FIVE children tragically lost their lives in a fatal traffic accident on Tuesday while on their way to school on AZ Berman Drive in Mitchells Plain, Western Cape.

Reports indicate that the bakkie carrying the learners collided with a traffic light, causing the children to be thrown off the back of the vehicle.

Expressing his outrage, Ricardo Mackenzie, the Western Cape MEC of Mobility, denounced the accident as a result of transporting learners illegally.

He described the deaths as tragic and entirely preventable.

“How many more children must we lose on our roads before the transportation of these precious lives is taken seriously by those driving the vehicles? Anyone who is transporting passengers – especially children whose bodies are more vulnerable to injury – has the weighty responsibility to keep them safe,” he said. 

He said vehicles must be roadworthy, drivers must be qualified and an operating licence is required to transport passengers. 

“Cutting corners with any of these requirements and driving recklessly is a matter of life and death. My condolences and prayers go out to these parents who are now faced with the grief of losing a child, and those with children in the hospital,” he added. 

Mackenzie said anyone wishing to report illegal or unsafe transport operators in the metro must contact the City of Cape Town Traffic Department, for enforcement and possible impoundment if the vehicle is unsafe, overloaded or the driver is unqualified. 

He said he recently attended two community meetings in Mitchells Plain to address the issues around learner transport and ensure that operators are properly registered and licensed.

Western Cape MEC of Education David Maynier said, “Today is a sad day in this province. A tragic accident has taken the lives of five young learners. They are from Wespoort PS, Harvester PS, Ridgeville PS, Highlands PS, and Duneside PS. Two learners are receiving medical treatment, from Ridgeville PS and Lentegeur HS. Western Cape Education Department counselling support teams are supporting the affected schools.”

Maynier further said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and the school communities. This is an unimaginable tragedy. Our thoughts are also with the learners currently being treated in hospital.”

Both Mackenzie and Minister Maynier visited the scene of the accident to understand what happened and express their condolences to the parents of the children involved in the accident.

They were also briefed by the SAPS’ Mitchells Plain Station Commander.

Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the horror crash that claimed the lives of five pupils and seriously injured two others, along AZ Berman Drive in Mitchells Plain.

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education said it has noted with great sadness the loss of five young lives early this morning in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, on their way to school.

Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee would like to extend its condolences to the families, friends and school community:“This is indeed tragic; the worst news any parent or loved one can receive. It is the last thing you expect when seeing you children off safely to school. We mourn the young lives of our learners whot will now not have an opportunity to prosper and contribute to the future of our country.”

Mbinqo-Gigaba called on the authorities to investigate the accident and to leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened. 

“Guilty or negligent parties should face the full might of the law. We call on all those transporting our precious cargo to take great care when doing so, especially during the rainy winter season,” said Mbinqo-Gigaba.

Western Cape Premier Allan Winde said he felt “deep sorrow for the pain of thier parents.”

“My heart aches for the families of the young lives so tragically lost in a road accident in Mitchells Plain today. It’s hard to find the words to convey the magnitude of the loss of these precious children,” he said.

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Classmates later recounted that the 16-year-old suddenly stood up shortly after classes began in the town of Abbiategrasso and attacked the teacher from behind on an arm and on her head, the Italian news agency ANSA said. When the attacker waved a gun at his classmates, the students fled the room, reports said.

Police told state TV that when they entered the room, the teen was sitting on the floor with no one else in the classroom and offered no resistance. The bloody knife and the gun were found resting on a notebook on a desk, according to photos released by police.

The teacher, 51, lost a lot of blood and was admitted to a hospital, also suffering from shock, news reports said. The student was taken to a hospital psychiatric department and had what apparently were self-inflicted injuries, the police said.

Principal Michele Raffaeli told reporters outside the school that the student had been having academic problems and his parents had been summoned to a meeting with school authorities, scheduled for Tuesday.

Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara visited the wounded teacher in hospital.

“The teacher had done her work in an exemplary way for the boy, who had already had several issues,″ the minister said in a video on Facebook.

Valditara added: “We must say ‘enough’ to aggression so that schools can be safe places and, at the same time, reflect on introducing (the figure of) a psychologist” in schools.

AP

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DELIVERING his first budget speech as Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane said he wanted to highlight efforts made in closing the gap in education quality between the fee-paying and no-fee paying schools as well as the achievement of universal access to schooling.

Chiloane was presenting the Department’s 2023/24 Budget of R 63,4 billion on Friday 6 May which shows an increase of 6.2% from a main appropriation of R59.7 billion in 2022/23 to  the current R63,4 billion allocation – a Rand value increase of R3,6 billion.

He said over R46 billion or 72.6% of the 2023/24 budget is spent on the compensation of employees, over R7,89 billion accounts for transfers and subsidies, infrastructure development is allocated R2,46 billion, leaving more than R7 billion for programmes, nutrition, transport and other goods and services.

“I am proud to present a budget plan that aims to focus on the consolidation of our Five-Year Strategic Plan with special emphasis on the Premier’s Elevated Priorities to build on the successes achieved to date and to adjust our focus to achieve and make an even greater impact for the citizens in Gauteng.

“As such, our approach to education transformation in Gauteng is multi-faceted and is directed to address the quality of learning through quality improvement strategies that will improve the classroom performance of teachers and the active learning of children in classrooms across all schools in the province.

“Simultaneously we are introducing interventions that compensate for poor family literacy level and the impact of poverty affecting a large percentage of our communities in Gauteng. It is for this reason that we wholly support the focus on Townships, Informal Settlements and Hostels,” Chiloane said.

Chiloane spoke about the Elevated Priorities that are in line with Gauteng’s vision that the Premier
Panyaza Lesufi delivered at the State of the Province Address as priorities elevated for accelerated
implementation for the remainder of the Sixth Administration.

In education the elevated priorities are:

• Improving Grade 12 results, measuring progress and educational outcomes must be a priority.
• Expanding access of ECD sites across poor and marginalised communities including residential
  hostels
• ICT schools’ role in the Townships must continue investing in skills of the future by Continuing to
  open Schools of Specialisation to reach 35 schools by the end of the term, introduce a system of
  multi-certification
• Modernisation, investing in school infrastructure and online admissions by investing in school
  infrastructure in townships, ensuring accelerated delivery of smart public infrastructure to meet the
  demand identified through the online admissions remains a critical priority
• Integration and incorporation of wellness programmes, and rehabilitation of children in conflict
  with the law into the education system by assessing those in care centres and rehabilitation centres
  ready for schooling and ensure they are reintegrated into the schooling system.
• School Safety must be a priority to ensure learner and teachers safety.
• Youth Development must be redefined to increase youth employability and employment.

Chiloane emphasised the Department’s priority in improving the Grade 12 performance in what he
called Reclaiming the ‘crown’ – continuing the improvement of quality learning in the FET Band.

He said the Matric Class for 2022 did a sterling job by achieving a pass rate of 84.4% which represents an improvement of 1.6% as compared to the 82.8% pass rate that was obtained in 2021.

In 2022 there were a total of 43 298 distinctions, which saw over 20 769 distinctions from township schools – a monumental achievement!’, adding that the GDE pass rate has consistently been higher than the National pass rate and this trend continues.

“A great achievement to note is the progress made by Gauteng in closing the gap between former model C and township schools’ pass rate from 12% to 9%. In the 2022 NCS examination, 24 learners from township schools received total marks in Mathematics, Business Economics and Economics.

“In 2023, the Department endeavour to improve the matric pass rate for Gauteng to 90% and the Bachelor Pass Rate to 50%, with specific emphasis in reducing the difference in NSC Pass rate between township and ex-Model C schools to 7%. Further emphasis will be placed on increasing learner participation in Mathematics and Science and ensuring that 21.5% of learners are achieving 60% and above in Physical Sciences and 17.5% of learners are achieving 60% and above in Mathematics”.

Furthermore, The Department will again offer additional support for Matric candidates that failed the exams and who have registered to write Supplementary Examinations. The enhanced SSIP Broadcast Project will continue as a means of support to all learners.

Additional intervention programmes will be given in respect of All other Grades, which includes District support for all schools, monitoring the Curriculum and Assessment standards, access to e- content and Early Grade Reading Assessments (Grades 1-3). 

The Introduction to African Languages and Maths, Science and Technology intervention programmes across all grades will be ongoing.

Responding to the challenges of scarce skills development, Chiloane said as outlined in GGT 2030, the province is implementing a strategy to reorganise and turnaround our schools, particularly schools in the township. 

“We are investing millions of rands to improve the quality of education in the townships and to turn around what were historically labour reservoirs for unskilled labour, into zones of hope, development, and transformation”.

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EDUCATION Minister Angie Motshekga presented the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE’s)
Budget Vote 16, for the 2023/24 Financial Year in the National Assembly, Parliament, Cape Town, last week.

The overall 2023/24 MTEF budget allocation for the DBE is R31.8 billion, an increase of 7.0% from
last year’s overall allocation. 

The Minister highlighted that the heart of any development within the Basic Education Sector, must be what learners learn – learning outcomes, adding that these were severely impacted by COVID-19, exasperating teaching and learning losses and setting students back by one year of learning.

“Prior to the pandemic, we had seen progress in the reading abilities of children. The Minister referred to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021) report that was shared with South Africans. PIRLS 2021 summarised the state of global learning poverty, as “the share of children who cannot read with meaning a simple text by the age of 10, as follows: “Firstly, in 2019, learning poverty was estimated at 57% in low and middle-income countries; secondly, post-COVID-19, a surge of up to 70% learning poverty in low and middle-income countries was noticeable; and thirdly, learning poverty was found to be as high as 86% for Sub-Saharan Africa”.

“During the 2018 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ramaphosa decreed that learners must be able to read for meaning by the age of 10 years.  The DBE and the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) responded with the National Reading Strategy (NRS) in 2019 with its 10 pillars.

There is an emerging view that these must be changed to four key interdependent strands: an explicit reading literacy policy; skilled and agile teachers; age-appropriate and culturally relevant LTSMs; and involved parents and communities. An Integrated National Reading Literacy Strategy must be well resourced –  we are engaging the National Treasury in this regard”.

“Since the Early Childhood Development (ECD) function shift from the Department of Social Development to the DBE, we have been crafting and implementing innovative strategies to strengthen the foundations of learning, looking at the continuum from birth to early Grades in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases. The Department subsequently conducted the National Census of Early Learning Programmes in 42,420 ECD programmes and the Thrive by Five Index Baseline Study revealed that only 45% of children, who are currently attending ECD programmes, are
developmentally on track. It is therefore important that a new holistic and inclusive model includes all communities of trust in the ECD space”.

In respect of skills and competencies for a changing world, the Three-Stream Curriculum Model is a responsive curriculum to meet the demands of the 21 st  Century. The Minister cited the introduction of the vocational and the occupational streams as additional learning pathways towards the attainment of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) in the schooling system.

“Other milestones include the finalisation of 35 Occupational and Vocational subjects for implementation in 74 Schools of Skill.  In 2021, we began piloting the specialised subjects in Grades 8 and 9 in 104 Public Ordinary Schools and Focus Schools selected across all nine provinces. The General Education Certificate (GEC) was piloted for assessment in 277 schools in 2022. This year, we have decided to step-up the pilot in 1,000 schools, including 126 Schools of Skill”. 

The Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Initiative, launched in 2018, focused on providing appropriate sanitation to schools, which were dependent on basic pit toilets. In 2018, there were initially 3,898 schools on the SAFE initiative. Further assessments and rationalisation decreased this number to 3,395 schools.

At the end of the 2022/23 financial year, the construction of age-appropriate sanitation projects were completed in 2,722 schools. The remaining 673 sanitation projects are scheduled for completion before the end of this year. The Department has crafted an Infrastructure Ten-Point Strategy to accelerate the roll-out of school infrastructure, adopted by the Council for Education Ministers (CEM).

In conclusion, Minister Motshekga expressed her appreciation to partners, singling SACE, Umalusi, NECT, unions, SGB associations, principals’ associations, national organisations responsible for learners with special needs and independent schools’ associations for their counsel and impeccable resilience.

“As we continue to confront our ongoing challenges in the Sector: learner performance; schools and
district offices; infrastructure; resource constraints; school safety; learners and teachers’ well-being; and parental involvement, we must remember this quote from Dr Mokhubung Magubane: the future is embedded in the present, as the present bears imprints of the past.”

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MINISTER of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, says skills development and training remains crucial in redressing the skewed trajectory of the past characterised through racist policies.

Addressing delegates during a breakfasting hosting the National Skills Fund (NSF) bursary beneficiaries during breakfast in Cape Town, the Minister said education and skills development is important because it promotes economic growth and social inclusion by creating a more skilled and diverse workforce.

“In our South African context, by providing training and education opportunities to Black South Africans, these skills development initiatives will help to level the playing field and reduce inequality in the economy. As President Nelson Mandela said: “The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation.”

Nzimande pledged to intensify efforts towards addressing the imbalances of skills supply and demand in South Africa through the process of developing a country wide Master Skills Plan under the theme ‘One Country One Skills Development Plan’.

This ground-breaking initiative will provide strategic direction to the country’s skills system, bring about coherence in skills provisioning and clarify institutional arrangements and ensure that skills development in South Africa is relevant and responsive to the needs of the economy and society.

He said the Department of Higher Education and Training, together with the 21 sector education and training authorities (SETAs) and entities under the department, has been mandated a leadership role in the skills development of the country, in rebuilding the economy and in leading the reconstruction efforts of the government post-Covid-19.

Half a billion rand will also be allocated to the SETAs for scarce skills development in the current financial year.

The Minister said that the NSF is in the process of finalising the issuing of skills development funding Request for Proposals (RFPs) which include:

a) Postgraduate studies in natural sciences at Masters, Medical Doctors, PHD and Post PHD
level;
b) Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning (ARPL); Studies in Wellness and Sports, Rural Development; Information and Communication Technology (Skills in 4IR); TVET College Placement programmes; and
c) Expansion of Centres of Specialisation

He urged South Africans to look for these opportunities, while urging greater collaboration of all PSET institutions with industry, mostly importantly, TVET and Community Colleges.

“This will ensure that we create more job and training opportunities for our students in these sectors. I have said it several times to our colleges principals, that our TVET college will not be called colleges if they do not have well established relations with industry and workplaces within their areas,” he said.

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The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has secured substantial funding amounting to R17.5 million for students on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

UKZN Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Nana Poku, announced the plans for the funding to the University community last week.

“This funding will be used to provide support to postgraduate students, especially those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, and to establish a dedicated secretariat for addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV),” he said.
 
The bulk of the funds, R15 million will be earmarked for providing financial support to deserving postgraduate students. The primary beneficiaries of this fund will be those students from disadvantaged backgrounds who need support to graduate in this 2023 academic year. 

The process of finalising the precise selection criteria for eligible postgraduate students is currently underway. Each qualifying student will receive financial assistance towards their studies, up to a maximum amount to be determined by each College in line with the University’s ethos of fairness, transparency and inclusion and alongside the structures of the funder’s requirements. 
 
The College of Law and Management Studies will receive R2 million, the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science is set to receive R4 million, the College of Health Sciences is allocated R3.66 million, and the College of Humanities will receive a generous R5 million.
 
In addition to that, R2.5 million of the total funding will be dedicated to a crucial cause – the creation and operation of the GBV secretariat as mandated by the recently adopted UKZN SGBV Strategy. In line with that strategy and as announced in March this year, a specialised hub for addressing issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) will be established within the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. 
 
This hub will be responsible for steering the implementation of UKZN’s zero-tolerance policy towards SGBV and maintaining an accurate report of progress in this critical area. The funding will also support initiatives and activities to increase awareness about SGBV. 
 
Professor Poku said the contribution not only helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds in their academic journey but also aligns perfectly with the university’s commitment to eradicate the menace of sexual and gender-based violence from its campuses.

“It is a significant step towards a more inclusive, equitable, and safe academic environment at our institution.”

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THE politicisation of top governance in South African universities is an entrée to corruption, and if left unchecked, the “growing swamp” will destroy higher education and snuff out the lamp of learning for generations to come, said Professor Jonathan Jansen.

Jansen is Distinguished Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and the president of the Academy of Science of South Africa. His research is concerned with the politics of knowledge in schools and universities.

He was speaking at a University of Cape Town (UCT) Summer School Extension Series event earlier this month, in conversation with UCT’s Anwar Mall.

Mall is a medical biochemist and an Emeritus Professor of Surgical Research in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

The discussion, “Why universities are not exempt from corruption”, explored themes from Jansen’s recent hard-hitting book, Corrupted: A study of chronic dysfunction in South African universities.

An alarmingly high number of the country’s 26 higher education institutions are already at risk, Jansen said.

The example of politically motivated assassinations and attempts on the lives of vice-chancellors and senior staff at institutions such as the University of Fort Hare had illuminated the reality of criminal syndicates operating with impunity.

Governance bodies had been infiltrated by individuals’ intent only on bleeding these institutions dry, Jansen said.

The conversation was part of the Summer School Extension Series.

Jansen said that while the threats to higher education were considerable, he doesn’t believe “the game is over with respect to a love of learning”.

“UCT [for example] is lucky to have those values in place and has some of the world’s leading scholars, some of the most productive laboratories for science and medicine with great thinkers in philosophy, literature and so on. But there’s a worldwide problem of reducing teaching and learning to ‘best outcomes’.”

Universities across the world are in constant struggle with what social scientists call the neoliberal university, he said.

“Get as many students across the line as possible, turn research into production units and ensure we
optimise the publication subsidy of the university.”

“We must train the next generation of professors so that they can step into a classroom and engage students to come to love the intellectual property. Because if you don’t, the swamp is going to grow.”

In this endeavour, universities need strong academic leaders at the helm, with a clear vision of their task, Jansen said.

“Take Fort Hare, where vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu understands the value of learning. We forgot what universities are called for … It’s a particular kind of institution set up for an enduring purpose.”

“As I said to a group of vice-chancellors I met with recently, ‘How many of you have stood up at orientation or graduation and told the students what a university is for?’ South Africans equate a degree with getting a job.”

Therein lies a problem, Jansen noted. The goal of higher education is to provide students with a skill set, not prepare them for a specific job, except for the narrowest of professions.

But when it comes to good leadership, the cupboard is bare, Jansen noted. The crisis has impacted on councils, senates and other university governance bodies. And if avoided, problems “at the top” create havoc within the institution.

“A vice-chancellor is only as good as their second tier,” Jansen said. “And we’re dealing with a set of very serious issues about where the next generation of leaders will come from.”

Jansen said that while universities train emerging professors, introducing new, young blood to the academic corps for continuity, similar advancement programmes should be in place for university leadership roles.

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THE Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has received a comprehensive briefing from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on the recently released Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) for 2021.
 
Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba indicated that the committee noted media reports on the outcome of the study and requested a detailed, official briefing from the DBE on its implications. 

The PIRLS 2021 study reveals very low performance levels for learners’ ability to read for meaning as they turn 10 years old. Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning.

It relies on two interconnected abilities: word reading (being able to decode the symbols on the page) and language comprehension (being able to understand the meaning of the words and sentences). Readers who have a strong understanding can draw conclusions after reading a text.
 
The committee heard that the DBE uses three different national assessments to generate data: Early and emergent literacy skills (ELNA); Foundational reading comprehension (Systemic evaluation) and international reading comprehension benchmarks. The results of the ELNA and the Systematic evaluation assessments are better than the International reading comprehension assessment results, the DBE said.
 
The committee heard that South Africa has participated in PIRLS since 2006, with subsequent cycles in 2011, 2016, and most recently in 2021. 12 426 Grade 4 learners in 321 schools and 9 317 Grade 6 learners in 253 schools were assessed. Grade 4 learners were representative of the 11 official languages and nine provinces, while the Grade 6 learners only represented Afrikaans and English.

South Africa’s Grade 4 and 6 participation rate was 97% and 98% respectively (after replacements).
 
South Africa’s trend score from 2016 dropped significantly from 320 to 288 (difference of 32 points).

81% of Grade 4s and 56% of Grade 6 learners did not reach the low benchmark of 400 points. Grade 6 learners scored 384 points, with Afrikaans learners scoring an average of 456. The best performing language was Afrikaans (387) and lowest Setswana (211).

The Western Cape had the highest scores:

• – Grade 4 at 363 and Grade 6 at 460, almost 131 points above North West in Grade 4, which achieved
  232.

232. – At 317 score points nationally, Grade 4 girls achieved 57 score points higher than Grade 4 boys (260).
      
     Some of the challenges with reading for comprehension highlighted by the DBE are the lack of a
     culture of reading in many households in South Africa, along with poorly resourced schools and a
     lack of emphasis on reading during the early childhood development phase.  The DBE indicated that
     it will now study and analyse the results in order to improve in these areas.
      
     Ms Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee is concerned about the results, but noted the societal issues that impact on South Africa’s results, including the days of learning lost during Covid-19. Furthermore, the committee noted that the PIRLS assessments are done in English and some learners do not have English as a language of learning in the developmental phase. “We took to heart some of the suggestions and strategies mentioned, like placing more emphasis on access to books and reading corners in classrooms, thereby inculcating a love for reading and being able to
     read with meaning and understanding.”

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MORE than 80% of South Africa’s grade 4 pupils – who are on average nine or 10 years old – cannot read for meaning. That means they can’t answer basic questions about or draw inferences from a text they’re reading. This worrying statistic emerged from the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which were released by the country’s basic education minister, Angie Motshekga, on 16 May.

The Conversation Africa asked Karen Roux, a specialist in reading literacy and development of equivalent assessments, to unpack the results.

What is the purpose of the study?

It’s an international large-scale assessment which provides participating countries with comparisons across education systems. Perhaps more importantly, it also allows countries to monitor trends over time and indicators of growth in the early years of children’s education. The assessments are conducted in five-year intervals; more than 50 countries participate. Only three African countries participated in the latest cycle: South Africa, Egypt and Morocco.

One of the main objectives for South African education authorities and researchers was to compare how well grade 4 learners read, across the country’s 11 official languages and its nine provinces. This information is vital to government bodies, policy-makers, non-government organisations, and scholars – it can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses and to address curriculum or policy shortcomings.

How did South Africa fare?

The PIRLS 2021 study showed that 81% of South African grade 4 pupils, across all 11 official languages, cannot read for meaning. Five years earlier, in the 2016 study, the figure stood at 78%.

The latest results indicate that eight out of 10 grade 4 children did not reach the Low International Benchmark, where they are expected to read a piece of text and locate and retrieve explicitly stated information. For example, the text would say “octopuses sometimes even make rock ‘doors’ for their dens that can be pulled closed to keep them safe” and the question would ask “what do octopuses use to make doors for their dens?”

The texts used in these tests came from all over the world, submitted by the participating countries. Twelve were trend texts; they were used in previous PIRLS cycles. Six new tests were developed. All countries got the same tests.

What explains South Africa’s performance?

The study happened in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools all over the world had to close for a period of time. It was to be expected that school closures would cause learning losses – that is, what pupils ought to have gained over a normal year of schooling, versus what they actually learned.

In low- and middle-income countries, including South Africa, the pandemic exacerbated existing learning losses. Some scholars suggest that learning losses also include the “deterioration” of accumulated knowledge that is lost over time.

COVID disruptions weren’t unique to South Africa, so what explains its poor outcomes?

It is a (less than) perfect storm of problems. COVID was just part of it. There are also issues with how teachers are being trained to teach languages; parents not instilling a love of reading in their children from a young age, or being involved as they are taught to read at school; and inadequate school and classroom resources, especially in poorer schools.

The country’s school language policy also likely plays a role. In South Africa, the language of learning and teaching in the early grades is meant to be the language that the pupils speak at home. However, this is not always the case; classrooms, especially in urban areas, are full of pupils speaking diverse languages – not just isiXhosa or isiZulu, for instance, but these and other African languages.

Then, just as the pupils are getting the hang of the language used in the early grades, they switch to English in grade 4. The foundation is not yet laid for one language before this shift happens, so the pupils struggle with the new language (English).

Language acquisition theories suggest that before mastering a second language, the child must first have a solid foundation in their first, or home, language.

Can this crisis be turned around?

It’s been done elsewhere. Brazil, which like South Africa is classified as an upper-middle class income country, has been working hard on improving education. One of its poorest states, Ceará, has made huge strides in boosting literacy and numeracy. In a report about the process, the World Bank writes: It began with political leadership. Ceará’s government placed learning at the center of the education policy with a series of reforms under three categories.

These three categories were: (1) incentives for municipalities to better their education outcomes; (2) extensive support from the state’s literacy programme for municipally run schools and (3) regular results monitoring.

As this approach shows, there’s no one solution to solve any country’s reading crisis.

But political will is key. So, too, is ensuring the equitable provision of reading resources to South African schools – developed in African languages and grade appropriate. African language experts and storytellers should be the key source here.

Another thing that should be considered is a revision of the current curriculum policy for the early grades, introduced in 2012. The amount of time available for the skill of reading is extremely limited.

Only six hours per week are allocated for home language, but this is divided into the different skills that learners must be competent in: listening and speaking, reading and viewing, writing and presenting, as well as language structures and conventions.

That leaves pupils with about five hours in a two-week period to work on reading.

This time should be extended.

THE CONVERSATION

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THE University of Cape Town (UCT) has done it again. Twelve of its academics and one university partnership have been selected as finalists in multiple categories for the 2022/2023 NSTF-South32 Awards – testament to their ground-breaking work in the fields of science, engineering and technology (SET) both nationally and abroad. 

The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Awards are the largest and most prestigious SET research awards in South Africa and are held annually in partnership with mining and metals company South32.

The awards celebrate the work of esteemed scientists advancing the sustainable socio-economic growth of the nation and improving the quality of life for all South Africans.

Being selected as a finalist for South Africa’s “Science Oscars” is no mean feat considering the pool of extraordinarily talented scientists and the number of nominations the NSTF receives every year.

This year’s winners will be announced at an awards ceremony taking place on 13 July, under the banner: “Ocean sciences for sustainable development” in response to the United Nations’ decade-long theme, Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The UCT finalists are:  
Lifetime Award:
 Emeritus Professor Clive Gray – Professor of Immunology in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
 Professor Juliet Hermes – Department of Oceanography in the Faculty of Science TW Kambule-NSTF Award: Emerging Researcher:

 Dr Rachael Dangarembizi – senior lecturer in the Department of Human Biology and Neuroscience Institute in the FHS
 Dr Mubeen Goolam – lecturer in human biology in the Department of Human Biology in the FHS
 Dr Daniel Ramotsoela – senior lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (EBE) Management Award:
 Professor Isabelle Ansorge – head of the Department of Oceanography in the Faculty of Science Engineering Research Capacity Development Award:
 Associate Professor Denis Kalumba – director of the Geotechnical Research Laboratory and of postgraduate studies in the Department of Civil Engineering in EBE NSTF Water Research Commission Award:
 Associate Professor Kirsty Carden – interim director of the Future Water Research Institute NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist Award:
 Professor Salome Maswime – head of Global Surgery in the FHS Green Economy Award:
 Professor Rachel Wynberg – Department of Environmental and Geographical Science in the Faculty of Science
Data for Research Award:
 Professor Karen Barnes – Division of Clinical Pharmacology in the Department of Medicine in the FHS
 Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy – a partnership between UCT, the University of the Western Cape and the University of Pretoria Communication Award:
 South African Child Gauge: Lori Lake – communication and education specialist, Children’s Institute
Special Annual Theme Award:
 Professor Isabelle Ansorge – head of the Department of Oceanography in the Faculty of Science.

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Driven by a dual passion and boosted by a massive support system, Ashleigh Vaughan has reaped the rewards of a diligent work ethic in academics and sport.

A burning desire to succeed helped her navigate a four-year journey riddled with challenges and obstacles.

“I am very passionate about both areas and also very competitive, so I wanted to do my best in all aspects,” Ashleigh explained.

“My dad was a doctor and my elder sister is a qualified pharmacist, so I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field.”

She followed in her big sister’s footsteps to start a juggling act that would imminently lead to success on both counts. Fortunately, she could count on a “massive support system”.

Ashleigh (24), who is currently interning at Berea Pharmacy in East London, confessed that there were hectic times as she tried to balance the demands of her degree with sports trips.

“I will never forget when I returned from the Czech Republic after participating in the European Union Nations tournament and I had a test to complete at the same time I had to go through passport control.”

She ended up doing the test on her laptop while queuing and trying to get through security.

“The airport was so busy and we were checking into our flight so it was very stressful, to say the least. I passed the test and was stoked that I managed to do so in such a difficult situation.”

Vaughan acknowledged the roles of both the University’s Pharmacy department and Madibaz Sport in her success.

“The department was very understanding of my situation and accommodated me as much as they could.”

Her water polo manager, Melinda Goosen, helped set meetings with her lecturers and head of department to discuss ways to complete assignments, tests and exams without having to sacrifice tournaments.

“For example, last year I had an exam scheduled on the day that I was flying to Hungary for the world championships. My lecturers were made aware of this and allowed me to do the exam the day before so that I could complete that module in time.”

That was just one of the many things Mandela University did to help her excel at both disciplines.

“I appreciate that support and how understanding they were,” Ashley said.

Despite the difficulties, she will do it all over again.

“I had many challenges; the obvious one being not having enough time in the day to do everything I needed to do.

NMU

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SOUTH Africa is expected to get a new comprehensive student funding model, based on the considerations of a report which will be submit to Cabinet before the end of the year, said Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, in the 2023 Budget Vote in Parliament on Tuesday.

“In relation to student funding, we now are working towards the finalisation of a new Comprehensive Student Funding Model, based on the considerations of this report which we aim to submit to Cabinet before the end of this year,” he said.

“We aim through this also to introduce measures to support all the categories of students including those who are not supported by the current National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding policy,” the Minister added.

He told Parliament that NSFAS is currently funding 1.1 million students with a budget allocation of R47,6 billion in the 2023 academic year. Of this amount, universities have been allocated R38.6 billion and TVET Colleges R8,9 billion for the first time we have passed the 1million mark.

At its inception in 1991, the scheme had a budget of R21.4 million allocated to the first cohort of about 7000 students. In 2023, SASSA beneficiaries account for 49% of the funded students in 2023.

To date, the scheme had improved its student application portal and it has introduced a WhatsApp and USSD functionality to assist students with the tracking of applications for 2023 and to receive responses directly to reduce the reliance on the call center.

The Minister said NSFAS pays for the full cost of study which includes full tuition, accommodation limited to R45 000 per annum, a measure to ensure overreaching by student accommodation service providers was curbed.

It stands to reason, that NSFAS should be involved in the student accommodation space and introduce controls as it spends approximately R14 billion a year on student accommodation. 

In this regard, NSFAS has opened its accreditation portal to accommodation providers to apply for accreditation. Already, 8196 beds have been accredited covering the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu Natal Provinces.

NSFAS also pays living allowances in the sum of R 1750 per month and personal care for distance students to the value of R 3 045 per academic year. Students not living in residences and private accommodation qualify for transport allowances of R 7 875.

On average, a student is funded to the tune of R 95 552, excluding Unisa students who only receive books as allowances because they offer distance learning.

Last year NSFAS also introduced direct payments through the NSFAS bank card for TVET Colleges.

Groundwork is being done to onboard universities in a phased in approach from the 1st of June this year.

Outlining the goals for the National Plan for Post School Education and Training, Nzimande said there were six goals and associated objectives and four ideas as the new drivers for the system.

First, Nzimande said was the massification of the college system with 1 million enrolled in the Community Colleges and 2.5 million in public and private TVET colleges by 2030.

Secondly, he referred to the diversification of the public universities based on their strengths and the needs of the communities in which they are located supported by a 1.6million enrolment target.

This is the reason that the immediate task for the department is to change the size and shape of the post school education and training system particularly to expand the college sector.

“The time has arrived for us to drastically increase intake in TVET and Community Colleges,” said Nzimande, adding that through HIGHER HEALTH, the department has reached over 2 million students in all public universities, TVET and CET campuses by leading the COVID-19 response for the sector.

Last year, over 700 000 students were beneficiaries of Higher Health’s health and psychosocial support programmes.
In August, Nzimande will host a summit to mobilising men based on the UNESCO programme in fighting toxic masculinities Skills development is a key priority in the current financial year. Nzimande said the department would be updating the National List of Occupations in High Demand and piloting the provincial lists of Occupations in High Demand in collaboration with Mpumalanga and Western Cape.

In addition, the department is working on the skills for the hydrogen economy project, in collaboration with Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

Through the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) combined, 52 701 learnership opportunities to the value of R1.6 billion were made available in the last financial year.

In addition, there were 14 475 internships opportunities to the value of R758 million.

Taking it further, another 14 954 TVET placement opportunities to the value of R726 million was achieved and the department remains committed to its target of 20 000 placements of TVET graduates work placements.

The SETAs combined opened 7095 university students work placements to the value of R311 million and 13 169 bursaries were awarded in various fields on skills in high demand to the value of R970 million.

Another 34 514 skills programs opportunities for the unemployed to the value of   R278 million was opened.

“We also reskilled and upskilled  36 502 individuals in various sectors of the economy to the value of R494 Million,” the Minister said.

The National Skills Fund disbursed R1.7 billion towards its bursaries programme in 2021/22, benefitting students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in scarce and critical skills.

In the current financial year, at least 5 000 students will receive NSF funding for undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

For the 2023/24 financial year, Nzimande said the following targets have been set as part of expanding training opportunities:
•110 500 workplace-based learning (WBL) opportunities;
•149 000 learners to be registered in skills development programs;
•23 000 learners to enter artisanal programs;
•21 000 learners to pass artisanal trades;
•32 550 learners to complete learnerships; and
•6 450 learners to complete internships.

Currently 26 of the country’s colleges are engaged in entrepreneurial training through Entrepreneurship Hubs. “We are working to ensure that all our colleges are involved in some form of entrepreneurship training in the next three years,” he said.

Centres of Specialisation have expanded from 26 to 34 Centres at 20 TVET Colleges with a further investment of R68 million and 16 Colleges now have 35 Trade Test Centres.  

These trade test centres have trade tested over 600 artisans of which over 500 have qualified as artisans.

Last year, Nzimande hosted the first-ever centralised national artisan graduation ceremony for artisans qualifying on the top thirteen (13) of the trades in high demand.

The department we will also be hosting a TVET Curriculum Review and Transformation seminar from
the 28th -30th August 2023.

“We are standardizing our registration and admission processes in our TVET colleges to do away with different processes which have been applied by our colleges. This will include standardization in the processes of issuing of certificates,” Nzimande said.

This standardization process will also help us in the migration from manual to online registration processes at TVET colleges. “We have also witnessed student growth in several colleges that have now begun to embrace the use of technology in their enrolment processes and reducing the number of walk-ins at TVET colleges,” he said.

Through Community Colleges, the department has made the youth an important focus and a priority particularly for the youth that is “Not in Education, employment, or training (NEET).

“We have also created opportunities for our older generation who wish to enter our educational institutions.”

Nzimande told Parliament that a R200 million allocation from the National Skills Fund would ensure that the objective of increasing offerings of skills programmes in TVET Colleges are met.

“Through the National Skills Fund, we have allocated funds for capacity building of Community College lecturers, introduced skills programmes, learnerships and non-formal programmes. This includes the introduction of Civic Education,” he added.

Relating to tertiary education, Nzimande added that the University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) would be intensified.

Over a period of seven (7) years, 758 lecturer posts have been allocated to universities and in the current financial year additional 85 posts will be allocated to universities as part of the New Generation of Academics Programme (nGAP).

This brings the total allocated posts to universities to 843 by end of the current financial year.

Of the total of 583 lecturers participating (nGAP), 338 (58%) are Female and 245 (42%) are Males; 569 are Black (African, Coloured and Indian) and 14 are White.

“We are also continuing to rollout development programmes through the Professor Sibusiso Bhengu Development programme to strengthen our historically disadvantaged universities. I have also commissioned the Council on Higher Education to conduct a study on blended learning,” he added.

Concerning infrastructure development, the Minister said that to date, the department has invested more than R3.701 billion for the maintenance and repairs of TVET Colleges’ infrastructure through the Capital Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant (CIEG) since the grant inception during the 2018/19 financial year. In addition to maintenance and repairs, CIEG is also used for upgrading the Information Technology (IT) infrastructure.

In relation to TVET Capital Projects, a total of nine (9) TVET College Campuses have been completed at a cost of R2.6 billion. The total amount currently available for investment in infrastructure projects across all the 26 existing universities during the 2023/24-2025/26 MTEF period is R8.662 billion.

Feasibility studies for the establishment of the University of Science and Innovation in Ekurhuleni and the Crime Detection University in Hammanskraal have been completed with construction expected to start in two years. In addition, a feasibility study for the establishment of the Giyani Education Precinct through the establishment of a University Campus with the Tshwane University of Technology has also begun.

The construction design phase for the Ulundi Campus of the University of Zululand will commence in this current financial year and that the actual construction should commence in the 2024/25 financial year.

The budget for the 2023/24 financial year is R133.8 billion, with an annual average increase of 5.3%.

DG of Higher Education & Training, Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, Deputy Minister Buti Manamela and Minister Nzimande. Picture: Supplied.

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BASIC Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, shared South Africa’s experience on the curriculum recovery plan for rebooting and rebuilding the schooling system during the Education World Forum (EWF) in London during the plenary session.

Such platforms create an opportunity to share lessons from South Africa, learn from what others are doing, and benchmark one’s country with the rest of the world.

Minister Motshekga, supported by Director-General, Mr Matanzima Mweli, attended the EWF in London in the United Kingdom from 7 – 10 May 2023. The theme for 2023 is, “Nurturing learning culture, building resilience and promoting sustainability for stronger, bolder, better education by design” to build on the work done around the COVID-19
recovery.

The Forum included key areas such as foundations for early learning; skills development; digital skills and technology; and Coding and Robotics. The Minister addressed delegates during the official opening ceremony under the sub-theme: “What must we change in order to develop stronger, bolder and better education and learning opportunities, and how can working together help?”

“It is an honour for us to come to share our experiences and learn from other nations about innovative and effective ways to improve education outcomes for all. We must build a brighter future for the next generation and create a world where education is equitable, accessible and inclusive to all.

“We believe that collaboration amongst stakeholders is crucial in achieving these goals and we must prioritise working together to ensure that all children have access to high quality education that prepares them for the future. We have made significant progress in transforming our basic education sector in respect of the six social justice principles of
access, redress, equity, quality, efficiency and inclusivity and we are proud that we haveachieved near-universal access to schooling, with attendance rates above 98% for children aged 7 to 15 years. Access to early learning opportunities has also increased significantly, with almost 90% of 5-year-olds attending educational institutions, compared to only 40% two decades ago. Despite these advancements, we still face challenges, especially unacceptably low and unequal early learning outcomes,” said Minister Motshekga in her address.

Minister Motshekga praised the resilience demonstrated by the South African basic education system: “Rather than observing an increase in the number of children dropping out of school during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen more learners staying in the system and successfully completing their secondary school-leaving examination, the National Senior Certificate. We have streamlined our annual teaching plans during 2020 and
2021, leading to an ongoing process of strengthening of the curriculum. We are leveraging new technologies to provide children with access to 21st Century skills, whilst prioritising literacy and numeracy.

“We have developed a Coding and Robotics curriculum for nationwide roll-out during the next few years, whilst remaining committed to harnessing the power of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), enhancing the use of technology for curriculum delivery, adapting education in response to global changes and cultivating partnerships to promote sustainable development”.

Minister Motshekga attended a side line meeting with the Global CEO of the British Council, Mr Scott McDonald, and the Country Director for the British Council in South Africa, Ms George Barrett, on 9 May.

The Minister also attended a bilateral meeting with the Minister of State for Schools, Mr Nick Gibb on 10 May. EWF is supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the British Council and industry partners. EWF is a gathering of ministers responsible for education in their respective states.

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THE Department of Basic Education (DBE) highlighted several challenges affecting students’ reading comprehension in schools during a parliamentary session on Tuesday. These challenges include a lack of reading culture in many households, under-resourced schools, and inadequate emphasis on reading during early childhood development.

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education received a detailed briefing from the DBE regarding the recently published Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) for 2021.

According to the PIRLS 2021 study, learners’ ability to read for comprehension significantly lags behind as they reach the age of 10, indicating low performance levels.

Reading comprehension involves the capacity to read text, process it, and grasp its meaning. It relies on two interconnected skills: word reading (the ability to decode symbols on the page) and language comprehension (the ability to understand the meaning of words and sentences).

Proficient readers who possess a strong understanding can draw conclusions and make inferences from the text they read.

The DBE utilizes three distinct national assessments to gather data: Early and Emergent Literacy Skills (ELNA), Foundational Reading Comprehension (Systemic Evaluation), and International Reading Comprehension Benchmarks. The DBE states that the results from ELNA and the Systemic Evaluation assessments are more favourable compared to the outcomes of the International Reading Comprehension assessment.

South Africa has been participating in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) since 2006, with subsequent cycles in 2011, 2016, and most recently in 2021.

The assessment covered 12,426 Grade 4 learners from 321 schools and 9,317 Grade 6 learners from 253 schools. Grade 4 learners represented all 11 official languages and nine provinces, while Grade 6 learners only represented Afrikaans and English.

South Africa achieved a participation rate of 97% for Grade 4 and 98% for Grade 6 after accounting for replacements.

In comparison to 2016, South Africa’s trend score dropped significantly from 320 to 288, reflecting a difference of 32 points. The data revealed that 81% of Grade 4 learners and 56% of Grade 6 learners did not reach the low benchmark of 400 points.

For Grade 6 learners, the average score was 384 points, with Afrikaans learners scoring an average of 456. Afrikaans emerged as the best-performing language with a score of 387, while Setswana had the lowest score of 211.

Among the provinces, the Western Cape achieved the highest scores with Grade 4 learners scoring 363 and Grade 6 learners scoring 460. This was nearly 131 points above the Grade 4 score of North West, which achieved 232. Nationally, Grade 4 girls scored 317 points, surpassing Grade 4 boys by 57 points (260).

Committee Chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said the committee is concerned about the results, but noted the societal issues that impact on South Africa’s results, including the days of learning lost during Covid-19. 

“We took to heart some of the suggestions and strategies mentioned, like placing more emphasis on access to books and reading corners in classrooms, thereby inculcating a love for reading and being able to read with meaning and understanding,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said. 

Concerns have been raised by committee members regarding the PIRLS assessments being conducted in English, which poses a challenge for learners who do not have English as their language of instruction during the early developmental phase.

Equal Education, an advocacy group, has expressed deep disappointment in the outcomes of the literacy study, seeing it as another distressing indication that the education system in South Africa is in a state of crisis that has persisted for a significant period.

The group criticized the government, particularly the national and provincial education departments, for their failure to effectively address the fundamental flaws in the education system, which continue to negatively impact learners.

“It is unfair to expect learners to master a foundational skill like reading when most of them lack important infrastructure relevant to reading, such as libraries. DBE statistics show that over 17 000 (70%) of our public schools do not even have libraries, and of those that do, over a third (2 133) are not stocked. It is clear that education departments are likely to miss the 2023 Norms and Standards for Public School Infrastructure deadline, requiring that all schools be provided with libraries,” both Equal Education (EE) and the Equal Education Law Centre (EELC) said in a joint statement.

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UNIVERSITY of South Africa Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula is standing firm amid growing calls for her and the councils sacking over claims in a damning report about the state of governance at the institution.

A 309-page report by Independent Assessor, Professor Themba Mosia, was critical of Professor LenkaBula, the performance of both management and the council, financial management, upgrades to the vice-chancellor’s home, claims of intimidation and bullying, relations with the labour movement, and the leaking of confidential reports.

On Sunday, Prof LenkaBula had not bowed to pressure and told Inside Education: The Independent Assessor process is not yet complete. Council needs to respond to the Minister. I will only address the media afterwards.”

The vice-chancellor said she did not want to be at odds with statutory processes as legislated by speaking about goings-on.

On 22 September 2022, the Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande appointed University of Pretoria Principal and former Council on Higher Education Chairperson Professor Themba Mosia as Independent Assessor to probe UNISA.

The investigation was concluded within the period stipulated; however, at the request of Prof Mosia, the Minister agreed that the report be submitted by 31 March 2023.

Within 90 days of receiving the report, Nzimande must provide a copy of the report to the council concerned, table the report before the National Assembly and publish it in the Government Gazette.

Amid reports that two members of the council have quit over the saga, it has emerged that a copy has been distributed to council members last week. They have reportedly asked for an extension before responding to Nzimande.

The Sunday Times, reported that Belinda Mapongwana- chair of council’s social and ethics committee, and Sedzani Mudau, both resigned at the weekend.

Nzimande is preparing to publish the report it in the Government Gazette. He will then submit the report to the Speaker, Hon Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for tabling before the National Assembly.

“I am currently studying the report and will contemplate the way forward regarding the implementation of the recommendations, after due process as guided by the prescripts of the Act,” Nzimande said, thanking Professor Mosia for the hard work in conducting the assessment.

Among the proposals on the table for Nzimande in the report is the dismissal of the vice-chancellor and the entire council – which would result in an administrator being put in place.

In March, Mosia recommended that Nzimande should consider placing Unisa under full administration, in line with section 49F(1) of the Higher Education Act.

Another recommendation was that Nzimande should consider changing legislation for institutions of higher learning to be subject to the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act.

This, Mosia said, was because of financial irregularities and supply chain management problems which include fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Asked to comment on Sunday, Prof Mosia said he was not permitted by law to engage on UNISA matters.

“My job ended when I submitted the report to the Minister’s office,” he said.

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KUNYASHE is a Grade 1 pupil in Cape Town, South Africa. She’s very focused on her schoolwork. She shares a tiny one-roomed shack, hardly bigger than a double bed, with her mother and four siblings. Kunyashe receives a meal at school – her teacher once saw the little girl spooning some of this meal into another container to take home for her baby brother.

This is the context in which many South African children learn to read. But it’s a context that received no mention when the country’s Department of Basic Education, on 16 May, released the alarming preliminary findings of the Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021).

The international standardised test measures the reading achievement of Grade 4 children (10 years old). It is designed to measure children’s “reading literacy” and to provide a baseline for future studies of trends in achievement. The headline finding was grim: “81% of South African children in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning”.

There is no denying that there is a literacy crisis in South African schools. The problem is that official discourses present it as something that occurs in a social vacuum and can be solved by technicist approaches.

It isn’t. The political and economic dimensions of the problem are deeply entangled with the glaring inequalities in South Africa.

We are literacy and language education experts, and members of the bua-lit collective advocating for quality education for children who speak African languages. Based on our research and ongoing work in classrooms across South Africa, we’ve identified five practices we believe will promote “rich literacies”. This approach involves a wider understanding of literacy in which children are engaged with reading and writing texts that come from their worlds and that have meaning for them.

A poverty of literacy

The daily lives of most children in South Africa are fraught with poverty, hunger and uncertainty.

Two-thirds of these children from poorer backgrounds attend no fee schools. Sadly, they also receive a poverty of literacy teaching and materials.

The current dominant process is based on the contested “Science of Reading” method. In this approach children are largely given access to basic atomised skills: sounding out letters (phonics), followed by lockstep reading of words with the emphasis on fluency, accuracy and speed.

Reading authentic books with plots and illustrations is seen as harmful or needing to be delayed until children are able to efficiently decode words.

Teachers are trained to teach using “graded readers” – simplified texts repeating the same vocabulary – together with alphabet charts, friezes and flashcards and are discouraged from telling stories, using real books to read for enjoyment or writing with children.

This approach lends itself well to highly technicist interventions that are easy to implement. But it misses the crucial point that children need to be highly motivated to learn to read and write. In order to read for meaning they must be motivated to make meaning. It also misses the point that reading and writing are not just cognitive skills – they are socially shared and shaped practices.

In contrast to the poverty of literacy imposed on poor children, middle-class children in well and over-resourced schools are given plenty of opportunities at school and at home to engage in pleasurable, motivating and meaningful ways with high quality books as well as to express themselves through writing. This is in addition to school-based phonics programmes and graded readers.

A further problem in enabling children to become successful readers and writers lies in South Africa’s language in education policies and the way they have been implemented in schools.

The majority of African language speaking children in South Africa learn in their home language for the first three years and then switch to learning in English in Grade 4. Children have hardly had the opportunity to establish literacy skills in their home language when they are forced to learn in and through English.

Five practices

We believe that there are no quick fixes to the impoverishment of literacy learning for poor children in South Africa resulting from the legacies of colonialism and apartheid and now compounded by beliefs in technicist solutions.

Rather we outline five practices that could make an immediate start in providing literacy teaching that enriches children’s literacy lives.

• Every foundation phase classroom should have living libraries that include enjoyable, quality, illustrated published stories and non-fiction books in children’s most familiar languages as well as English; and that include books made by children with each other and the teacher in the classroom. Children must take at least one book home every day.
• There should be dedicated time every day for teachers to read aloud and talk to pupils about interesting fiction and non-fiction books.
• Teachers should dedicate time each day to engage in shared writing with children of texts about topics that they are interested in that draw on wide background knowledge and that have a purpose.
• In addition to the dedicated time every day to teach explicit literacy skills and knowledge like phonics (letter sound-relationships) the basic skills also need to develop understandings of text structure/genre for different kinds of text: how stories start; develop and end; the parts of a recipe: ingredients and methods; and the mechanics of writing (use of punctuation, spelling, handwriting).

These four activities need to be supported by both pre-service and ongoing teacher training. Literacy coaches can also become a resource to support teachers.

• The wider community has a role to play, too.
• This could be in the form of after-school and/or holiday literacy clubs. Here children engage with rich literacies in a range of fun activities such as sharing stories through oral storytelling and story-reading; hearing from published authors, singing and playing games. In school, retired teachers, grandparents and unemployed parents and youth, after some training, can assist teachers in classrooms and work in small groups with children.

Rich literacies require a multi-pronged approach which views literacy in its wider context and which engages a diversity of practices, programmes and opportunities.

THECONVERSATION

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AT a high school in rural northern South Africa, more than 300 students and their teachers share three toilets, and that woefully lopsided figure isn’t the worst problem.

The three toilets are pit latrines, effectively 10-feet-deep holes in the ground that students line up during a lunch break to use.

The pit toilets at Seipone Secondary School in the village of Ga-Mashashane at least are covered by white toilet seats and enclosed by brick structures. Some of the pit toilets still used at more than 3,300 schools in poor, mostly rural areas across South Africa aren’t.

It’s a shameful situation for a country referred to as the most developed in Africa, and an indicator of its profound problems with poverty and inequality, say human rights groups pushing the South African government to do away with the sub-standard facilities in schools forever.

Unhygienic, the latrines also present a much more direct danger. The sight that greeted James Komape one day in January 2014 at the nearby Chebeng village is horrific by every measure.

He’d received a phone call asking him to rush to his 5-year-old son’s pre-school.

The little boy, Michael, was found dead, drowned at the bottom of a pit latrine. Michael’s body hadn’t even been removed from the pool of water mixed with feces and urine at the bottom of the pit he fell into when his father got there.

“What hurt me a lot about Michael’s incident is that the people who were there saw that he had fallen in the toilet, but they did not remove him,” said James Komape.

“They said they were waiting for the responsible authorities to come and remove him. I told them that if they had removed him quickly maybe he could have survived.”

It was Michael Komape’s first week at a new school and his dreadful death incensed many South Africans. His family took the Limpopo province’s education department to court and won their case seeking damages. Later, court orders compelled the South African government to urgently address the issue of pit toilets in schools.

But the tragedy of Michael Komape has not been unique. Other small children have also drowned in pit latrines in the near-decade since, one girl as recently as last month, another boy in March. There are no reliable figures to say how many children have lost their lives in pit toilets.

The latrines, which have an outlet that is used to drain them periodically, are cheaper and more practical for poorer schools because they don’t rely on a constant supply of running water.

At the Jupiter Pre-School and Creche in the same Limpopo province where Michael died, children as young as 3 are still using pit toilets that have no proper seat but rather a hole carved out of a concrete slab that opens to the pit below.

“These are not good because of possible accidents of children falling in the toilet,” the school’s manager, Florina Ledwaba, said. “We have to follow them (the children) every time. What if they go without you seeing them? They are not safe at all.”

The Equal Education human rights group has been inspecting pit toilets in South African schools.

Tiny Lebelo, an organizer with the group, expresses frustration over an issue that should be a top priority for government — the safety of children at their schools — and still hasn’t been resolved.

The South African government promised to replace all pit toilets at schools nationwide by March 31 this year.

It hasn’t happened. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said there are still 3,398 schools using pit latrines and the deadline to eradicate them has been shifted to 2025.

Lebelo said “it speaks about how we perceive people in rural areas.”

“What we are saying about them is that they don’t deserve dignity, that’s why we’re not going to provide you with a basic toilet. We’re not going to give that to you because already you’ve been using it (pit toilets),” she said.

“So, what’s another year, or two years, or 10, or decades? We’re saying to them you’re not worthy of dignity.”

Section27 is another human rights group pushing for the pit toilets to be eradicated for “safe and decent sanitation facilities.”

Section27 supported Michael Komape’s family in their legal action against the local and national education departments and they succeeded in getting a court ruling that authorities must provide updated information every six months on schools in the Limpopo province using pit toilets and the plans to replace them.

Section27 called its system to track the government’s work The Michael Komape Sanitation Progress Monitor and it is able to use the information to hold the education department accountable.

The department has made some progress by reducing schools using pit toilets in Limpopo from 363 in 2021 to 210 schools now. But James Komape said the government hasn’t kept its side of an agreement to remove pit toilets and “many children are still in real danger.”

At the Seipone Secondary School, the pit toilets are officially called ventilation improved toilets, and known as “VIP toilets.” They are anything but. There is anger and now pushback from students, too.

“Our health also matters, (we) cannot use toilets like these,” said Tebogo Makgoka, a 17-year-old student representative.

AP

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AS Africa gears up for Africa Day, an event that marks the founding of the African Union and celebrates the continent’s quest for unity, Google is unveiling a range of programs and activities to celebrate Africa’s diverse cultural heritage and provide opportunities for people all over the world to experience and engage with the creativity and richness of Africa.

Among the programs is the addition of six new pocket galleries on Google Arts & Culture, curated by esteemed partners from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, these pocket galleries offer an immersive experience of virtual exhibitions, providing a 360-degree view of artworks and artefacts, effectively allowing people to step into the heart of Africa’s cultural scene from wherever they are.

Partners include the Yemisi Shyllon Museum and Terra Kulture from Nigeria, the Mohamed Amin Foundation and National Museums of Kenya, and the University of Pretoria from South Africa. Each partner will present unique exhibitions that celebrate their respective regions, providing a diverse exploration of Africa’s rich cultural heritage.

In previous years, YouTube Music has held the Africa Day Concert, showcasing present and next-generation African music talents. This year, YouTube Music will unveil an Africa Day playlist, featuring popular and trending songs from various African artists. This initiative will also involve the public, who will have the opportunity to submit their favourite African songs via YouTube Shorts for a chance for it to potentially feature on the playlist.

The celebrations will also highlight African storytelling traditions through the “Stories and Storytellers of Africa” initiative on YouTube which will spotlight an extensive collection of African movies and series, celebrating the creators who bring these narratives to life. Alongside this, the “Showcase Your Africa” initiative will see YouTube partnering with content creators to share their perspectives on Africa, providing a glimpse into the continent’s diversity.

Google Country Director for South Africa, Alistair Mokoena said: “Africa Day is a celebration of progress, unity, and the vibrant cultures that define the continent. We are excited that we can amplify these stories and experiences on our platforms. From exploring our rich artistic heritage through Google Arts & Culture, to dancing along to the #CelebrateAfrica playlist on YouTube Music, and engaging with compelling narratives on YouTube, we are happy to share and celebrate Africa’s culture with the world.”

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IT pays to study but never forget one’s roots – that’s the advice from Lordwick Kgatle, who has not forgotten the days he rummaged through dustbins looking for any waste that he could exchange for money.

Kgatle, the Operations Manager at Jubilee Crossing in Hammanskraal, appreciates how education has transformed his life.

Born in Limpopo, reared in Hammanskraal, just outside Tshwane in Gauteng, Kgatle used the money he earned from selling waste products, working as a gardener, barber and car wash assistant to finance his studies towards a Business Administration Diploma specialising in Economics from Richfield Graduate Institute of Technology in 2020.
 
Following an internship at Atterbury Properties, Kgatle was given an opportunity to take on the position of Marketing Manager at Acornhoek Mall owned by New Africa Developments (NAD) in Mpumalanga where he spent 18 months.
 
During his time at Acornhoek Mall Kgatle’s hard work and dedication was evident to the mall owners, and it was decided to promote the 25-year-old to a more senior role of Operations Manager at the brand-new Jubilee Crossing shopping centre in Hammanskraal.  

“NAD has helped my career by providing me with the opportunity to develop new skills. I am thankful for the guidance from the company’s senior executives. My work has benefited my life by increasing my standard of living, upgrading my soft and technical skills, bringing a sense of stability and creating other opportunities,” he said.
 
Kgatle’s typical day is to supervise and manage the shopping centre operations, CSI campaigns, property management, tenant management, customer service and events.  

What he finds most gratifying about his job is that there is room for growth, and he is continually able to learn something new about the real estate management industry.
 
“My greatest strengths are motivation, perseverance and hard work. The lessons learned in my life and career are to never give up when one is tired and to keep pushing oneself to succeed,” Kgatle said. 
 
His long-term goal is to grow within his position and become a national operations manager and ultimately study towards a doctorate in operations management.
 
Kgatle maintains that education is the key to success and that learning does not stop.

He believes it is important to empower people with leadership skills, as this will help achieve local economic growth.
 
In his leisure time, he enjoys reading, worshipping and watching rugby.

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THE Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sport, Arts and Culture has been engaging with the nine Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) on their 2023/24 Annual Performance Plans (APPs) and Budgets in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) over the past three weeks, commencing on 19 April 2023.

The final virtual briefing session wrapped up on 10 May 2023 with a report delivered by Mr Albert Chanee, DDG for Strategic Planning Management, from the Gauteng Province.

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) made special reference to matters relating to underperforming schools; dropout rates; infrastructure and sanitation; school safety; psychosocial support; school sport and culture; and youth development.

Acting Director-General, Dr Granville Whittle, led the Departmental delegation during the presentation on the DBE’s Annual Performance Plan (APP) 2023/24 and the 2023 Budget Allocation.

Ms Nosipho Mbonambi from the DBE’s Strategic Planning Directorate, discussed the DBE’s five 5-year Sector Outcomes in the 2019 – 2024 Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and the sector priorities for the 6th Administration.

“Oversight findings on the draft APP from the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) were implemented to provide more reflection on Budget Prioritisation Frameworks; strengthen information provided over the planning period and strengthen Technical Indicator Descriptions (TIDs),” she said.

MTSF areas to be strengthened in provincial and national APPs include, amongst others, a better accountability system for principals; a comprehensive package for teacher development; strengthened Numeracy and Reading; ECD indicators linked to classroom outcomes; and sector monitoring with Standardised Output Indicators (SOI) across PEDs to ensure uniformity and to align with Government priorities.

The Heads of Education Committee (HEDCOM) Sub-committee provides a forum for strategic interaction on information sharing, capacity building and best practices in relation to improve sector performance.

The APP is divided into four parts: the Mandate; Strategic Focus; Measuring of Performance; and Technical Indicator Descriptions (TIDs).

Mr Pat Khunou, DBE CFO, presented the Departmental Budget, indicating that the 2023 MTEF allocation totals R31,782,713 billion, a 7% increase from the 2022 budget of R29, 693,160 billion, including conditional grants.

Continued coordination, support and monitoring will ensure that national and provincial strategies and programmes are closely aligned to the overall vision of the Basic Education Sector to improve learning and teaching challenges and outcomes.

The various Budget Vote Debates of national government departments will commence on 9 May, with Minister
Motshekga delivered the annual Budget Vote Speech for the Department of Basic Education, Budget Vote 16, to the National Assembly in Parliament, Cape Town, on 18 May 2023.

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