did not meet the minimum requirements outlined in the minimum uniform norms and standards for public schools.

The report states that primary schools with enrolment of less than 135 learners and secondary schools with less than 200 learners do not meet the minimum standards.

However, in KwaZulu-Natal, the province has decided to focus on schools with less than 50 learners in primary schools and less than 100 learners in secondary schools as not meeting the minimum requirements.

The process excludes Special Schools, Schools of Specialisation and Technical Schools, according to the head of department, Nkosinathi Ngcobo.

“This points to the fact that the Department is not ‘trigger happy’ to ‘close’ schools as it has relaxed the minimum requirements of schools which can be deemed as viable,” said Ngcobo.

Mergers and closures of schools is a standard practice that occurs when schools are identified as non-viable and too costly to operate.

There are 3 000 schools nationwide that have been identified as non-viable.

He said the merger and closure of schools is part of the Transformation of the Schooling System programme (TSS) which has six pillars of change; eliminating inequality, creating schools as centres of excellence, streamlining schools into primary and secondary schools, renaming of schools, consolidating small, non-viable schools and Section 14 schools as well as optimal utilisation of human and material resources.

The enrolment drop in some schools is caused by the fact that some schools are built in privately owned land and some land owners are reluctant to sign the Permission to Occupy (PTO) and some chase learners away. 

Faction fights and violence where schools are situated, poor school academic performance and parents deciding to move their children elsewhere, urbanisation in search of better economic opportunities, communities fighting educators and chasing them away and slow pace of infrastructure development in areas where schools are located, are amongst the factors causing the drop of enrolment in the identified schools.

Section 20 (1) of the South African Schools Act (SASA) states that the MEC can merge two or more schools into a single mega school if the enrolment of the school does not meet minimum requirements.

Section 33 of SASA also gives the MEC the authority to close small schools provided that the interests of learners to education and representation from interested and affected parties are considered, thorough consultation of stakeholders has been done, and that safety of learners and educators is prioritised.

Ngcobo said a notice of intent to close the said schools was issued and officials are currently meeting and engaging with the interested and affected parties from the schools affected by School Rationalisation and Re-alignment Process (SRRP).

Learners from the identified schools will be moved to the nearby schools and learner transport will be provided where needed. 

Educators from these schools will be redeployed to the schools where their services will be gainfully utilized.

Frazer said: “No learner will be without a teacher during the school period, and no learner will be forced to stay at home because of the closure of non-viable schools.”

Once the school has been closed, the infrastructure is handed over to the Department of Public Works.

She said some of the schools will be used as schools of skills, focus schools and special schools.

Moreover, other departments may use the schools for community projects. The department said furniture and other assets will be distributed to other schools.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

INSIDE EDUCATION REPORTER

PARENTS of children being home-schooled in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality have proposed a self-regulating mechanism independent of the Department of Basic Education to assist in monitoring learning within the home-schooling environment.

This was one of the suggestions made during the public participation meetings in Gauteng on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill. 

The proposal was premised on the argument that a self-regulating mechanism, similar to the Health Professions Council of South Africa, would be better suited as it will include people who understand the environment and insulate the system against the use of National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) standards.

An argument was also made that structures exist within the home-schooling environment that supports families that have opted for homeschooling.

Another proposal suggested that instead of Clause 37 (b) (iv), which proposes assessment reporting, home-schooled learners could produce a work portfolio indicating their competence standard. This would be in line with international best practices, they further suggested. But parents and learners rejected clause 37 within the home-schooling environment.

Similarl to other public hearings held to date far, the sale of alcohol on school premises was rejected, even if it was for fund-raising purposes. Participants insisted that that selling alcohol sends the wrong message to learners, especially in a country currently struggling with substance abuse. Other avenues can be used to raise funds, they said.

Meanwhile, other participants in the public hearings highlighted that, despite general support of the objects of the Bill, they are against Clause 2(c), which criminalises any person who unlawfully and intentionally interrupts, disturbs or hinders school activity.

This person will be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months. The view was that due to substandard service delivery, communities are forced to take drastic measures to force action from the government. 

Those who supported the Bill also called for an independent body to oversee school governing bodies (SGBs), especially on finance issues. This would assist SGBs that lacked financial experience. 

There were opposing views with regard to the language and admission policy in Gauteng. Those that supported the Bill underscored that there is a lingering culture of exclusion in previous Model-C schools. These people believe that the Bill will address this problem.

However, those against it said that the Bill will marginalise mother-tongue education and take power away from School Governing Bodies (SGBs) to determine language and admission policy. They argued that SGBs remain the most relevant entity to determine language and admission policies because of their proximity to the school. 

The committee welcomed the inputs made in Gauteng and assured participants that their views would be considered when the committee deliberated on the inputs made at the hearings.

INSIDE EDUCATION

IN the hours before he’s due at Upper Darby High School, senior Khalid Doulat has time to say prayers, help his mother or prepare for track practice. It’s a welcome shift from last year for him and thousands of students at the school, which pushed its start time back by more than two hours — from a 7:30 a.m. start time to 9:45 a.m. One goal for the change: to ease strains on students that were more visible than ever coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve been much happier in the mornings,” Doulat said. “I’ve been more positive, and I’ve come to school smiling more rather than, you know, grudging out of bed and stuff like that at 7:30.”

The idea of later school start times, pushed by many over the years as a way to help adolescents get more sleep, is getting a new look as a way to address the mental health crisis affecting teens across the U.S.

For some schools, the pandemic allowed experimentation to try new schedules. Upper Darby, for one, initially considered later start times in 2019. Ultimately, it found a way to do it this year by using distance learning as a component of the school day.

As students first came back to in-person learning, many dealt with mental health struggles and behavioral issues, Upper Darby Superintendent Daniel McGarry said. Officials saw a breakdown in students respecting the authority of teachers in the classroom.

“We had a lot of those things that we were facing and we’re still working our way through it; we’re in a much better place,” McGarry said. “I think our kids feel better. They’re not 100% better.” But, he said, much of the social anxiety students felt after being in online school has dissipated.

During the pandemic, soaring numbers of high school students expressed persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, with girls and LGBTQ+ youth reporting the highest levels of poor mental health and suicide attempts. It doesn’t help that research suggests middle and high school students aren’t getting enough sleep.

“These mental health challenges are already going to happen and then, with the absence of sleep, are much worse,” said Orfeu Buxton, director of the Sleep, Health & Society Collaboratory at Penn State University. “The same with decision making, suicidal ideation, those kinds of things.”

The reasons why high schools start as early as they do — many begin their day before 7:30 a.m. — are “lost to the sands of history,” Buxton said. But now, he said, ”everything is baked into that: traffic light patterns, bus schedules and adults’ work.”

Nationally, at least nine states are considering legislation related to school start times, up from four the previous year, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures. California in 2019 became the first and only state to dictate school start times.

Large school systems including Denver, Philadelphia and Anchorage, Alaska, have been looking into later start times.

It can require innovation to forge a new schedule.

At Upper Darby High, the school day technically still begins at 7:30 a.m., with students assigned coursework to be done remotely that ties into their lessons for the day. But they can use the early morning hours as they see fit — they can meet with teachers during office hours, sleep in or finish other homework. Ultimately, the work assigned for the early morning needs to be done, but when is up to students.

“I think getting more sleep is definitely helping,” Elise Olmstead, a junior. “I would be more irritable throughout the day, especially later, because I have a lot of after-school things. I would just have a harder time getting through the day.”

The school day still ends by 3 p.m.

Fatima Afrani, a freshman, said that when she gets home, she’ll usually relax, then help her mom or do homework.

“If I’m tired I go to sleep, which was not something I was able to do last year. Last year I just had to get my homework done because there wasn’t an option of being able to do it later,” she said. “And so I liked that if I was tired, I could listen to my body and just let myself sleep.”

Principal Matthew Alloway said educators have noticed fewer students sleeping in class. The new schedule also has allowed “kids to go to school for exactly what they need,” he said. About 400 of the school’s 4,250 students attend only through virtual learning — an option it offered to compete with online schools.

Critics have argued students have less instruction time in the new schedule. The original 80-minute periods have been shortened, but Alloway said that it’s not as if lectures always took up the full 80 minutes.

“It was sometimes a 60-minute concentrated instructional time. But then there was time to write. There was time to read. There was time to view a video,” he said.

Other challenges wrought by the pandemic — teacher shortages, for one — have also benefitted from the schedule change, administrators said. Teachers can take care of themselves and their families in the morning. Administrators have more time to replace staffers who call out sick.

Doulat, the Upper Darby senior, said that even if students can’t see the effects every day, there’s been a big positive impact.

“It’s such little changes in our daily lives that we don’t notice it,” he added. “But they slowly start building up, and we actually see the difference within our own lives.”

Brooke Schultz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.