Research has found that babies born during lockdown have been later to meet some language and communication milestones. During this time, babies met fewer new people and had fewer chances to socialise with other adults and babies, whether in baby groups or in family and friends’ homes, and parents had work responsibilities while caring for their babies. This may have led to the lag in skills in the 2020 babies.

Parents often worry more about their child not talking than they do about their child not meeting other milestones. Parents are also more accurate in telling researchers when their child should meet talking milestones than other milestones, such as play or gesture.

Many children who are a bit slow to talk but catch up later, and children who are more likely to carry on having language problems are not necessarily the ones who talk late, but the ones who also don’t understand as many words as their peers.

But it’s important to keep a good handle on whether a child is experiencing some delay with communication, as children who have a serious language delay when they start school are more likely to have problems making friends later on. In general, good language skills help children to do well at school.

The best way to help your toddler with their language and communication is to make sure that people talk to them and listen to them, whoever they are coming into contact with.

No ‘right way’ to talk

Parents may feel they aren’t talking to their children in the right way, but research shows there really isn’t a “right way” which will definitely improve your child’s language over a long period of time. Parents from different cultures talk to their children differently, and so far we have found that small changes in talking to toddlers are unlikely to affect a child’s language at school age.

We do know that talking to children about what they are interested in is one of the most effective ways to help the youngest toddlers to learn new words. A controlled trial carried out in the north of England taught some parents to use this type of “contingent talk” – talking about what a child is paying attention to, when they are paying attention to it.

So, for example, parents were taught to say “oh that’s the LORRY you’re playing with, what a fun LORRY” while their child was already paying attention to the lorry. Other parents in the trial were just taught about healthy eating and dental health.

The researchers made sure that they included families from a wide range of backgrounds, including families in low income areas. The study found that children whose parents were given these tips on talking to their children when their children were just under one year old were saying more words when they were 18 months old than those in families who didn’t get these tips.

But as with previous research, there wasn’t a measurable difference between the two groups of toddlers six months after that. So while it’s good to talk to toddlers, it doesn’t necessarily mean changing the way you talk to them is going to carry forward into their future language skills.

Specific instructions on how to talk to a baby or toddler may also be jarring for parents when they differ from practices from their own culture. Of the babies born in England and Wales in 2020, 30% have a mother who wasn’t born in the UK. Out of those babies, their mother’s most common country of birth was Pakistan. The top ten countries of birth for non-UK-born mothers in 2020 also include Romania, Nigeria, Somalia and India.

We know that parents from different parts of the world use different ways of talking to children and have different ideas on bringing up their children. For example, research has found that parents in Sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to use “instrumental” speech to children – trying to ask them to do something, or pointing out something dangerous near the toddler. In the past, researchers in western settings have mainly studied parents talking to toddlers when they were playing together, focusing on toys and games.

Given how concerned parents of babies born in lockdown might be, the important thing to remember is that however you talk to your toddler now, it’s likely to help them. Whether this is part of a dedicated sit-down play session, getting them to help you with things around the house, or learning to do what adults are doing – it’s all good.

THE CONVERSATION

As part of their Good Luck Campaign, Student Recruitment at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) recently visited Sastri College to donate over 200 stationery packs to the Grade 12s and pass on their well wishes ahead of their final exams.

According to a timetable released by the Department of Basic Education, the National Senior Certificate (NSC) final examinations began on Monday, 31 October 2022 and ends on Friday, 09 December 2022.

The Student Recruitment Manager at DUT, Alex Mdletshe was accompanied by his two colleagues, whom are both Student Recruitment Officers at DUT, Michael Zulu and Dr Sathishah Ramrathan.

Addressing the matrics, Mdletshe said: “We are here because you were one of our Top 26 feeder schools. This means your school is amongst the schools that gave DUT most students and we thought we should do something for you. The team prepared stationery packs that you can use during your final exams. We want to say to you good luck for your exams,” said Mdletshe.

He also handed over a certificate to the school as a token of appreciation from DUT, to acknowledge their mutual beneficial partnership.

The matrics were filled with excitement as their stationery packs from DUT were handed over to them. All seemed confident about starting their exams soon, with the hope that their hard work will pay off.

The School Principal, Santosh Rajcoomar expressed his gratitude to the DUT for the support and fruitful partnership over the years.

“Thank you very much to the DUT for the partnership that we enjoy with the institution. Being neighbours and being so close to each other, we embrace the DUT as a great partner to us. We enjoy quite a few programmes with the DUT. We have been registered as the service provider for providing work integrated learning for the DUT interns. We have the DUT ICON office proving us with tutors for our learners in the gateway subjects, so we enjoying some really interesting partnerships with the DUT. We encourage lots of our learners to enrol with the DUT,” said Rajcoomar.

Passing his message to the Matric Class of 2022, Rajcoomar said they are looking for some great results.
He indicated that he is aware that the past two years have been challenging, especially to the Class of 2022, who were in Grade 10 when the COVID-19 pandemic started.

“They have been through a difficult time, in the last two years, including this year. Sastri College and its loyal team of educators have done everything possible to support our leaners. We are hopeful that the results are going to be great,” concluded Rajcoomar.

Other schools that benefited from this campaign are Adams College, Empangeni High, Eshowe High, Gcinimfundo Secondary, Gugulesizwe Secondary, Masijabule High, Mconjwana High, Menzi High, Sinethezekile Secondary, Sithengile Secondary, Umthoqotho High, Velabahleke High, Vukile High, Zwelibanzi Secondary, Arena park Secondary, Marburg Secondary, Margot Fonteyn Secondary, Mthwalume High, Nkosibomvu Secondary, Pinetown Girls High, Port Shepstone Secondary, Sibusisiwe High, Verulam Secondary and ML Sultan Secondary.

STAFF REPORTER

UKZN honours student in Drama and Performing Arts Kwanele Nyembe was named the 2022 National Poetry Slam Champion during UKZN’s Poetry Africa Festival.

Nyembe, who won a cumulative prize of R22 000, will represent South Africa at the World Slam Poetry Competition in Brazil next year.

Also known as Tory Saint, Nyembe is a Durban-based poet, writer, actor and dancer.

‘There is a lot more work to be done. But today, we celebrate an evening spent with the best poets the nation has to offer,’ he said at the announcement.
‘Gratitude to the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) and UKZN for providing this platform for artists. South Africa has the best poets in the world, and I am grateful to Poetry Africa for reflecting on this established belief. I look forward to retaining the title next year in Brazil.’

CCA Director Dr Ismail Mahomed said: ‘Congratulations to Kwanele. The 2022 Poetry Africa was an incredible success, affirming its position as a most relevant platform that brings poets together from across the world to share, critique and celebrate each other’s creativity. At the same time, the festival is a barometer of how poets read and interpret our social, political and global conditions. Poetry Africa is a dynamic advocate for social justice.’

A jury member for Slam Jam and Head of World Poetry Slam, Dr Philip Meersman of Belgium, added: ‘The use of Kwanele’s voice, the deliberate delivery in (not) using the microphone, the audience interaction, restrained emotions, biblical references together with decorticating the human body into its essence with texts that were harsh as well as blaming and bringing people together, resulted in a well-deserved win.

‘Kwanele is a true winner in every sense of the word, capturing and captivating his audience. He is a kind of magic that must be experienced live by the world.’

Nyembe is the co-founder of the Sink or Swim Podcast, a platform that serves as a media outlet for Durban-based performing artists to talk about their work and introduce the world to the people involved.
As a performer he has worked with the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria together with Hear my Voice, which curated a virtual series that incorporated creatives from different art sectors, including fashion, literature, music, the spoken word, media, government and academia, for co-learning and adapting to change and support during the peak of the pandemic.

He also performed at the Playhouse Sundowners Poetry and Jazz Show.

Beyond this he has shared his work on various platforms such as Word N Sound and Worlds of Words.

He was a winner of UKZN’s Golden Key Poetry competition.

EKURHULENI East TVET College Springs Campus students embarked on a protest outside their campus last week.

It is believed that the protests come from the frustrations of students who have not received their National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) allowances since the beginning of 2022.

Some students at the campus complained about not being able to pay for their accommodation and not having enough money for food and transport.
“We are supposed to be writing our exams in a peaceful state, yet we find ourselves very frustrated. We have outstanding debts and our landlords have resorted to evict us. No one seems to care,” said student Sinalo Skopana.

“When we approach relevant parties, from one person to the next, we are turned down because no one wants to take accountability.”

When the college management negotiated a sit-down meeting with the students, some students declined the offer as they said they still needed to voice their concerns.

“We want to be heard. They want us to listen, but they refuse to listen to us,” said an emotional Zama Zulu.

The college has confirmed the protest relates to the payment of NSFAS allowances and has further said they have engaged with students as a way to resolve the matter.

“We invited an NSFAS representative to address students and we gave them proof and assurance that their allowances would be paid,” said college assistant director in marketing and communications Zuko Mbolekwa.

The college has further said that after a brief talk was held with the NSFAS representative and the students, all students were satisfied and content with the kind of care and assistance they had received.

“After yesterday’s resolve, we are hoping everything will be back to normal,” said Mbolekwa.

STAFF REPORTER

WENDY MOTHATA

WITH fewer than five days to go before the start of the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations for matric pupils, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) said it was well prepared after conducting matric camps across the country to assess, monitor, and motivate Grade 12 learners.

The 2022 final exams are set to start on October 31, and end on December 7, 2022.

This year’s matric cohort had Grades 10 and 11 impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted schooling.

The impact of disrupted education following the Covid-19 outbreak was devastating, with learners between 75% and a full school year behind where they should be, according to a 2021 report by humanitarian organisation, UNICEF.

Rotational attendance, sporadic school closures, and days off for specific grades, resulted in school children losing 54% of learning time.

Students have also had to deal with damaged property, and school closures following unrest which resulted in more than 140 schools being vandalized in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

On Monday, teachers unions said they were concerned about power cuts during exams.

The National Teachers’ Union (NATU) said that the supply of generators would help mitigate the impact of power interruptions during the writing of exams, especially in schools that offer computer-related subjects.

But the Director-General of DOE, Hubert Mathanzima Mweli, said the department was hoping for smooth final exams, adding that learners were eager to do very well in their exams despite some challenges.

“Learners have shown determination to do well in their upcoming exams. Let’s continue to support them at all times,” said Mweli.
As part of the NSC final exams countdown, DBE has been encouraging learners on social media by posting daily tips on how to prepare better for the final examinations.

The provincial departments have also been encouraging Grade 12 learners as they gear up for the exams.

MPUMALANGA PROVINCE|

Unveiling the State of Readiness for the Management of the Conduct of the 2022 NSC Exams, the provincial MEC for Education, Bonakele Majuba, said that all due processes have already been put in place to ensure that the 2022 examinations take place within the provided rules and regulations.

“The 2022 Grade 12 Examination will be the biggest in the history of writing such an examination process, and for this reason, we will need to be extra vigilant and more meticulous in all material aspects of managing these examinations. In total, 71,582 full-time candidates have registered to write the 2022 National Senior Certificate Examination,” said Majuba.

Majuba said it’s the first time that the province has registered such a high number.

“I must say that I am extremely encouraged and happy about it because it confirms that the majority of learners that enter our system in grade R, the majority of them do make it to Grade 12.”

The provincial department has already appointed markers, exam assistants, admins, and capturers. The department has selected the schools that will be used as exam centres and has already appointed chief invigilators.

NORTH WEST PROVINCE|

North West MEC for Education Mmaphefo Matsemela said that all the systems are now in place in terms of how the learners are going to approach the final exams During her visits at schools around the province, Matsemela said she encouraged and gave learners tactics on how they could prepare for their examinations.

FREE STATE PROVINCE|

Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe said all hands are on deck and the department was combat-ready for the 2022 matric exams. Makgoe sad contingency measures were already in place for any eventualities.
“The issue of Eskom is really a challenge but we are trying to say to our learners don’t panic, we will do all our best to engage the powers that be. Eskom and municipalities ensure that during the time learners are writing, there shouldn’t be any disruption,” Makgoe said.

NORTHERN CAPE PROVINCE|

The Northern Cape Department of Education spokesperson, Geoffrey van der Merwe, said the department continues to improve appropriate standards and strengthen initiatives to deepen the maturity of the examination assessment system.

“We have continued to identify and curb threats to mitigate the credibility of the examination and assessment,” said van der Merwe.

KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE|

KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Education, Mbali Frazer, said with less than five days before the start of the exams, the department is ready for the assessments. “We are all here today to play both our individual and collective roles in protecting the credibility and integrity of the upcoming exams,” she said.

Frazer also committed that the Department would only use adequately trained invigilators and markers to conduct the examination.

She warned the Class of 2022 about the consequences of cheating on the exams, saying if found guilty, the learner could be disbarred from rewriting for a number of years.

Frazer also encouraged Grade 12 learners to visit local churches and temples for a Provincial Examination Prayer.

LIMPOPO PROVINCE|

The Limpopo Education Department has been on a drive to motivate learners, the provincial MEC, Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya has urged learners from Sekhukhune East and South Education districts to use the remaining days to prepare thoroughly for the final matric examinations. Lerule-Ramakhanya said that the department had various intervention programmes since the beginning of the year to assist learners.

GAUTENG PROVINCE|
Gauteng Education MEC Matome Chiloane has confirmed the province’s readiness for the 2022 NSC exams.

Gauteng has a total of 194 611 full-time and part-time candidates writing this year’s exams across 1 018 examination centres in the province. Gauteng’s Class of 2022 is the 15th cohort to sit for NSC exams and the third cohort to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for three consecutive years.

They are also the fifth cohort to be exposed to a variety of new subjects.

“Our Secondary School Intervention Programme (SSIP) ensured that our matriculants are thoroughly supported by providing extensive revision lessons for gateway subjects through Saturday programmes, holiday walk-in centres, residential camps and daily live broadcasts,” said Chiloane.

Chiloane said examination centres that do not have generators will procure or rent generators to avoid the disruption that may result from a power cut.

INSIDE EDUCATION