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Taking Smart Skills to people where it is most needed

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Taking Smart Skills to people where it is most needed

Yershen Pillay, CEO of the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA), says every community should have a Smart Skills Centre to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban groups.

Pillay told Inside Education that since the first centre opened in Saldanha Bay in October 2022, more than 10,000 youth in rural parts of the country have visited these centres to access free data services or print their CVs to apply for jobs.
“We want 20,000 youth to access the Smart Skills Centres that we have opened throughout the country by the end of the year,” Pillay adds.

As an “innovating” CHIETA, Pillay says the goal is to take the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to rural communities to ensure no one is left behind.

Smart Skills Centres have opened in the Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape. The latest is the R5 million Brits Smart Skills Centre in North West, which promises to catalyse innovation and opportunity.

Spearheaded by CHIETA in collaboration with Orbit TVET College, this groundbreaking initiative aims to accelerate the development of basic digital skills for a future-fit workplace.

Next up is the launch of the Emalahleni Smart Skills Centre at the Highveld Industrial Park, Elandsfontein in Emalahleni,
Mpumalanga, which has three virtual reality pods, 12 workstations, and a smart boardroom and meeting rooms.

On 19 July, CHIETA will launch the Modjadjiskloof Smart Skills Centre at the Letaba TVET College’s Modjadji Campus in Ga-Kgapane, Modjadjiskloof. The centre will focus on enterprises, individuals, and schools, and specifically on rural youth.

The opening of the centres is part of their plan to ensure that rural communities throughout South Africa can engage with the latest on the 4IR and robotics, mainly to ensure their inclusion in the digital age.

Since October 2022, CHIETA has established a chain of Smart Skills Centres (SSCs) in four South African provinces,
including the one in the North West. The other SSCs are in Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape, at the Mthashana Skills Centre in Babanango, a small rural town in Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal, and at the Iqhayiya Campus of Port TVET College in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.

Thousands of learners have already engaged with the technology at Melmoth and Saldanha Bay centres as part of CHIETA’s plans to build an “intelligent centre” in every province in the country.

This will ensure that people in rural areas can access free services, training courses, and data access for job seekers, small and medium enterprises, and business start-ups.

The SSCs are fully automated and have equipment that meets the requirements of 4IR training – AI and robotics. With a particular focus on rural learners, the centres aim to bridge the digital divide by offering access to data and a wide range of training courses.

“Whether you’re a job seeker, a budding entrepreneur, or a small business owner looking to expand, our services are designed to empower you on your journey to success,” says Pillay.

“The Smart Skills Centres usher in a new era of skills development and training that would be located within rural communities and able to offer digitised training programmes for rural masses.”

Innovating for Impact
Calling the idea of starting Smart Skills Centres “Innovating for Impact,” Pillay said every community should have an SSC in every corner of the country working with big business, where the “focus is on execution”, while lobbying the government and big business to join in.

CHIETA Chairperson Wezi Khoza highlights the importance of reaching all age groups.

She says CHIETA’s Smart Skills Centres provide training and support services to the youth and older people, who must learn digital language to keep up with technological advancements.

“We have many grandmothers on TikTok. So they, too, can learn digital skills like holding Skype meetings online,” says Khoza.

Zukile Nomvalo, the Deputy Director-General of Higher Education and Training, hailed the opening of the SSC as a significant milestone in ushering in a new era of skills development and training aimed explicitly at rural communities.

“It paves the way for digitised training programmes for rural masses, ensuring they are not left behind and are equipped for the future,” says Nomvalo.

“CHIETA’s groundbreaking initiative to develop digital skills in Brits and its surrounding regions has been spearheaded by CHIETA in collaboration with Orbit TVET College; this centre promises to catalyse innovation and opportunity in the community.

Nomvalo says the opening of Smart Skills Centres countrywide follows a call from the former Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, who wanted them established in all parts of the country.

“Indeed, this is a critical step in the context of the demand and opportunities presented by the 4IR. Launching the CHIETA Brits Smart Skills Centre in the North West is particularly important in our quest to ensure nobody gets left behind in this revolution,” he adds.

“In the future, when we talk about digital transformation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and workers of the future, thanks to this initiative, Brits is a part of the exciting journey ahead.

“Brits is the type of place at risk of falling further behind the digital skills divide, with its youth at risk of being excluded from meaningfully participating in the new digital era that is upon us. In this context, I cannot overstate the importance of this Smart Skills Centre being located there.

“As a Department, I must say that this is part of our ongoing efforts to bridge the digital skills divide and accelerate the
development of basic digital skills among rural communities across the country.”

Nomvalo says the department noted that CHIETA has recognised the need to prepare youth and small business sectors by developing digital readiness through tech-enabled learning programmes, such as virtual and augmented reality, robotics, and the Internet of Things.

He stresses that the Smart Skills Centres do not exclude those over 35, although the emphasis is on the 15 to 24 cohorts, more than three million of whom are unemployed, and whose unemployment rate is close to 60%.

“There is an unemployment crisis in our country. We are multiplying skills centres so young people can venture into these terrains to learn about mobile repairs, data capture and data analysis skills.

“We talk about all gadgets, and millions of people use them. If we train our young, we can exploit these areas,” Nomvalo says.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Minister McKenzie must make school sports a priority

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Minister McKenzie must make school sports a priority

Edwin Naidu

Gayton McKenzie, the new Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, has an excel lent opportunity to significantly improve the state of sports in our schools during his tenure.

He will undoubtedly have to pay attention to Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana, the Springboks, and the country’s athletes’ participation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

But he must also make school sports a critical priority. The future sports heroes and heroines in our villages, townships, and suburbs must have the means to develop their skills from the school level to the tertiary system and into our provincial and national teams.

Learners must have a precise direction for achieving their sports goals, and hopefully, they will find a champion in McKenzie.

The Minister had only been in office for only few weeks and still need to outline his priorities for school sports. We are sure he will do so soon.

McKenzie will get assistance from the leadership team elected by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee – the Eminent Persons Group on Sport Transformation announced by former minister Zizi Kodwa last year – which will present him with its latest report from the country’s 19 sports federations.

But let’s not expect McKenzie to be the only one responsible for improving the state of sports in our schools. Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube also has a crucial role in ensuring that sports get the attention they deserve.
As the country’s custodian of sports, McKenzie will have to prioritise a budget to develop sports in schools.

A Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Basic Education that expired last year outlined that the DBE is responsible for ensuring physical education (PE) and intra- and inter-school sports occur and that district and provincial school sports championships exist.

The MoU must be urgently updated to ensure learners are not neglected.

At a provincial level, the DBE’s sports departments will fund district and provincial activities, provide equipment and sports attire to schools, and train teachers as coaches and administrators, while the national department will fund
and host the National School Sport Championships.

On a positive note, former minister Kodwa hosted a school sports indaba last year, and these outcomes have been expressed in a new MOU with the DBE and the latest annual performance plans.

For McKenzie, school sports must be recognised as the bedrock for national sports development and talent identification. So, his department’s funding allocation must be part of an active national budget.

McKenzie shared his priorities during his first budget vote in Parliament recently, outlining the department’s strategic plans.

Minister McKenzie must make school sports a priority School sports are crucial in laying a foundation for our children and youth to take their place in national and international competitions. A robust school sports system supported and driven by McKenzie can help lay a stronger foundation for social cohesion and nation-building.

Let’s give the Minister time to get to grips with his challenging portfolio. We hope he will recognise the importance of developing a strong sports culture in our schools.

Learners and the country’s future sports stars will thank him for it.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Women lag behind men in the ivory towers of learning

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Women lag behind men in the ivory towers of learning

Edwin Naidu

Gender equality in higher education remains a huge challenge and a work in progress.

The article, “Gender Perspectives on Academic Leadership in African Universities”, published in the International Journal of African Higher Education, 2023, by academics Roseanne Diab, Phyllis Kalele, Muthise Bulani, Fred K. Boateng, and Madeleine Mukeshimana, found that women are underrepresented in higher education leadership worldwide, with the gender gap more pronounced in Africa.

Statistics for selected African countries confirmed the underrepresentation of women leaders in the study funded by the International Development Research Centre in Canada.

In 2021, only six of the 26 vice-chancellors (23%) in South Africa were women, while two of the 12 vice-president positions (17%) at three Ethiopian public universities were occupied by women. Their findings show that only 24% of the top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings have a female leader.

Given that the world average for women faculty representation in tertiary education institutions increased from 33.6% in 1990 to 43.2% in 2020, the writers found the gender gap in leadership is striking.

The study covers Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Its objectives were to present gender-disaggregated statistics on senior leadership at each university and make recommendations that would assist in closing the gender gap in senior leadership.

A general pattern of under-representation While the percentages differ regionally and depend on the sample of universities included, the general pattern of under-representation of women in senior leadership is upheld. For example, women comprised 29% of vice-chancellors (VCs) in the United Kingdom (2018 statistics), increasing from 17% in 2013 to 22% in 2016. In the European Union, 24% of all heads of higher education institutions in 2019 were women.

Notably, 22 countries in Europe had no female university leaders.

According to an American College President Study, in 2016, 30% of all college presidents in the United States were women.

The gender gap in leadership in Africa is even more pronounced.

The article in the International Journal of African Higher Education states that the underrepresentation of women in academic leadership is a challenge from a social justice perspective and a failure to tap into a population’s full capacity.

According to the paper, women occupy lower ranks at universities, and only a tiny number make it to the top.

Some studies cite individual factors such as a lack of self-confidence (imposter syndrome), a lack of ambition or women’s reluctance to because of sexist cultures in institutions, messy politics, or challenges with work-family balance.

Universities gendered institutional culture tends to be biased towards male academics, with women academics being constrained by social sanctions that range from hostility to outright rejection.

Continuing gender disparities “Thirty years is usually considered a significant milestone.

Often, it suggests maturity and some certainty about how things should be done. It is, therefore, disheartening that our reflection on how we are doing on the gender question since 1994 illustrates continuing gender disparities,” says Brightness Mangolothi, the executive director of Higher Education Resources-South Africa, and Grace Khunou, chairperson of the Transformation Management Forum, which is driving transformation at UNISA.

Mangolothi and Khunou argue that male vice-chancellors can serve apply for senior management roles more than two terms, with others holding vice-chancellor roles in more than one university.

“Currently, we have 20 male vice-chancellors, a scenario that has been the case since 1994. Given the five-year tenure of vice-chancellors, each university had six chances/terms to appoint a female leader, which equals 156 positions (26 x 6) in the 30 years of democracy,” they point out.

“There were more chances if there were 36 universities before the merger, and some vice-chancellors stepped down before the end of the term. The question is, why has this yet to happen?”

Their research shows that universities were created for men by men, and this is still largely true.

“These disparities are especially troubling when we use an intersectional lens – we find that fewer and fewer of these roles are held by Black women who, when they do, are vilified.

“Although much has changed in higher education to advance transformation, the Ministerial Committee Report shows the lack of women academics, especially Black women, and the continuous toxic space in which they find themselves, which arrests their success.”

Little progress
They argue that if women are held back in academia and society in general, these goals, with a 2030 deadline, are doomed and remind us that in South Africa, 30 years after democracy, there has been little progress. Women continue to lag behind incumbents who pay lip service to gender equality.

Since 1994, there have been 20 women vice-chancellors in South Africa. The first was Prof Brenda Gourley at the University of Natal (now the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal), followed by the University of Cape Town, where Dr Mamphela Ramphele was appointed the first Black female vice-chancellor in 1996. Some institutions have not had a woman leader since democracy.

Those institutions that have had women vice-chancellors have not replaced them with female vice-chancellors, except the University of Zululand, which had two female vice-chancellors (Prof Rachel Gumbi, 2003 and Prof Fikile Mazibuko, 2010) before the current female vice-chancellor (Prof Xoliswa Mtose, 2016), currently serving her second term.

Three of the six current female vice-chancellors are serving their second term, and three are in their first term.

For the first time in 2023, South Africa had seven female vice-chancellors. Unfortunately, this was short-lived, as the UCT vice-chancellor, Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng, stepped down before the end of her second term.

Since democracy, men in South Africa have traditionally outnumbered women vice-chancellors by 20 to an average of six.

Looking back at the 14 female vice-chancellors since 1994, only a few served more than two terms, and some have been forced to step down before the end of their terms. According to current statistics, women have been let down.

Towards an inclusive workspace
Mangolothi and Khunou recommend that universities should strive for an inclusive workplace, and to achieve this, the following must be emphasised:

  • Prioritise transformation at the leadership level by appointing a deputy vice-chancellor responsible for transformation,
    including appointing an ombudsperson.
  • Provide family-friendly workplaces with onsite childcare.
  • Hire for culture add not fit.
  • Recognise care work as part of performance management (this includes mentoring students, representing them in
    transformation committees, and more)
  • Create workplace lactation spaces.
  • Flexible working hours, including hybrid work.
  • International mobility should also accommodate parents with kids, providing a travel allowance.
  • Consider increasing the age limitation for scholarship opportunities for women.

According to the “Gender Perspectives on Academic Leadership in African Universities” study, progress has been made
regarding female appointments as council chairs and chancellors.

However, the gender gap at the VC level between the university’s executive head and the most powerful decision-maker was striking. Women represented only 13% of VCs, and if one excluded UCT, where the female VC had vacated her position, there was only one university among 16 with a female head.

While women’s representation in executive leadership teams and at the level of deans varied considerably across universities, half had less than 50% women in their executive teams, and half had less than 30% female deans.

Women ranked competence and experience as the most critical factors in their leadership accession, indicative of belief in their abilities and self-worth. They expressed a need for mentoring, measures to address discrimination and greater visibility.

A wide gender gap was apparent in men’s and women’s understanding of obstacles to having more women in leadership positions.

Men placed responsibility for the under-representation of women on them, stating that too few were suitably qualified and that women did not aspire to senior leadership positions.

In contrast, women pointed to systemic institutional failures. The study said formal mentoring and coaching programmes emerged as the dominant successful interventions.

Suggestions to enable early career women to prepare themselves for leadership positions included taking advantage of mentoring programmes, building their research reputation through publications, and building their confidence through improved communication skills.

From the above, it is clear that achieving gender equality in South Africa’s higher education institutions remains a challenge and a work in progress.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Sadtu and GDE question decision to clear 12 Pretoria High School for Girls pupils of racism charges

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Sadtu and GDE question decision to clear 12 Pretoria High School for Girls pupils of racism charges

Nkhensani Chauke

The 12 learners from Pretoria High School for Girls, suspended on racism allegations, have been found not guilty at a disciplinary hearing held earlier this week.

Acting principal Danica Stoffberg confirmed in a statement released on Friday that the disciplinary committee of the School Governing Body (SGB), concluded its inquiry and that it cleared the learners of all charges.

“We believe that this process has been conducted in fairness and transparency. Coming out of this process, there are lessons for all of us. Let us work together to create an environment where teaching and learning can continue, and every learner feels valued and empowered to succeed,” she said.

However, Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) spokesperson Steve Mabona has said his department was disappointed with the outcome and how the school handled the issue.

“As the department we are disappointed about the outcome and not being provided with a report as you will understand that this is a serious matter which we’ve been working on throughout the entire week and have to wait for the official correspondence to be sent to us and we will be in a position to comment further on the way forward,” Mabona said.

South African Democratic Trade Union (SADTU) spokesperson Nomusa Cembi said that the union is in shock that the SGB reached a conclusion without informing the Department of Basic Education about the disciplinary hearing outcome and the time it took the school to conclude the hearing.

Cembi said it was concerning that it took so long for the matter to be concluded, considering issues related to racism should be treated with urgency and be consistently transparent.

“In the letter written to parents, the letter has got no details, it doesn’t say what the charges were, and it doesn’t say who came to testify, it’s just like treating this like it was a matter of manners,” Cembi said.

This issue needs to be dealt with in depth and Sadtu is concerned about learners who were victims of the increasing racial tension, Cembi said adding that the department did not believe that the school reached a proper conclusion since no provision of factual information was provided.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Principal found to be negligent in drowning incident involving two pupils, MEC Chiloane

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Principal found to be negligent in drowning incident involving two pupils, MEC Chiloane

Johnathan Paoli

THE principal of the Daveyton Skills School, Thembi Letsoalo, could face disciplinary action and criminal charges following a report into the tragic drowning of two learners earlier this year.

Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane briefed the media on Tuesday, and shared the investigative report which probed the deaths of 15-year-old Siphamandla Peterson and 17-year-old Sibusiso Sibiya from Daveyton Skills School who drowned during a “discipline camp” at Rock Falls Adventure Ranch in Centurion on 15 April.

Seanago attorneys’ Thembekile Graham, who accompanied Chiloane, has recommended that Letsoalo be held liable for the drowning and said she did not submit any application to the department for the trip, with no approval consequently being granted.

“The report reveals that the principal of Daveyton Skills School said she did not know of the regulations on taking children out on school excursions,” Graham said.

Graham said crucial safety measures were not adhered to by the school and could not be identified or corrected by the department and Letsoalo instructed that only the social worker accompany the pupils and supervise them, with no teachers being invited.

She confirmed that 19 facilitators from the NGO Rising Stars attended the camp, but that this was not in accordance with the teacher-learner ratio regulations due to their lack of qualifications as teachers.

“She did not verify their qualifications and presented them to parents as specialists. She failed to inform the parents of the risks associated with the activities to be undertaken by the pupils,” Graham said.

The report found that when the incident occurred, the social worker was in the bathroom, and no facilitators were at the dam site.

Chiloane said it remained dubious on whether Letsoalo could plead ignorance of the regulations.

“We find this version concerning especially because there were at least two occasions where the department emphasised the importance of complying with the regulations,” he said.

The MEC said Letsoalo further received a memo urging schools to apply for trips three months in advance and included a checklist, which the principal acknowledged receipt of.

In addition, he said it remained concerning that the school governing body was not informed of the trip, preventing it from ensuring the suitability of the camp and the accompaniment of teachers.

Addressing the media around the time of the incident, Chiloane said preliminary reports revealed that the trip was not sanctioned by the district office of the education department.

He said the department cannot be blamed for the death of two pupils during a school excursion, due to the failure of Letsoalo to follow proper procedures.

While the report has recommended disciplinary action against the principal, the families of the deceased confirmed that a criminal case has been opened against Letsoalo.

INSIDE EDUCATION

‘Schools should not be graveyards’

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‘Schools should not be graveyards’

Edwin Naidu

Mindful that her hands are full, given the enormity of the challenges, the new Democratic Alliance Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has pledged to eliminate pit toilets in rural schools because, thirty years into democracy, “schools should not be graveyards”.

“It is a crime. It’s letting down the most vulnerable because everybody else can unionise and organise, right? But learners and children can’t, so it’s incumbent on leaders in society to say, this is a crime; we cannot have this in our schools,” Gwarube, the former DA Chip Whip in the National Assembly, told Inside Education.

“I will certainly be working day and night to make sure that that is no longer a reality for many learners who essentially are poor, black pupils, subjected to these conditions because of the inequality that we experience in South Africa.”

In her first media interview 24 hours after being sworn in as Minister of Basic Education, replacing the long-serving Angie Motshekga, Gwarube said she was concerned about low literacy and numeracy levels as South Africa has fallen behind its peers globally and on the continent.

She said it was alarming that Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning since it was an advanced level of the foundation phase.

“That worries me because we are in trouble if we don’t correct the foundation. The second one is children are dying prematurely and unnecessarily because of unsafe infrastructure. Schools should not be graveyards. They should be places of opportunity and learning. And these two priorities are incredibly close to my heart,” she said.

“When one looks at the existence of pit latrines in South Africa, that there are still children in our democracy who die in these toilets, that is something that I am dedicating myself to working with other Cabinet colleagues, to say we want to eradicate the pit toilets as soon as possible. And we want to ensure that there are enough students and learners in our system who can read and read for meaning and are ready for an economy of the future.”

Regarding the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, Gwarube said it was essential to separate the politics of the Government of National Unity from her work.

“We will have robust political engagement in the Government of National Unity. There will be policy discussions and disagreements. But when it comes to my work in the department, I do not want politics playing itself out.

“I want to assure anybody in the department or a stakeholder that the department’s work must be completely apolitical. We must ensure that we implement what is best for the system, not necessarily the interests of a political party.

“Regarding the opposition to the Bela Bill by the Democratic Alliance that is now in my current capacity, I’d have to look at this in its entirety. It’s important not to throw out the entire bill with the bathwater. The objectives of the Bela Bill are important and commendable – however, some sections concern stakeholders regarding the erosion of the powers of School Governing Bodies.

“I want to have an honest conversation with the President and use my Cabinet seat to say, look, Mr President, there’s an opportunity here. We can send this bill back to the National Assembly, but some of these things we can resolve and not tie this up in legal warfare for years. That will be my approach to say to the president, here’s the bill, and petition him to say, as my colleague, can we send this bill back to the National Assembly to discuss the contentious parts.”

Furthermore, Gwarube wants a curriculum review to understand how to adequately equip learners going through the system to start in grade R or the early child development centres and ensure they remain in the system until they leave grade 12.

“This is important because how do we ensure that the product they leave with – that matric certificate – is of quality and equips them for an economy of the future? That is the question that we must be asking.

“And we also must be asking ourselves, are we retaining enough learners across the system? It’s one thing to look at just the matric results and be content with that, but we’ve got to look at those results in context. Are those same people who started grade R the same number of students who finish?”

Of course, she said, while some learners branched off to TVET and Community Colleges, there must be a mechanism for tracking whether they are staying in school, getting a good quality education, and whether the educators are supportive, capacitated, and resourced enough to deliver a good quality product.

Turning to the importance of technology, she said it’s important to consider the department from a social level and one that had significant economic value.

“For me, that is the value of technology because you are equipping learners to vote for the economy of the future. Otherwise, I mean we are getting left behind around the globe. Countries like India have used technology to develop an entire industry of call centres and services for the rest of the world.

During her tenure, the Minister said she wants to explore public-private partnerships, especially in technological advancements, since it was in the interest of any significant economic player in South Africa to invest in the country’s future.

Citing the example of collaboration between the Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority (CHIETA) and private sector firm Highveld Industrial Park to launch the CHIETA SMART Skills Centre in rural Mpumalanga, she said society must step in, “because we can’t allow learners in South Africa to be left behind, while the rest of the world is doing incredible things in the world of technology”.

Since opening the first centre in Saldanha Bay in October 2022, more than 10,000 youth in rural areas have visited these centres to access free data services or print their CVs to apply for jobs. Smart Skills Centres have also opened in the Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and the Brits Smart Skills Centre in the North West and Modjadjiskloof Smart Skills Centre in Limpopo.

“I think for the private sector, it’s not just as an act of kindness, there’s an economic incentive for them to invest in the technology of learners in South Africa.”

She would also like to see civic education fused into the curriculum to deepen democracy.

“The Independent Electoral Commission also has to come on board in terms of really activating that kind of work in schools in a nonpartisan way because what you want is to make sure that learners are civic-minded because we can’t have a situation where essentially half of the country’s population is checking out of the political system,” she said.

Concluding the interview with a question on the South African Democratic Teacher’s Union’s criticism of the DA getting the DBE portfolio, the Minister said she has no doubt she would work well with all stakeholders.

“I will orient myself, getting briefings from the department and our entities, like Umalusi and SACE, and meeting stakeholders, including unions and SGB bodies.

“My one message is, if your priority is to place the learner’s future at the centre of all we do, we will find each other. I cannot think of anything that will make us not get along.

“My understanding is that the union exists for its members, but its members are people who have dedicated themselves to educate learners, and if we can remember why they are there, why I am here, then we already have found common ground. I’m convinced that because our common interest is the learner’s future, we will certainly find each other,” she said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Creating a single identity as South African citizens must be a priority for schools

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Creating a single identity as South African citizens must be a priority for schools

Edwin Naidu

South Africa is at a critical juncture, urgently needing to recalibrate its moral compass. The pressing question that demands immediate attention is whether the absence of a common identity is tied to a failure to establish a shared purpose as a united nation.

Thirty years after democracy, the question of what makes a South African remains valid. It is a matter of simplicity and pride to consider oneself solely as a South African rather than being categorised as Indian, white, Black, or coloured. I am a South African. It’s that simple.

Failure to accept this allows us to thrive along racial lines.

Yet strange enough, the one thing that unites the nation is corruption.

However, for the fight against corruption to become real, the cudgels against this disease must be taken up collectively as South Africans.

The apartheid racial tags put blinkers on us as citizens. It also confuses people and their allegiances. If one has any allegiance other than to the South African flag one should be on the first flight out of this country for good.

The Government of National Unity has a chance to complete the task the ANC under Presidents Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, and now Cyril Ramaphosa failed to address – genuinely building a democratic South Africa for all, starting with eradicating the apartheid depictions of citizens.

It is time to scrap the apartheid tags en route to creating a national identity.

Whether one is white, Indian, Black, or coloured, the Bill of Rights and the laws of the land apply to all citizens equally. Children should be taught this from a young age, if not in their homes, certainly in school.

Proudly, South African should not be in slogans or advertisements. It must be ingrained in one’s being as a citizen. Increasingly, people realise that the foundation of a better society is laid in homes and reinforced in classrooms.

Teaching children the difference between right and wrong is at the core of building the society we aspire to. This includes teaching children the importance of accepting each other as human beings, thus ensuring we avoid the ugly racism that continues to manifest itself at schools three decades after democracy.

Unlike her arrogant and blustering predecessor, the Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has shown corruption a red card as early as in her first Budget Vote speech in Parliament.

Her counterpart, the Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube, should adopt this approach in the schooling system. Tackling racism and anti-corruption lessons should be introduced in the classrooms before artificial intelligence and robotics.

What good is AI when one does not know the difference between right and wrong or how to treat fellow human beings?

Teaching boys to respect girls from a young age would change the patterns of abuse that have made Gender-Based Violence the scourge of society.

Equal Education has noted that corruption is the abuse of resources or power, which occurs when one uses it for personal gain. Corruption occurs at all system levels – school, district, provincial, and national.

Universities are a hotbed of corruption, as evidenced by Professor Jonathan Jansen in his book on the subject. We have seen the goings-on at Fort Hare with alarm, too.

One hopes that Dr Nkabane will take the fight to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) which has benefited millions but remains tainted by the corrupt actions of a few.

The corruption escalated under the watch of former Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande and was exposed by the civil society body Organisation Against Tax Abuse (OUTA).

They claim that the corruption goes all the way up – a claim denied by Nzimande with the empty threat of court action. His demotion as the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation should give him ample time to make good on his empty threats to take OUTA to court over its claims.

It’s time to say no to corruption by putting those who steal from taxpayers behind bars. But it’s time to take on this fight as one united South Africa that demands and expects good governance and law and order for all, regardless of the apartheid tags that continue to bind.

Edwin Naidu is Inside Education Editor.

Pinelands High School suspends learners, following racial incidents of ‘slave auction’ at the school

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Pinelands High School suspends learners, following racial incidents of ‘slave auction’ at the school

Johnathan Paoli

In yet another racist incident that is rocking the country, the Pinelands High School in the Western Cape Town, has had to suspend several pupils for racism and bullying after the emergence of a video depicting Coloured learners auctioning off caged Black learners.

In the video which went viral on social media, the learners can be seen joking about selling off their classmates to the highest bidder, with prices starting from R10 000.

The video was entitled “Slavery at schools is crazy”, and illustrated a learner pretending to be an auctioneer and conducting an attempted bidding process, selling the caged pupils.

Western Cape Education Department Communication Director Bronagh Hammond said the department was aware of the video and found it disturbing.

Hammond said the school has subsequently launched an investigation into the matter, and the department was taking the allegations seriously.

She said the learners have been interviewed, and counselling provided to those affected by the incident.

Hammond said a disciplinary meeting has been scheduled for later next month.

Earlier this month Pretoria High School for Girls suspended 12 learners after a racist incident  was exposed, where on their whites-only WhatsApp group  they demeaned fellow Black learners at the school.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Education meets innovation at Regent Business School iLeadLAB

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Education meets innovation at Regent Business School iLeadLAB

Staff Reporter

The iLeadLABS is an innovative educational hub designed to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Its dedication to nurturing future leaders and driving innovation is reinforced by its cutting-edge Academic Makerspace, iLeadLABs.

The iLeadLAB initiatives, based on academic maker spaces focusing on technology and innovation, are operational across five learning centres in Southern Africa. These labs catalyze students to adapt, innovate, and harness technology to create new knowledge.

“At Regent Business School, we believe in the transformative power of education and are proud to sponsor initiatives like the iLeadLAB, which empower students to become future leaders and innovators,” said Hoosen Essof, Head of Innovation and Student Experience at Regent Business School.

The iLeadLABs serve as training facilities and entrepreneurial centres, nurturing independent thinkers and future entrepreneurs.

A makerspace is a collaborative and creative workspace that provides individuals with the tools, resources, and environment to design, prototype, and create various projects. It encourages hands-on learning, experimentation, and innovation and is typically equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, robotics and coding, VR, and drones.

The iLeadLAB is a pioneering initiative and a beacon for cultivating dynamic skills, nurturing leadership qualities, and fostering innovative thinking among students. It is a transformative platform where theoretical knowledge meets real-world application, preparing students to thrive in an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing global landscape.

Through a blend of cutting-edge technology, hands-on experiential learning and mentorship opportunities, the iLeadLAB equips students with the practical skills, adaptability and forward-thinking mindset required to succeed in diverse professional environments.

The innovative iLeadLAB is a prime example of how students learn the skills and etiquette needed to succeed in the 21st century and be at the head of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This is the educational solution to being an agile business leader equipped with relevant skills for this ever-changing world.

iLeadLABs are located in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, and Eswatini.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Not all children read at the same pace – Namibia study shows how teachers can help those falling behind

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Not all children read at the same pace – Namibia study shows how teachers can help those falling behind

Tsitsi Mavambe and Nhlanhla Mpofu

Reading is a powerful tool. It introduces children to new ideas. It shapes their academic journey and progress. It also equips them with skills to navigate the world, both at school and beyond.

Sadly, it’s estimated that more than 202 million children and young people in sub-Saharan Africa do not have age-appropriate reading, writing and numeracy skills. The region’s youth literacy rate (for people aged between 15 and 24) stands at about 77%. The global rate is 95%.

Namibia performs above the regional average, with a youth literacy rate of 91.5%. But challenges persist. Many children with language barriers and other reading-related issues are enrolled in mainstream classrooms alongside learners who are performing at the expected age level. Their issues are not necessarily severe enough to require enrolment in special schools, but they do need some extra guidance and support from teachers. However, not all teachers in mainstream schools have the necessary specialised training and support to effectively help non-readers in their classes.

Existing research indicates that even with limited formal training, experienced teachers can support non-readers by drawing upon their knowledge of learners and learning contexts.

To learn more about how teachers do this, we did a study of primary school teachers in Namibia. We wanted to understand what worked, and what didn’t, when they instructed non-reading students.

We found that teachers were using the right strategies, but they were not giving targeted attention to the non-readers in their classes. Rather, they were teaching the whole class in the same way. This left the non-readers struggling.

The study
The study focused on primary school teachers in the Ompundja circuit in Namibia’s Oshana region. They taught Grade 5s, aged on average between 10 and 11.

Oshikwanyama and English were the languages studied at the five public schools where we conducted our research, though most learners spoke Oshindonga as their home language. The schools were moderately resourced and the teachers who participated all held tertiary qualifications, ranging from diplomas to Masters degrees.

First we asked teachers to describe the methods they used to support students who struggled to read. Here’s what they told us.

Reinforcement was key. Teachers said they sought to consolidate non-readers’ prior knowledge and reinforce their existing skills and understanding. To do so, they used vocabulary board charts, pictures and word visuals that related to the comprehension passage that was studied. These approaches motivated the non-readers and helped them to concentrate better.

The teachers said they avoided diving straight into having students read the assigned texts. Instead, they read aloud to the class first. This allowed them to model fluent reading, introduce new vocabulary, and generate discussion about the content before the students attempted to read it themselves. They also used other traditional strategies for teaching reading comprehension, like asking questions and linking what they read to the students’ own experiences.

Strategies like this prepared the students in advance, making them more receptive and engaged when they did begin reading the material independently.

Research has shown that the integration of these two sets of strategies – reinforcement and anticipation – is crucial for teaching reading to non-readers.

During our interviews, the teachers said these strategies were being used specifically for non-readers in their classes. But the second part of our study, when we sat in and observed classes, showed that this was not the case.

Shortcomings
The teachers identified their non-reading students for us before our observations began. In fact, these students were seated together. They were in the minority in all five classrooms we observed. Despite their seating arrangements, we did not see any evident, distinct interactions or differentiated instruction aimed at non-readers during lessons.

The lessons simply progressed without any clear indication that the teachers were intentionally implementing the specialised strategies they described during interviews for the students who struggled with reading.

What they’d said in interviews was true: they did use well-established instructional reinforcement and anticipatory strategies – vocabulary board charts, visual aids, read-alouds and other techniques. But these were aimed at the entire class, no matter their reading abilities or individual struggles.

This raises concerns about whether the struggling students are truly receiving the tailored instruction and scaffolding they need to develop their reading skills and comprehension. During the classroom observations, we observed an overuse of chorus responses and learners who could not respond to questions posed to them. This suggested that not only the non-readers, but also some of the readers were struggling to engage with the material.

Potential interventions
Based on our findings, we recommend that teachers whose classes contain a mix or fluent and non-reading students implement differentiated approaches to instruction.

This involves assessing students’ reading levels and dividing the class into small groups based on their proficiency. Teachers can then provide targeted instruction and activities at the appropriate level for each group, focusing on foundational reading skills for non-readers and more advanced reading comprehension exercises for fluent readers.

This flexible grouping structure allows for students to move between groups as their skills improve. This fosters a collaborative, inclusive and dynamic learning environment. It allows non-readers to benefit from the modelling and support of their more proficient peers, while also challenging the fluent readers to develop their teaching and leadership skills.

The story was first published in The Conversation.

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