THE DA in Limpopo says for over two months, a school in Makgopong Villiage in Zebediela have not had educators due to a proposed merger with another school, but the Limpopo Department of Education has been ‘twiddling thumbs’ to solve the situation or provide clarity on the way forward.

The parents of learners at the school claim that the learners at the school have not had any educators for over two months.

The crisis stems from learner’s objections to their school being merged with Makgwading High School.

The DA said after extensive correspondence to the MEC of Education, Polly Boshielo, that fell on deaf ears, the party is now calling on her to finally meet with parents, learners and the school governing body of Mpotla Senior Seconday School to urgently find solutions.

“The major concerns and reluctance for the merger are centred around a lack of the provision of scholar transport, safety fears due to the long walk in the bushes and crossing a river on their way to Makgwading High School and the fact that their school has a good pass rate while the other school has underperformed in previous years,” said Risham Maharaj, acting DA provincial spokesperson for Education.

Maharaj said district officials of the Limpopo Department of Education met with the learners as well as the SGB and after discussions they allegedly withdrew the issue of the merger and promised six educators.

“It is also further claimed that another official came to the school months later and threatened the learners with not writing their exams unless they move to Makgwading High School,” said Maharaj.

“While we acknowledge the need for school mergers in certain circumstances, it is important to have the support of the parents, SGB and most importantly the learners to ensure a workable long-term solution.”

He added: “We call on MEC Boshielo and her department to engage the community and settle on a long-term solution for these learners. It is extremely concerning that these learners, especially grade 12s, have no educators at the school at present as we approach exams.”

“We believe the provincial government has a responsibility to ensure that every learner’s right to basic education is ensured.” 

* Inside Education

MORE than 2.7 million applications from unemployed youth have been received by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for the second phase of its Basic Education Employment initiative.

The department said that, as of 7.30am on Saturday, it had received more than 2.7 million applications from 475 918 young people in Phase II of its Basic Education Employment Initiative.

It said “extremely high” volumes of traffic had led to its site slowing down and at times crashing.

The applications for Phase II opened on September 27 and the deadline has been extended to midnight on October 10.

The Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI)-Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) was started this year to provide unemployed young people employment and training opportunities in the education sector.

“Phase I of the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES) was successfully implemented from 1 December 2020 until 31 April 2021, in the basic education sector as the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI). Approximately 300 000 young people participated in Phase I of the BEEI,” said the department.

“Phase II will focus on addressing the reduction of youth unemployment, as the data collected throughout the initiative has shown that most of the young people are unemployed graduates, who lack the relevant experience to propel them to employment.
The BEEI initiative will go a long way in assisting the department to mitigate the unfortunate fallout from the COVID-19 academic disruptions we have experienced since the first 2020 national lockdown aimed at containment of the pandemic. The
Initiative also aims to provide a protective net for learners at risk of dropping out of school, due to psychosocial challenges.”

The department is seeking to provide 287 000 unemployed young people with 192 000 education assistant and 95 000 general school assistant positions.

Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Employment Statistics survey, released last week, showed that total employment fell by 86 000, or 0.9 percent, from 9 652 000 in March, to 9 566 000 in June.

“The department would like to take this time to thank young people for the enthusiasm shown towards making a difference in the Basic Education sector, and wish them great success with their application,” the department said.

The department said in a statement that the application process did not work on a first-come, first-served basis. However, all applications must be submitted by October 10.

“Since the opening of the application process on September 27, the site experienced extremely high traffic volumes, causing it to slow down and occasionally time out. The SA Youth toll-free number was also affected due to receiving up to more than 50 000 calls per hour,” the department said.

As a differentiated application process, the department has introduced an alternative avenue for applicants to submit their application.

SA Youth has added another web-based or electronic application form that is not linked to, nor dependent on, the SA Youth mobi-site in terms of connectivity or stability.

“We would like to notify the public that the web-based or electronic application form is an alternative application method, however, it is not zero rate and will require a small amount of data (3MB) to complete.

“The mobisite (sayouth.mobi) is still available for submission of applications,” the department added.

The department further emphasised that all application forms must be submitted online, as no walk-ins to schools would be allowed due to the Covid19 restrictions and preparations for final exams at both primary and high schools.

“Youth between the ages 18 and 35, who are currently neither in education and training nor receiving any form of government grant, as well as young people with disability, and women, are eligible and encouraged to apply,” the department said.

The department also cautioned young people against falling victim to fake news regarding the initiative.

To qualify as an Education Assistant, you must have passed matric English, while an NQF Level 4, 6 and 7 qualification certificate, will be an added advantage. However, for placement as a General School Assistant, a matric certificate is not required for Infrastructure support and Sports and Enrichment Agents, although Trade certificates
will be an added advantage.

To apply for placement, young people are urged to visit sayouth.mobi to create a profile and submit their application. No walk-ins will be allowed in schools due to Covid19 restrictions.

Applicants must submit their application online.

Should you receive notice that you have been selected for shortlisting, you will be
required to prepare the following documents:
· Curriculum Vitae (CV)
· Testimonials (former school, local chief, church leader, etc)
· Police clearance certificates
· Affidavit/Declaration by applicant stating he/she has no criminal record while
awaiting the Police clearance
· Certified qualifications such as Matric, (where applicable: NQF Level 4
qualification certificate, for Education Assistant applicants with NQF level 6
and 7 an added advantage)
· Certified copy of identity document/ passport.

CABINET has appointed the new director-general of the Department of Higher Education weeks after former DG Gwebinkudla Qonde was suspended from the department.

The cabinet confirmed that Dr Nkosinathi Sishi is the new DG of Higher Education.

Qonde and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande were later embroiled in a legal battle after the former challenged his suspension from the department.

But he lost the case in the Labour Court in Joburg.

Nzimande, when he suspended Qonde two months ago, said this was based on the disclaimer of the Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke.

Nzimande said he also welcomed the finding of the court that ruled in his favour.

Qonde had argued that his suspension by the minister was unlawful.

Qonde had been in the department for more than a decade and was part of it when it was formally separated from basic education to form two different departments of education.

This had followed a resolution of the ANC in Polokwane in 2007 that education must be split into two.

When the new administration took over in 2009 higher education and basic education became standalone departments with two ministers.

Nzimande had insisted that he had done nothing when Qonde was suspended a few weeks ago.

But the former DG said the suspension was unlawful and he lost his bid in court.

The former DG was suspended in July and he took the matter to the Labour Court in August, but the ruling went against him in September.

Qonde was suspended following a forensic investigation into the National Skills Fund.

This after the department received a disclaimer audit opinion by the Auditor-General of South Africa.

The National Skills Fund received the disclaimer audit during the 2019/20 financial year.

The AG found the National Skills Fund’s budget was materially underspent by R1.8 billion.

It also found that the entity did not have adequate systems to maintain records of commitments and earmarked funds.

In addition, it found adjustments in the financial statement could not be determined whether it was necessary to the skills development funding expenses stated at R2.5 billion.

In March the Nationals Skills Fund said it had lodged a dispute over the disclaimer audit.

* Inside Education

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA|

IF we are to achieve meaningful equality between men and women, which is one of the principal aims of our Constitution, we need to ensure the full and equal participation of women in the economy.

As a country, we have made progress in promoting equality for women in areas like government, civil society, the administration of justice, sport and culture. Unfortunately, we haven’t made the same progress in the economy.

There are more men in employment than women. Men are more likely than women to be in paid employment, and women are more likely to be doing unpaid work.

The most recent employment numbers show the unemployment rate of black African women is the highest at 41% per cent, more than 4 percentage points higher than the national average.

The inaugural Women’s Economic Assembly, which will convene in Gauteng later this week, is part of our national effort to change this.

The assembly will bring together delegates from government, civil society and the private sector to develop a common plan of action for advancing women’s economic empowerment.

Last year, government announced that at least 40 per cent of public sector procurement will go to women-owned businesses. As we work towards this target, we are calling on the private sector to make a similar commitment.

The Women’s Economic Assembly will consider how supply chains can be used to benefit women-owned businesses, address the policy impediments to women’s economic empowerment, and improve access to financing for women-owned businesses, especially rural enterprises.

A number of economic sectors, such as automotive, agriculture, mining and energy, will present commitments and action plans to enhance the participation of women-owned businesses. Some government departments and state-owned enterprises will also present their commitments.

Over the past year, government has been erecting the scaffolding for women’s participation in procurement, establishing an institutional framework for operationalisation, holding capacity building and training workshops for women-owned businesses, and linking up women-owned businesses with public sector opportunities.

Although some departments have increased their procurement spend on women-owned businesses, effective monitoring is needed to ensure this translates to tangible growth and sustainability.

For us to realise our ambitious goals, business needs to be on board. The financial services sector must work to broaden access to credit and digital financial services like e-commerce and online banking. Lack of financing impedes the expansion and sustainability of many women-owned businesses, especially SMMEs.

Supporting women-owned businesses through procurement is not the only area where this administration is actively working to empower women.

Women continue to be prioritised for work opportunities through a number of public employment programmes. In the first phase of the President Employment Stimulus, for example, 66% of participants were women.

Of the 206,000 hectares of state land released in the last year, 54,000 hectares – comprising 78 farms – were made available to women beneficiaries. However, we need to do more to improve women’s access to productive land for farming, and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development aims to allocate at least 50% of alloted state land to women.

We also need to address the inadequate representation of women in managerial positions in the private sector. Some 67% of managerial positions are held by men compared to 33% by women.

Even though we have solid policies that outlaw gender discrimination in the workplace, wage differences between men and women persist. According to a report by the National Business Institute, women earn R72 for every R100 earned by a man.

We need to ensure greater social and other protection for women employed in the informal sector and in elementary and domestic work occupations.

The first-ever Women’s Economic Assembly is a milestone to be celebrated by us all. It brings us all the closer to meeting our Constitutional aspiration of equality and will be a vital tool through which we can accelerate the transformation of our economy to benefit all.

In the final decade towards meeting the 2030 vision of the National Development Plan, let us work together as the public and private sectors and all of society.

Let us act with renewed urgency to realise the full economic empowerment of our country’s women, of the women of Africa and of women everywhere.

* From the desk of the President

THE Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation is currently working on an overhaul of South Africa’s TVET colleges and universities to improve job opportunities for students and reindustrialise the economy.

Addressing a national skills conference last week, Higher Education minister Blade Nzimande said this would include an increased focus on apprenticeships and work-based learning as part of college training.

“It is my intention and plan as the Minister to build and refashion our technical and vocational education system to be apprenticeship based,” he said. “Ideally, every TVET college student should be apprenticed in industry or in a workplace, rather than the current system of a theoretically biased TVET system.”

Nzimande said that the country’s higher-learning institutions would also be ‘restructured’ to promote innovation and digitalisation in the skills development ecosystem.

This will include introducing new programmes and subjects in emerging interdisciplinary fields to more efficiently provide trained workers in areas such as biotechnology, nanotechnology materials, and artificial intelligence.

“Substantial and constant changes to the curricula of our institutions remain critical to allow for students to develop capacities to deal with emergent and unknown challenges of the future brought by the 4IR.

“Clearly, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) subjects have a crucial role to play in equipping students in rapidly developing fields such as genomics, data science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and nanomaterials, which are all 4IR concepts.”

Nzimande said that these new subjects would not be limited to a focus on technology but would also include changes in the outcomes of what students are taught, with new entrepreneurship programmes also being introduced at universities to promote new local businesses.

“The innovation and digitalisation put a premium on adaptability and in self-directed learning and thinking,” he said. “Therefore, lifelong learning will be key as the shelf life of any skills development ecosystem has limitations in the present-day environment.”

– Business Tech

THE DA today launched a petition for government to officially recognise Afrikaans as an indigenous language.

The petition is addressed to the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, in response to his classification of Afrikaans as “foreign” in his Department’s Policy Framework for Higher Education Institutions.

The petition demands that Minister Nzimande immediately adapt the definition of indigenous languages to include Afrikaans, that he publicly and unconditionally apologise to the Afrikaans-speaking community for his actions, and that he requests public universities to adapt their language policies to accommodate Afrikaans’ status as an indigenous language.

“Minister Nzimande persists with the hateful, hurtful and unscientific classification of Afrikaans as “foreign” despite the Constitutional Court’s unanimous ruling in the recent Unisa court case, during which Judge Steven Majiedt explicitly pointed out that the concept “indigenous languages” also includes Afrikaans,” said the DA’s Dr Leon Schreiber.

“Judge Majiedt and a full bench of judges further warned that the “misconception that [Afrikaans] is ‘the language of whites’ and ‘the language of the oppressor’” is a blatant misrepresentation of the language and its true origin. In fact, Afrikaans is currently predominantly the language of black people. And it is used by black people, not only in so-called “coloured” townships, but also in many black townships in various regions of our country.”

The DA has also lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission about Nzimande’s definition of Afrikaans as “foreign” because the party believes that the classification infringes on the rights of the diverse Afrikaans-speaking community to mother tongue education, equality and dignity.

“The definition also creates the impression that the ANC government regards the speakers of Afrikaans as “foreign” or in some way “alien” to South Africa,” said Schrieber.

“In his response, Nzimande makes himself guilty of exactly the kind of “iniquitous portrayal” that Judge Majiedt warned against, by dismissing the objections to this classification of Afrikaans as “racist” and “nationalist”.”

“The DA encourages all South Africans to sign this petition, after which the DA will hand it over to Minister Nzimande with the demand that Afrikaans be given its rightful place as a full-fledged, indigenous South African language.”

* Inside Education

THE University of Pretoria (UP) recently partnered with the National School of Government (NSG) through Enterprises University of Pretoria (Enterprises UP) to accelerate efforts to build an ethical, capable and developmental state.

To preserve value, the public sector requires entities to build an ethical, professional, and capable public sector in order to improve their operations and service delivery, and this can be done with ready access to experienced professionals and specialists who can provide specialised advisory services and training to boost skills and professional development for a future-proof workforce.

The partnership between UP and the NSG is in response to a call from the NSG for partnerships with higher education institutions (HEIs) to provide various education, training, and development functions with the NSG. UP was successful in its bid submission and has been named as a preferred training partner on a list of pre-approved HEIs to perform these functions.

Busani Ngcaweni, Principal of the NSG, stated during the signing ceremony of the National School of Government’s Partnership Agreement with the appointed HEIs hosted by NSG on Thursday, 3 June 2021: “As the National School of Government we are going through a very delicate imagination process that seeks to place us as the National School of Government at the centre of efforts to rebuild state capacity by not only giving hard technical skills but also by dealing with issues of values in the public sector as a whole.”

He stated further: “The task we have together is to lead a skills revolution that will change the performance of the public sector as a whole. We are imagining ourselves as the National School of Government as an assimilator, given the weight and size of the work that we have to do. We must enter into partnerships with yourselves so that we decentralise this idea of an assimilation.

“Our scope of work has expanded, we must train the public sector. However, our strength on our own is very much limited; by entering into this relationship we are building our strength so that we’re able to meet the demands of expectations.”

Speaking on behalf of UP, Professor Norman Duncan, Vice-Principal: Academic of UP, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with the NSG. “We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to be in service of the country and that UP can contribute to the capacitation in the public service.”

“We are excited to be part of this partnership with the NSG,” said Professor Margaret Chitiga-Mabugu, Director and Head of the School of Public Management and Administration of UP.

“UP and the School of Management and Public Administration, through Enterprises UP, have been in partnership with the NSG for many years, so this is just further endorsement of how well this partnership is working. We look forward to making contributions to our country.”

SCIENCE, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical (STEM) subjects have a crucial role to play in equipping students in rapidly developing fields such as genomics, data science, Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and nanomaterials, which are all Fourth Industrial Revolution concepts.

This is according to Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande during his opening address of the national skills conference on Tuesday.  

Nzimande said that these new subjects would not be limited to a focus on technology but would also include changes in the outcomes of what students are taught, with new entrepreneurship programmes also being introduced at universities to promote new local businesses.

“The innovation and digitalisation put a premium on adaptability and in self-directed learning and thinking,” he said.

“Therefore, lifelong learning will be key as the shelf life of any skills development ecosystem has limitations in the present-day environment.”

He said an evolving 4IR STEM curriculum would have to reconsider the rigid disciplinary boundary framing of traditional subjects such as biology, chemistry and physics— given the integrative role of digital technologies in relation to each and their intersections in the real world.

“It is also inevitable that any effective 4IR strategy should foreground the human condition: the ways in which new technologies and shifting economic power impact on people with regards to equality, human freedom and social solidarity,” said Nzimande.

“It is therefore crucial that the Humanities and Social Sciences must be reinvented and strengthened to play a crucial role in shaping the discourses of science and technology to speak to the cultural, social, political and economic issues. Both the Human Research Council (HSRC) and the National Institute of Humanities and Social Science (NIHSS) must play a leading role in this regard. How do we combat social alienation in a world dominated by machines? How do we ensure algorithms do not engender new forms of racism and class prejudice? How do we harness the powers of the new technologies to overcome the historical questions of oppression and exploitation?”

He added: “The innovation and digitalization puts a premium on adaptability and in self-directed learning and thinking. Therefore lifelong learning will be key as the shelf life of any skills development ecosystem has limitations in the present-day environment. Placing innovation and digitalisation at the centre of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Programme (ERRP).”

“This Government, together with the social partners at NEDLAC, has adopted the ERRP as our emergency economic programme to deal with the impact of Covid 19 on our economy. However the major premise of the ERRP is that we simply do not want to return our country to the economic crisis before COVID-19, but to use this opportunity to build a new and more inclusive economy.”

* Inside Education

IN July this year, the University of Cape Town (UCT) launched an online high school, and in doing so became the first university on the African continent to extend its expertise and impact to the secondary schooling market through an innovative online modality.

Bolstering the launch announcement, the University of Cape Town has confirmed the placement of its UCT Online High School director and principal, Yandiswa Xhakaza, an avid educationalist.

Xhakaza brings a wealth of knowledge, having started and operated a school in Centurion in 2017. She is a prolific leader and comes from leading a national literacy organisation, the Nal’ibali Trust, where she served as CEO.

 She holds a bachelor of education degree (Wits University), a postgraduate diploma in management (Wits University) and a master of business administration (University of Pretoria). Her operational skills and large-scale implementation capabilities are both going to be resourceful in her new role as UCT Online High School Director and Principal.

Xhakaza believes that UCT Online High School is exactly what this country needs, offering high-quality education at scale. She explains: “Online education in our context will always come with its own fair share of challenges as a developing country.

“The digital divide is significant and we have to work around the digital barriers such as poor network coverage, data costs, access to devices and computer literacy to mention a few. This is exactly the type of challenge I am excited about, because when we get this right, it will be a massive win for all of us.”

Xhakaza begins her tenure as the director and principal of the UCT Online High School from November 2021 ahead of its first official cohort, cementing her role as its leader from an early onset.

‘”I am delighted to be joining the UCT Online High School team pioneering such amazing work and I look forward to breaking barriers and working towards the accomplishment of something so deeply personal to me, a course I have been preparing my whole life to chart forth.”

UCT vice chancellor professor Mamokgethi Phakeng welcomed the appointment saying: “Yandiswa embodies what we as an institution stand for: building an inclusive society using the knowledge and resources that we possess. With her leading us on this journey we will be building a more equitable and sustainable social order and influencing our young people from an early age to prepare them for the demands of higher education and society.”

Adding support in her career move, acting chairperson of the Nal’ibali Trust, Kay Lala-Sides, says: “We know that Yandiswa has a real passion for making high-quality education accessible to all South Africans. It is that passion that led her to Nal’ibali and it is the same passion that draws her to UCT’s Online High School. We wish her well as she takes these experiences with her into her new role and look forward to opportunities to collaborate in the future.”

YOUNG and unemployed South Africans are urged to apply online for education assistant teaching posts which the Department of Basic Education (DBE) opened on Monday morning.

The department is hoping to provide employment and training opportunities to 287 000 unemployed young people as they need about 192 000 education assistants and about 95 000 general school assistants.

This is part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative and is known as the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI), which forms part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus seeking to mitigate the devastating economic challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said about 300 000 young people participated in the first phase.

“As in phase 1, there will be a strong emphasis on training participants, with a view to adding to their skills set, as well as setting them up for improved employment prospects. Young people recruited for phase 2 of the Basic Education Employment Initiative can expect to receive training in the following areas,” Mhlanga said.

“Phase II will focus on addressing the reduction of youth unemployment, as the data collected throughout the initiative has shown that most of the young people are unemployed graduates, who lack the relevant experience to propel them to employment.”

“Phase II will also provide experiential learning, whilst ensuring that those who studied education or are interested in education as a field of study, will be directed to paths that will lead them back to the sector.”

Applications for this phase two employment initiative are expected to close on October 3 and no walk-in will be allowed in schools due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Mhlanga said the youth must be between the ages of 18 and 35, who are currently neither in education or training, receiving any form of government grant.

Young people with disabilities and women are eligible and encouraged to apply for this experience.

Posts that will be made available include education assistant for curriculum education, general school assistant for child & youth care worker and general school assistant for sports and enrichment agent no matric is required.

Candidates who are selected for placement, will have an opportunity to receive training on various skills that will equip them for future employment opportunities.

All successful candidates will be placed in schools for 5 months, from November 1 until March next year.

To apply for placement, visit sayouth.mobi to create a profile and submit the application.

Updates on the initiative can also be found on Facebook: Basic Education Employment Initiative https://www.facebook.com/phase2beei

* Inside Education