PHUTI MOSOMANE

GAUTENG MEC for Education Matome Chiloane has criticized the Democratic Alliance (DA) for making “sensationalist and opportunistic” allegations that he is violating the rights of Relebogile Secondary School learners to access basic education.

This comes after the DA’s Gauteng shadow MEC for Education Khume Ramulifho reported Chiloane to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for violating Relebogile Secondary School learners’ right to access basic education.

The learners of Relebogile Secondary School have not been attending school since 9 February due to a sinkhole that appeared, which has put their safety at risk, and led to the school being shut down.

But Chiloane has come out guns blazing, saying the allegations by the DA that he is denying the learners their rights to education is a cheap Public Relations (PR) stunt.

“It’s sensationalist and opportunistic response to the unfortunate situation in Khutsong where a massive sinkhole has led to disruptions in learning and teaching at Relebogile Secondary School,” he said.

Ramulifho said the department is aware of the issue, and the DA has on several occasions engaged the MEC; however, he has failed to deliver on his promise to provide alternative accommodation to ensure that learning and teaching resume at this school.

Chiloane said several interventions have been undertaken and learners are attending classes at the nearby schools. 

“Firstly, we would like to dispel an insinuation peddled by the DA that the Gauteng Education Department (GDE) is not doing anything to ensure that the impact of the sinkhole at Relebogile Secondary does not negatively affect the learners longer than necessary,” said Chiloane.

“Since February, when the matter came to our attention, several interventions have been undertaken to minimise the negative impact of the disaster on Relebogile learners. The first step was to, naturally, ensure that we protect the lives of all who use the school by immediately evacuating and stopping classes so that we do not put our learners and officials; lives at risk. Once that was done, we ensured that Relebogile learners were accommodated at a neighbouring school as an interim measure, with their classes taking place between 12h00 and 17h00 daily.”

MEC Chiloane added that the school, working with the district, was also implementing a catch-up programme for learners while waiting for a permanent solution.

At the moment, about 28 mobile classes have been delivered to an identified site to accommodate affected learners. Plans are also afoot to finalise water connectivity so that learners can occupy the mobile units as soon as reasonably possible.

He said further plans are in progress to accommodate all Grade 12 learners at a camp in due course, with the intention to assist them before their final examination.

Ramulifho told Inside Education that Chiloane has not done much since February.

“I think the MEC is out of his depth. This thing broke out on February 09, 2023- the MEC only sent a team on Friday following my visit.  We want him to be proactive. He must get mobile classrooms.

 “I personally called MEC Chiloane when I visited the areas pleading with him to send his team,” said in an interview with Inside Education. 

He said because Khutsong is far removed from the main city centres, the department is relaxed knowing very well chances of media visiting and exposing the problem is limited. 

“While we know that this is not a man-made thing, we expect the MEC to have developed alternative plans by now,” he said.

He urged the MEC to provide an attendant register since February as proof that learners have been attending classes.

On Monday, Chiloane also lambasted Ramulifho for deliberately misinterpreting the Department’s information on the number of dropouts in the province.

“To claim that more than 110 000 children dropped out of our schools last year shows how little Ramulifho understands Gauteng’s complex schooling system. Our data shows that the 110 000 learners he is referring to are learners lost to the system in the last 12 years in total – from 2010 to 2022. Those learners are not in the system for various reasons, including, but not limited to, moving to private schools or out of the province, some failed and migrated to other Countries. We will continue to monitor the situation at the school and ensure that we provide more support, as needed. We call for patience and urge the community to allow us to implement our interventions so that our children do not suffer any further,” he said.

Chiloane requested all stakeholders to refrain from exploiting the natural catastrophe at the expense of Gauteng learners. 

The DA had claimed that parents of 10 learners have already indicated that they will be relocating their children to other provinces. In addition, Ramulifho said he fears that more learners may leave or drop out of school, adding to the over 100 000 dropout rates from 2022.

Khutsong is known for having sinkholes, which become more prevalent after heavy rains.

In February, a large sinkhole emerged at the Relebogile High School affecting the toilets and left holes in certain parts of the building.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

PROGRESS in reducing the number of pit latrines at schools throughout South Africa has been made since 2018, according to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, in response to a question in Parliament.

She said sanitation projects at 2 547 schools had been completed out of the 3 397 on the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) list.

Responding to a question from Inkatha Freedom Party Member of Parliament, Siphosethu Lindinkosi Ngcobo on 12 April, the Minister said the remaining 850 schools on the list had been allocated to implementing agents, and the sanitation projects are scheduled to be completed in the current financial year.

Ngcobo asked the Minister what the reasons that her department has not been able to eradicate pit latrines sooner, considering that some of her department’s budget for the eradication of pit latrines has been returned to the National Treasury and the fact that her department will not achieve its target to eradicate pit toilets by 2025.

The question followed the death of four-year-old Langalam Viki, who allegedly drowned in a pit latrine toilet in Vaalbank in Eastern Cape in March. The tragedy highlighted the failure of the Department of Basic Education to get rid of pit latrine toilets, despite adopting the minimum uniform norms and standards for public school infrastructure, which banned them at schools in 2013.

The norms and standards created a legal responsibility for the department and provincial departments to eradicate pit latrines at schools. Over the past decade, there have been many horror stories like that of Viki, including 7-year-old Lister Magongwa, who died in 2013 in Limpopo, 5-year-old Oratilwe Dilwane, who died in 2016 in North West, and 6-year-old Siyamthanda Mtunu, who died in 2017 in the Eastern Cape.

Motshekga said that in 1996, the Department of Education assessed the infrastructure at all public schools.

At the time, it was estimated that about 9 000 schools had no appropriate toilets; and were dependent on basic pit toilets.

She said that as part of the SAFE Initiative launched in 2018, an assessment was conducted to determine the number of schools dependent on basic pit toilets.

At the time, it was estimated that the number of schools dependent on basic pit toilets had reduced to 3898.

She said that several of the 3898 schools were small and unviable and subsequently rationalised and closed,” she said.

Further to the rationalisation and closure of small and unviable schools, Motshekga said the SAFE project focused on 3 397; after-schools were not part of the original list in 2018 but were now included.

Civil society organisations, Equal Education and Amnesty International have consistently raised the issue, highlighting the tardiness of the department in swiftly eradicating pit latrine toilets.

The Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen said last month that Human Rights Day could only be commemorated once every child had access to safe and dignified sanitation at school.

“The drowning of our children in pit toilets goes far beyond a human rights violation; it is a horror that no South African should ever be forced to contemplate,” Steenhuisen said.

According to Motshegka, all pit latrines will be eradicated by 2025.

INSIDE EDUCATION

STAFF REPORTER

THE BambaLearn App launched by Afrika Tikkun Bambanani (ATB) last week will allow young children to develop their critical thinking and reach their milestones through play. Created by experts and designed for (and loved by) children ages 2-6 years, this app ensures that age-appropriate milestones are reached through rigorous performance monitoring through games.

These include various educational puzzles, story books, numeracy activities, problem-solving games, literacy, shapes, tracing, counting, and letter and number recognition. This app ensures that no child is left behind by enabling stronger learners to work ahead and providing extra revision and repetition for weaker learners.

The goal is to improve and standardise the ECD content in the country’s ECD centres, empowering practitioners to spend more time with the children. The ATB assessment centre ensures that no child or teacher is left behind. ATB provides tracking sheets and termly reports to monitor learner progression, focusing on critical developmental milestones, screening tools to red-flag learners that require intervention, and practitioner tracking and evaluating.

“The period from birth to six years old is the most vital stage of brain development for children, and these informative years represent a crucial window of opportunity for education. The ATB programme is developed to ensure early childhood care and education that is truly inclusive. It is much more than just preparation for Grade 1; ECD is the foundation for emotional well-being and learning throughout life and is one of the best investments a country can make as it promotes holistic development, gender equality and social cohesion,” said the passionate ATB programme
CEO, Theresa Michael.

INSIDE EDUCATION

STAFF REPORTER

THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) are making inroads in increasing voter registration figures amongst learners through the Schools Democracy Education Programme.

Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga and IEC Commissioner Judge Dhaya Pillay have launched the 2023 Schools Democracy Month to promote Civic and Democracy Education within the school environment across all nine provinces.

The launch took place at Platinum Village Secondary School in the North West Province on Thursday, 13 April 2023. North West MEC for Education, Ms Viola Motsumi and representatives from various spheres of Government joined Minister Motshegka during the launch.

In her address, Judge Pillay paid attention to the fundamentals of Schools Democracy and Civic Education in the context of the schooling system. According to the IEC, Civic Education is meant to empower young people with critical information to transform communities for the better.

“There has to be a collaborative effort between Government and civil society to maximise the participation of young people in electoral processes, which is one of the most critical mechanisms used to sustain democracy. Young people are future leaders, and their voices should be considered in various spheres of Government. Schools Democracy remains a critical tool to strengthen democracy in communities,” remarked Judge Pillay.

Speaking during the launch, Motshekga said that the celebration of Democracy Month allowed the nation to acknowledge the sacrifices made by various struggle icons in the fight against the apartheid system.

“Their tireless efforts and determination have laid the groundwork for us to continue building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society,” she said.

The Minister also indicated that Government would need to work hard to ensure equality and justice by fostering the rule of law.

“Maintaining the rule of law and fighting corruption cannot be overstated. Corruption robs the poor of basic services and resources they desperately need to improve their lives. We must recommit to the prudent use of public resources, which will go a long way in deepening the rebuilding of our justice institutions.”

The Minister added that the launch of Schools Democracy Month initiatives should offer school communities an opportunity to reflect on the progress made thus far in transforming society.

During Freedom Month, the DBE has chosen to host a series of sector-specific community engagements to commemorate and dub this month as Schools Democracy Month.

The IEC, the Department and PEDs will collaborate to promote electoral democracy literacy to young South Africans in public schools nationwide. Schools Democracy Week, which began yesterday (24 April), runs until 30 April to empower South African youth with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for active citizenship.

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STAFF REPORTER

UNIVERSITY of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Clinical Medicine has partnered with an international outreach project known as the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Institute. Located at the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, USA) and ECHO India, the project aims to strengthen its reach to healthcare professionals in peripheral hospital sites in KwaZulu-Natal.

Recently, the Adult and Paediatric Nephrology Outreach Programme was launched at UKZN’s Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine.

ECHO Project Manager at UKZN, Dr Serela Ramklass, said: “We are excited to partner with the ECHO Institute and ECHO India that facilitates the link between primary care clinicians at hospitals across the province with specialist faculty from the School of Clinical Medicine.

Collectively, we can improve patients’ health outcomes and quality of life at peripheral sites through shared knowledge on patient assessment and management through mentoring and feedback.”

Team leader for the Adult and Paediatric Nephrology UKZN-ECHO Programme, Associate Professor Rajendra Bhimma, said: “We will focus on nephrology conditions (both in paediatrics and adults) which are most common in our region.

The general discussions will allow all regional and district hospitals to participate. The project will deal with clinical cases presented by doctors either at central or peripheral hospitals and will be followed by a clinicopathological discussion around the case.”

Head of UKZN and Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital Nephrology, Dr Sudesh Hariparshad, noted how South Africa has one nephrologist for a population of 2.5 million.

“It is important to note that Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in its early stages is a silent disease and may only become apparent when more than 50 percent of the function of the kidneys is lost. Therefore, patients must be screened, managed and referred appropriately at primary healthcare levels.”

Academic Leader of Medical Registrars at UKZN and Head of the Clinical Unit of Paediatrics at the King Edward VIII Hospital, Dr Kimesh Naidoo, presented on Glomerulonephritis (GN). Naidoo highlighted a case study of an eleven-year-old patient who presented at a local clinic with ‘coke-like’ or ‘tea-coloured’ urine, a slight headache and no health issues at school.

He was discharged but presented a week later with mild pedal oedema, high blood pressure (BP), and macroscopic haematuria, which was diagnosed as nephritis.

“The need to determine when such cases require referral to specialists and sub-specialist levels of care with most cases of nephritis can be adequately managed at primary health care levels,” said Naidoo.

INSIDE EDUCATION

EDWIN NAIDU

THE spokesperson for the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Ishmael Mnisi, declined to comment on a Sunday report highlighting tension over media coverage of the minister.

According to the report, the minister, Blade Nzimande, expressed his frustration with what he sees as attempts to undermine him in the media.

Nzimande complained about being overshadowed by his second-in-command, Deputy Minister Buti Manamela, Director-General Nkosinathi Sishi, deputy director Lucky Masuku, and Mnisi himself when it comes to coverage in the media.

“Our view is that it remains an internal matter,” Mnisi told Inside Politics when asked about the reports.

An audio recording of the exchange was made public on social media, where the Minister can be heard asking whether someone was against him.

“Why? Is there someone with an issue against me in the department? I am never covered by the DHET wall. Never, yet I am the department’s chief spokesperson for both the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Higher Education. Now I want an explanation here today as to why that is the case,” the minister said.

Nzimande can be heard telling his team that he felt let down by them, and it was creating tension between him and Manamela and Sishi, as this was not the first time it had happened.

Angering him further was the “embarrassing” lack of coverage of him when launching the country’s second computer laboratory.

“Here I am, the chief spokesperson of the department. Now I am not in competition, DG. We should never in the future have any functions competing with the minister’s functions, even with the deputy minister,” he said.

“I said when I start speaking, please go to the DHET wall right at the same time, and who is captured speaking is the DG. I do not have a problem with the DG being covered. But what the wall is doing is interchanging between the DG and the deputy minister. I was not covered on Friday, by the way,“ Nzimande said.

The Minister said it was not the first time he had been overlooked concerning coverage on the department’s wall.

“In many instances, I am speaking there, and the wall is covering the deputy minister. In essence, what the communication team is doing is deliberately causing tension between myself and the deputy minister by doing so,” he said, according to the recording.

On Sunday, Nzimande’s media team issued an advisory, saying that Nzimande will officially open the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Education Faculty precinct and the Unibell Student Accommodation on Monday.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has uncovered evidence suggesting that over R5 billion of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funds may have been disbursed to students who were not eligible for financial assistance.

During a recent briefing to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), SIU head Andy Mothibi provided details on how this money had been used to illegally fund students who did not meet the criteria for financial aid.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that approximately 40,000 students across 76 institutions of higher education were awarded financial assistance from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), despite having a household income that exceeded the maximum threshold of R350,000.

The SIU has the authority to initiate legal action in the High Court or a Special Tribunal, on its behalf, to remedy any wrongdoing uncovered during its investigations involving corruption, fraud, or maladministration.

In accordance with the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act 74 of 1996, any evidence of criminal activity discovered by the SIU will be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for further action.

During a briefing to the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts, officials from the Department of Higher Education and NSFAS provided updates on their investigations into the National Skills Fund and NSFAS. 

Higher Education DG Dr Nkosinathi Sishi noted that NSFAS is supporting 26 public universities, 50 colleges, and 9 community education training programs (excluding SETAS).

Sishi revealed that the funding allocated to working-class students has increased significantly from R21 billion in 2018 to R47 billion in the current term. 

He also said that the number of students funded by NSFAS has increased from 586,000 in 2018 to 770,000 in 2021, with 80% of university students now receiving NSFAS funding to ensure access to higher education.

NSFAS Chairperson Ernest Khosa praised the transparency of the SIU’s investigations and expressed his satisfaction that the figures presented were in line with expectations.

He noted that the identification of fraudulent beneficiaries and exposure of mafias in student accommodations could help improve the execution of NSFAS’s mandate.

NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo reported that the institution had received 37 fraud cases during the current financial period, with 14 cases having been finalized, 7 still in progress, and 16 not yet reviewed due to capacity constraints. 

While the amount of illegitimate payments reported by NSFAS differed slightly from the SIU’s findings, Nongogo stated that the organization was fully committed to cooperating with the SIU’s investigations.

Members of the committee expressed concern about the recovery of the more than R5 billion in illegitimate payments made by NSFAS and questioned how the institution plans to address the issue.

INSIDE EDUCATION

PHUTI MOSOMANE

DUE to tender irregularities, most of the 5,400 schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), which are beneficiaries of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP), were without food this week, causing hundreds of thousands of learners to go hungry upon returning from their Easter Holidays.

The Department of Education in KZN awarded a single individual a multi-million rand tender to supply food to schools across the province.

The scandal has put the department’s planning under the spotlight, and the MEC of education, Mbali Frazer, has promised to address the issues as soon as possible.

However, the details about who was awarded the tender remain undisclosed.

There are concerns that tenders are often awarded through corruption and irregularities, and the ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Chairperson, Zwakele Mncwango, has called for transparency on how the tender was awarded.

The restoration of the NSNP is expected to take place by the close of business on Tuesday, but there are allegations of political interference delaying the service.

“While the Department of Education and its MEC, Ms Mbali Frazer, have been tight lipped regarding the matter and whom was awarded the Tender, it is a concern that the Department saw it fit to divert from a system that has been working without hiccups for a number of years, and introduce one that has unfortunately collapsed before it could take off,” said Mcwango.

“Should the matter not be resolved by the end of this month, we will immediately take action steps and write to the Public Protector and request a full investigation into the matter and reveal what led to the Department of Education to come to the decision to strip other suppliers of their duties and award it to a single individual, and uncover how many people applies for the Tender, what were its specifications and did the individuals met t required specifications.”

There are allegations of “possible political interference delaying the service,” according to the DA KZN spokesperson on Education, Dr Imran Keeka.

“MEC Frazer has also cited illegal business fora for fuelling tensions and delaying deliveries. This, on top of what she confirmed, was a logistics problem involving the new bulk supplier of food for learners as part of the NSNP,” said Keeka. 

INSIDE EDUCATION