Johnathan Paoli

THE South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) is making inclusive learning and teaching a reality. SADTU, as part of the Teacher Union Collaboration (TUC) programme with other unions in education to complement the Department of Basic Education in training teachers on skills for a changing world, has partnered with Bona Africa to train teachers teaching visually impaired and blind learners in coding and robots.

This unplugged coding and robotics training has been extended to the visually impaired and blind following the successful training of almost 16 000 teachers in mainstream schools in 2022. 

SADTU, through its Curtis Nkondo Professional Development Institute and Ubuntu Africa, are training teachers from schools for the visually impaired across all nine provinces in a series of 16 workshops in September to reach 600 teachers.

Workshops have already been conducted in some special schools in the Free State, KwaZulu Natal, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape provinces, and these were fully embraced by visually impaired teachers as well. 

The teachers provided valuable lessons for the Institute, providing insight into their needs for successful professional development. This showed that learning is a two-way process.

Apart from reaching out to the teachers who are normally marginalised in professional development initiatives, this training will positively impact the visually impaired and blind learners as it will open the world of opportunities and positively impact their world and future.

Explaining SADTU’s interest in shifting the coding and robotics training to capacitate teachers from schools for the visually impaired, SADTU General Secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the move was motivated by the Union’s commitment towards the promotion of our inclusive agenda by ensuring the development of an education system which is fully accessible to all, is equal and is of quality. 

“SADTU and the Institute, through this training, will ensure that these teachers and learners are not left behind in the teaching and learning the skills for a changing world. We will make every effort, especially with the strengthened curriculum, to ensure that all learners benefit from innovation,” Maluleke said. 

Bona Africa ( a collaboration between Tangible Africa and Bona uBuntu) is providing the content for the training. The teachers are provided with training and supporting materials that are fully accessible to the blind. They will use these to implement coding at the school level. For the blind learners, their kit includes tactile tokens and is available in braille. 

Tangible Africa has worked with SADTU since the training of teachers from mainstream schools. The organisation has also partnered with various teacher unions in South Africa to train teachers in coding.

Its founder, Head of Department, and Associate Professor at the Nelson Mandela University Computing Sciences Department, Professor Jean Greyling, said the organisation was committed to bridging the digital divide by making coding more inclusive to visually impaired youth across South Africa.

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Staff Reporter

Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said the Basic Education Department Committee has concluded deliberations on the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill. 

She said this brings the Bill, which has been more than 20 years in the making, a step closer to being enacted. 

Some of the proposals adopted today include making Grade R the new compulsory school-starting age, penalties for parents who do not ensure their children are in school and confirmation that corporal punishment is no longer allowed at schools with penalties for those found guilty of such offences.
 
Regarding language policy, the amendment states that the governing body must submit the language policy of a public school and any amendment thereof to the Head of department for approval. 

The language policy must also consider the language needs of the broader community. After consultation with the school’s governing body, the committee further adopted the proposed amendment that the Head of the department has the final authority to admit a learner to a public school.
 
The contentious proposed amendment regarding home education was partially agreed to. When considering an application, this amendment provided for the Head of the department to require a delegated official to conduct a pre-registration site visit. 

The adopted amendment now provides that such learners must still be registered, but that site visits are optional. Furthermore, a report at the end of each phase will now be required by a qualified educator or assessor to prove the learner’s competency.
 
Some proposed amendments were scrapped in totality. The proposed amendment regarding the sale of alcohol on school premises after hours during functions was not supported by the committee. 

The proposed amendment dealing with members of a governing body that must disclose on an annual basis their financial interests and the financial interests of their spouses, partners and immediate family members also did not garner the support and was deemed too onerous a task.
 
Mbinqo-Gigaba said the proposed amendments are to align the legislation with developments in the education landscape and to ensure that systems of learning are put in place in a manner that gives effect to the right to primary education as enshrined in section 29(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
 
She said the committee extensively deliberated on all clauses in the Bill. “In some instances, all members agreed that certain proposed amendments did not belong to the Bill and ensured that they were removed, whereas in other cases, the committee vigorously debated clauses and retained them. This is all to ensure that we better the education landscape of the next generation.

“The committee held extensive public hearings in all provinces, oral submissions were heard in Parliament from stakeholders and thousands of written submissions were considered when debating and drafting this legislation. This speaks of a Parliament that engages and listens to the people.” 

The committee is expected to meet next week to adopt the final Bill before it is referred to the National Assembly for debate and consideration. 

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Johnathan Paoli

THE national department of Tourism and the Gauteng department of Economic Development announced the upcoming National Tourism Careers Expo 2023 to be held at Nasrec, and expected to draw as many as 10 000 learners and teachers from across the country.

The Department of Tourism, Culture Arts, Tourism, Hospitality & Sport Education Training Authority (CATHSSETA), in conjunction with the Gauteng Department of Economic Development, and its provincial marketing agency, the Gauteng Tourism Authority, will be launching the collaborative effort, under the theme “Tourism Investments for People, Planet and Prosperity” from 29 September to 1 October.

Launching the NTCE 2023, the Deputy Minister of Tourism Fish Mahlalela said South Africa was rebuilding its tourism sector to ensure its sustainability for future generations.

“A robust recovery plan needs to be firmly anchored in a bold strategy that will position the economy on an upward trajectory and growth path. But to drive the growth and recovery of the tourism sector, we need to boost the talent pool, and therefore a demand-led skills supply is therefore pivotal,” said Mahlalela.

The ministry said that entrance to the NTCE 2023 will be free and include motivational talks by leading local tourism entrepreneurs and personalities, tourism educator seminars, exhibitions by local tourism products and related services.

This follows on the impact of Covid-19 and the slow but steady recovery of the tourism industry, as well as government’s attempts at mitigating the notoriously high youth unemployment rate.

However, the tourism sector in South Africa faces several impediments to growth and development, which obstruct job creation. Some of these challenges include crime, a lack of funding and skills, and immigration problems.

Tourism South Africa, the tourism marketing arm of the South African government, has previously come under serious criticism in parliament for receiving a qualified audit opinion from the Auditor General for the 2020/2021 financial year. The first time in 17 years that this had happened.

In addition, this follows on the recent compromise reached between Cabinet, the Tourism department, and organisations such as Afriforum, in effectively adjusting the Tourism Equity Fund (TEF) from 51% to 30% in the requirements for Black ownership in the R1.2 billion fund.

The TEF is an equity acquisition fund managed by the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) on behalf of the Department of Tourism, with the purpose to promote the participation of Black enterprises within the tourism industry and provide a combination of debt finance and grant to facilitate equity acquisition and new project development in the tourism sector by black entrepreneurs.

The department said that it will capitalise the fund with an amount of R540 million, which will be matched by a contribution of R120m from the Small Enterprise Finance Agency, and R594m from commercial banks that will be participating in the programme.

Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille said last week that the target was to have the TEF fully disbursed by March next year and to develop and implement mechanisms to unlock the implementation of the TEF to ensure black ownership within the confines of the law and support small to medium enterprises in the tourism sector.

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Johnathan Paoli

SADTU Vice-President for Education, Faseega Solomon, in conjunction with founders Jean Greyling and Robyn Fick, showcased  the coding and robotics workshop for disabled learners as the foundation for the Future Union Collaboration Project which seeks to expand inclusivity for learners in the country.

Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday during a workshop held at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Solomon said when the Department of Basic Education (DBE) presented a framework of 21st century skills, Sadtu decided upon coding and robotics as an important sphere, not only for its fundamental role in the changing digital economy, but due to the taboo, ignorance and fear educators faced and felt when confronting this area of expertise. 

In addition, Solomon said that this is only the beginning, that after the successful implementation of this programme, conversations would follow between the DBE and the Department of Higher Education (DHE) over institutionalising this training on a more permanent level within the curriculum of prospective teachers studying at universities and colleges.

“We know it’s not enough, but we hope to take this further and expand this training to as many teachers as possible,” Solomon said. 

Tangible Africa founder Jean Greyling, said that 16 000 out of 25 000 schools do not have computer laboratories and that projects like these play a vital role in engaging the “digital divide” in the country.

For disabled learners, this problem is compounded by the high cost of translating learning material into braille, adding another dimensional challenge to their effective inclusion, he said.

In addition, Solomon said that coding and robotics as a skill development programme remains an integral part in education transformation as it teaches learners critical thinking and problem solving. 

“It’s not about coding at primary school, coding is just a tool to teach kids how to solve problems, how to communicate, to strategise,” Greyling said.

Furthermore, Greyling said that the current project was aimed at what he calls low-entry training for teachers consisting of four hours of training in order to equip them with the material and skills in teaching visually impaired and blind learners.

Considering the long and arduous journey in relation to the insitutionalisation of these skills at university and college level, the short amount of time and resources needed in order to equip teachers would be advantageous in providing the tools directly into the hands of the people on the front-line of education, without the bureaucratic delays of a curriculum change, a shift that can take up to four years. 

Bona uBuntu founder, Robyn Fick, praised the collaboration between unions, NGOs and government and said that this was in line with the main aim of her organisation, namely that all children with visual impairments are fully included in all levels of society. 

“We want inclusion in action, we want ALL children to be included,” Fick said. 

Through the use of gaming apps, Fick said that a project involving 300 learners from across PE, illustrated the manner in which children are taught inclusion. 

Fick said in a competition held on 18 July this year, with a mixed group of able-bodied and visually impaired children, the abled learners did not even realise they were engaging with disabled learners.

Professor Greyling stressed the desperate need for advocacy to assist in the transformation of the way society and even teachers view education saying that union advocacy already shifted the national opinion on coding and robotics, and that advocacy in other levels such as universities and NGOs should be a priority for the unions, teachers and learners. 

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Johnathan Paoli

THE South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu), in conjunction with Bona Africa kicked off a workshop on coding and robotics for the visually impaired at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, on Thursday.

This forms part of the Teacher Union Collaboration (TUC) programme with other unions in education to complement the Department of Basic Education in training teachers on skills for a changing world. 

TUC has partnered with Bona Africa to train educators teaching visually impaired and blind learners in coding and robotics. This initiative comes after almost 16 000 teachers in mainstream schools were trained in 2022.

SADTU through its Curtis Nkondo Professional Development Institute and Ubuntu Africa is training teachers from schools for the visually impaired across all nine provinces in a series of 16 workshops during September with the aim of reaching 600 teachers.

SADTU General-Secretary, Mugwena Maluleke, said that the move was motivated by the union’s commitment towards the promotion of an inclusive agenda by ensuring the development of an education system which is fully accessible to all, is equal, and is of quality. 

“SADTU and the Institute, through this training, will ensure that these teachers and learners are not left behind in the teaching and learning of the skills for a changing world. We will make every effort, especially with the strengthened curriculum, to ensure that all learners benefit from innovation,” Maluleke said.

The teachers’ union said that workshops that have already been conducted in certain special schools in the Free State, KwaZulu Natal, Easter Cape and Northern Cape provinces were fully embraced by visually impaired teachers as well as students.

Tangible Africa, founded by Professor Jean Greyling, head of the Nelson Mandela University Computing Sciences Department, is an organisation that has worked with SADTU and other teacher unions in South Africa to train teachers in coding.

Bona Africa, a partnership between Tangible Africa and Bona uBuntu, has collaborated with SADTU to provide the content for the training.

Some of the challenges in teaching coding to visually impaired and blind people in South Africa include the lack of adequate infrastructure, learner teacher support materials (LTSM), basic assistive devices, and safety at the schools for the visually impaired and blind in the country. 

This makes it difficult for the teachers and learners to access and use the necessary resources and tools for coding and robotics, this was highlighted at the workshop.

In addition, the lack of sufficient training and professional development for the teachers who teach coding and robotics to the visually impaired and blind learners, resulted in these teachers being marginalised in professional development initiatives, and therefore needed more support and guidance to implement coding at a school level.

According to Bona Africa, the lack of awareness and inclusion of the visually impaired and blind learners in the coding and robotics curriculum and activities could be seen as part of a digital divide that excludes these learners from the skills for a changing world, and more opportunities and innovation are needed in order to bridge this gap.

The union said the teachers will be given training and supporting materials that are accessible to the blind and will be used to implement coding at school level.

In addition, the provision for blind learners of learning kits which include tokens that are tactile and available in braille.

As it stands, there have been various software programmes established that can assist the visually impaired with accessing computers, such as screen readers, magnifiers, voice recognition, and braille displays, provided by organisations, such as Blind SA, the SA National Council for the Blind, and the SA Library for the Blind. 

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Lerato Mbhiza 

The Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) confirmed on Tuesday that payments have been made to beneficiaries studying at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges countrywide for the month of September.

It said payments through its direct payment solution were affected for all students whose valid registration data has been received from institutions. 

NSFAS direct payment solution was introduced to TVETs in November 2022. The fund disbursed a total of R3,1 billion to 206,539 TVET college beneficiaries since the commencement of the 2023 academic year. 

“These payments were affected for all students whose valid registration data has been received from institutions. 

“This is worth celebrating as it is evident that NSFAS efforts to perfect the new payment system and adequately pay allowances on time are paying off, ” NSFAS said in a statement. 

Beneficiaries at TVET colleges were paid on 25 August 2023 whilst those at universities were paid on 2 September 2023, said the statement and added that there were students who have been paid but cannot retrieve their money because they have not yet fully authenticated themselves.. 

NSFAS  said  it remains committed to ensuring that all NSFAS beneficiaries are on boarded onto the new system and get to enjoy all the value-added services associated with the NSFAS Bank Account well into the 2024 academic year. 

“We encourage students with applications that still require relevant supporting documents to urgently upload supporting documents as failure to do so will result in the applications being canceled. The applicants were sent messages via email and SMS requesting them to upload supporting documents within a specified period,” it added. 

Last month, NSFAS appointed Werksmans Incorporated to investigate allegations against the NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo and review the entity’s procurement systems and processes. 

Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi SC and Mr Sandile July have been assigned to lead the investigation. 

The appointment follows the recent Board decision on the matter. 

“Once again, the Board of Directors wishes to reiterate its commitment to clean governance,” said Board Chairperson Mr Ernest Khosa. The investigation will commence in the new week, beginning Monday, August 21, 2023.

But a few days after that decision, Nongogo resigned.

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Staff Reporter

Ahead of this week’s School Sport Indaba, the Minister of Sport Zizi Kodwa wished the Springboks all the best before their match against Scotland. The defending champions thumped the Scots 18 – 3 on Sunday.

On Thursday and Friday next week, 14 and 15 September, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture will host a School Sports Indaba.

Kodwa said the Springboks represent the best of South Africa. “They inspire national unity, and Foster social cohesion and national identity. This was captured by President Nelson Mandela during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, where the Springboks were a key ingredient to his message of national unity.”

He added that the current Springboks represent this country’s diversity, and represent South African excellence with their performances.

“On behalf of all South Africans, I would like to wish the Bokke all the best in the World Cup. Do your best and make us proud. Bring it back Bokke!”

Kodwa said the Indaba aims to establish a national sports programme for South Africa, that is benchmarked against the world’s most effective school sports programmes.

One of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture priorities is grassroots sports development. The School Sports Indaba will go a long way towards strengthening our focus on grassroots sports development through early identification and nurturing of sporting talent.

The Sports Indaba will see over 30 organisations, as well as teacher unions, sports federations, international bodies and governments, gather to exchange and come up with a blueprint for South African schools’ sports.

“I look forward to welcoming you to this important endeavour.”

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Staff Reporter

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane is determined to address the bullying and violence which may have been behind the reasons for children taking their own lives at schools.

Alarmed by the statistic that about 40 pupils from Gauteng schools took their own lives in the past year, Chiloane announced plans to work with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group to reduce suicide among pupils.

“As the department, we are devastated by these deaths and believe those numbers constitute far too many young lives that have been taken away from their families, friends and our schools before reaching their full potential. We pledge our solidarity and support to the families and friends that were befallen by these tragic, premature deaths,” said the MEC.

Acknowledging that children at schools may be subject to various challenges such as depression, bullying, violence and online abuse, the MEC said providing solutions to help them was imperative.

Therefore, the department has engaged 500 learner support agents to help establish early warning mechanisms and give peer counselling to support 1 200 schools. An additional 120 social workers will assist with the risk assessment of learners; 500 Ke Moja coaches will assist with substance abuse awareness; and popularise the Childline toll-free number [116] to provide counselling services free of charge for learners and educators.

He said they would also implement additional measures through a partnership with the Matthew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance; the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag); Childline; the Teddy Bear Foundation; and the National Association of Child and Youth Care Workers to help pupils and teachers deal with challenges that may lead to suicide or suicidal ideation.

“Our talks with learners and their parents will also focus on debunking common suicide myths, raising awareness about the kind of language to use when referring to suicide, and general advice on dealing with people displaying suicidal signs.”

“There are more actions that will be implemented to improve school safety and learner wellbeing. These will be priority actions around which crucial resources and communities will be mobilised,” he said.

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Staff Reporter

THE Education Sector Committee of the National Commission for UNESCO in South Africa, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and JET Education Services, hosted their 5th Teacher Conversation Webinar recently.

The conversation took place with three award winning South African teachers who were finalists of the Global Teacher Prize, a US $1 million award presented annually by the Varkey Foundation to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession. These teachers shared their journeys, including their joys and struggles, and how they dealt with obstacles.

Palesa Tyobeka, Chairperson of the Education Sector Committee of the SA National Commission for UNESCO, spoke of the importance of teachers in society. She said knowledge and education are the basis for all things that can be accomplished in life; and teachers provide the power of education to youth thereby giving them the possibility for a better future, Teachers simplify the complex, and make abstract concepts accessible to students. She further said the centrality of teachers is showing through more in themes for Global UNESCO initiatives. The theme for World Teachers’ Day 2023 for instance is “The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers” and for the focus on dealing with violence and bullying it is: “Not on my watch: the role of teachers in preventing and addressing school violence.”

Again, demonstrates the centrality of teachers not only in the education endeavour but in the broader development of communities. The Teacher Conversations assist in creating a platform for teachers to share and learn from each other as they grow in their profession. Tyobeka congratulated the organisers of the Conversation Series for paying attention to matters of inclusion by ensuring that there are sign language interpreters in the Conversations, particularly in light of the declaration of Sign Language as the 12th South African Language.

Prof Sarah Gravett, Professor of Education and former Dean of the Faculty of Education at UJ, facilitated the conversation by introducing the three South African teachers who were among the top 50 finalists in the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize and were asked to share their journeys with fellow teachers and educationists.

Phuti Ragophala, a retired school principal, who grew up in rural Limpopo, wanted to become a nurse, but became a qualified teacher instead – journeying from a learner under a tree to a Cloud teacher. Ragophala is a Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator, pioneering the integration of technology in the classroom, and has received many awards in recognition of her achievements.

“Teachers can redefine teaching and learning through technology and should embrace the importance of continued and lifelong learning; they should be willing to take risks and use stumbling blocks as stepping stones,” Ragophala said.

Wendy Horn, District Director for Education in the Western Cape Province, feels that her current position assists her to give back to education by uplifting schools and assisting teachers and principals in unblocking bottlenecks.

Horn, a beneficiary of Government’s Funza Lushaka bursary which seeks to attract quality matriculants to train as teachers in scarce skills areas, went on to win in two National Teaching Awards (NTAs) categories. She is passionate about Science, Technology, Coding and Robotics, and about empowering girls to become global leaders in these fields through participating in international championships.

Horn sees the need to develop critical and analytical thinkers with good critical thinking skills, for them to collaborate across different cultural groupings in a world that is shrinking with the use of social media platforms and the Internet.

Marjorie Brown finished in the Top 10 of the Global Teacher Prize. She is a former human rights activist, teaching History to girls in South Africa and encouraging social justice, critical thinking, and global citizenship. Her students have gone on to represent South Africa at youth forums, the Paris Climate Talks, and various Ivy League universities.

She also started and still leads the Kids Lit in SA programme, devoted to improving children’s literacy. This international competition was founded 26 years ago. South Africa has won three times over the past 13 years, despite it being the poorest country to participate. “Teachers must understand the context of learners to understand their challenges. There is a lack of literacy, reading skills and social entrepreneurial programmes. Education is about humans engaging with each other, more than with just textbooks.”

In conclusion, Dr James Keevy, JET CEO, reminded delegates about the South African Council for Educators’ (SACE’s) professional teaching standards for South African teachers, consisting of ten standards that are necessary and interlinking components of professional practice.

Teachers who are well-trained, supported and valued are essential to ensuring quality education for all and achieving UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4, towards quality education.

For this reason, the 2023 World Teacher’s Day theme, “The transformation of Education starts with teachers”, is applicable to all teachers and not only those attending the Teacher Conversation Webinar.

INSIDE EDUCATION