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Gender Bias Stymies Women’s Careers In STEM — United Nations

Charles Molele
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Gender Bias Stymies Women’s Careers In STEM — United Nations

WHILE women play a critical role in science and technology, women career scientists still face gender bias, accounting for only 28 per cent of engineering graduates and 40 per cent of graduates in computer science and informatics, according to a UNESCO report.

On 11 February, the sixth UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science, UNESCO released a chapter on gender titled To be Smart, the Digital Revolution will Need to be Inclusive from its science report scheduled for publication in April.

The chapter highlighted that women are not benefitting fully from employment opportunities open to highly educated and skilled experts in cutting edge fields, such as artificial intelligence. Also, women founders of start-ups struggle to access finance, and in large tech companies they remain underrepresented in both leadership and technical positions.

Anjana Singh, former head of the Central Department of Microbiology at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal, who had to face several challenges at home and at work to reach the top post notes that women face distinct impediments during the three developmental stages when it comes to joining science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses.

“In childhood and adolescence, male stereotypes about STEM, parents’ expectations of daughters focussing on household works, peer norms, traditional culture and lack of fit with personal goals make girls shy away from STEM fields. In emerging adulthood, feeling unfit in STEM classes, outnumbered by male peers and lacking female role models make women avoid STEM majors or leave at mid-career level,” Singh tells SciDev.Net.

“In early to mid-adulthood, subtle gender bias in hiring and promotion, biased evaluation of scientific work, non-inclusive department environment, finding difficulty managing work/home responsibilities, and difficulty returning after a family-related pause undermine the retention of women in STEM,” she adds.

Globally, only 33.3 per cent of researchers are women despite representing 45 and 55 per cent of students at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels of study and comprising 44 per cent of those enrolled in PhD programmes, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The ‘glass ceiling’ remains an obstacle to women’s careers in academia and the gender gap widens as women progress in their careers.

Singh, who is a member of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, which has less than 17.5 per cent female academicians, says perseverance without losing hope is the key to achieving success. “Evidence-based programmes and policies can remove obstacles for girls and women in the fields of STEM. We need flexible workplaces and more female role models,” Singh tells SciDev.Net.

Gender stereotypes and gender-based inequalities worldwide continue to steer many girls and women away from careers in science, technology and innovation. The chapter noted that female researchers tend to have shorter, less well-paid careers. Their work is underrepresented in high-profile journals and they are often passed over for promotion.

“Even today, in the 21st century, women and girls are being sidelined in science-related fields due to their gender. Women need to know that they have a place in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and that they have a right to share in scientific progress,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in a media release.

According to the Amsterdam-based BoldData, only 2.9 per cent of women hold CEO positions in the ICT industry, 2.7 per cent of manufacturing companies worldwide are led by women, and that number drops to 1.4 per cent in the construction industry, and to 0.005 per cent in the oil and gas industry.

“Woman CEO’s bring special focus on the value of the social aspects and cultural dimensions in science, technology and innovation. No country can afford to waste the talent of half of its population. It has been demonstrated that when women contribute to research and development, the solutions created are more diverse and more societally relevant,” Daan Wolff, CEO of BoldData, tells SciDev.Net.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Asia & Pacific desk.

South Africa Is Yet To Release Grade 12 Results For 2020

Charles Molele
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South Africa Is Yet To Release Grade 12 Results For 2020

Social media posts claim that only 120,000 matric pupils in South Africa out of 700,000 who wrote their final exams ending up passing the 2020 academic year. This claim is false; while more than one million candidates sat for the final exams in 2020, results have not been released yet owing to Covid-related delays.

The claim first appeared as a purported quote by South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, in the headline of an article published on February 8, 2021, by Opera News App, an international news aggregator. 

But the content of the article contradicts the headline, noting that “the grade 12 results will be released on the 23rd of February 2021”.

This detail was ignored by Facebook users who shared the headline as fact, including this post in which the author promotes currency trading as a career path for those who failed.

“700 000 learners wrote their matric and only 120 000 passed,” reads the first sentence of the post. “Can I teach the remaining 580 000 who failed Forex?” 

However, the claim about the number of matric pupils who wrote and failed is false.

Not only are the year’s results still days away from being announced, but there were also 1,058,699 candidates — and not 700,000 — who sat for the 2020 exams, which finished on December 15, 2020.

Opera News not credible

A scan of Opera News where the false headline appeared shows that the news aggregator features a range of articles from various websites, including gossip blogs as well as credible online media. Some of the articles, however, are produced by authors using aliases or auto-generated names that AFP Fact Check was unable to verify.

A search of the link using the tool Know Knews by Media Monitoring Africa warns that the website “may contain dodgy news”. AFP Fact Check also found Opera News listed under “fake news” on Infraplex, an information and telecommunications company based in South Africa.

In a January 2021 interview with online publication Tech Cabal, the editorial manager of Opera News in Nigeria, Collins Udeme, said although people accused the platform of spreading misinformation, it was merely a content distributor and not a publisher.

“At the end of every article, there’s a disclaimer that states who is responsible for the article. And if there are some concerns, affected persons can reach out to Opera News directly,” he said.

The following was the disclaimer at the end of the article falsely quoting Motshekga on the 2020 matric exams: “Content created and supplied by MsNandu. Opera News is a free to use platform and the views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent, reflect or express the views of Opera News. Any/all written content and images displayed are provided by the blogger/author, appear herein as submitted by the blogger/author and are unedited by Opera News … (sic)”

Results to be released

Department of basic education spokesman, Elijah Mhlanga, told AFP Fact Check that the claims are false.

“That’s complete fake news, in fact, that post came even before we handed over the data to Umalusi,” said Mhlanga.

Umalusi monitors and reports on the quality of the qualifications and curricula used in schools.

School exams in South Africa were delayed last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic; normally the exam period runs from the end of October to the end of November. 

In 2019, an estimated 788,000 pupils sat for the final-year exams and achieved an 81 percent pass rate. 

Mhlanga explained that the enrollment for final exams in 2020 was higher than the year before because the preliminary tests that usually take place over May and June were combined with the final exams.

Preliminary exams are not compulsory, and so some schools chose not to write them and rather focused on learner support, he added.

The 2020 matric results will be released on February 23, 2021. Private schools announced results a few days earlier, as they usually do in South Africa, on February 19, 2021.

(Source: AFP)

Here Are South Africa’s IEB Matric Results For 2020

Charles Molele
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Here Are South Africa’s IEB Matric Results For 2020

THE Independent Examination Board (IEB) has published its matric results for the class of 2020, with the group achieving a pass rate of 98.07%. The board noted that the 2020 NSC pass rate is 98.07%, slightly lower than last year’s pass rate of 98.82%.

The board said that all candidates who passed, achieved a pass that is good enough to enter tertiary study at one of the three levels:

  • 88.42% (compared to 89.51% in 2019) of the cohort achieved entry to degree study;
  • 8.14% (compared to 7.91% in 2019) qualified for entry to diploma study;
  • 1.51% (compared to 1.4% in 2019) achieved entry for study at the Higher Certificate level.

12,024 full-time and 1,139 part-time candidates from 233 examination centres writing in 261 venues across Southern Africa wrote the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in October and November 2020.

This is an increase from 2019 when there were 11,818 full-time candidates and 779 part-time candidates.

While not immediately clear in the numbers, the impact of Covid-19 on the schooling population saw several learners withdraw from the year and postpone completion of Grade 12 until 2021, the IEB said.

“It is interesting to note that the hard lockdown had differing impacts across schools within the IEB,” said Anne Oberholzer, chief executive of the Independent Examinations Board.

“Some schools were able to make a smooth transition to online teaching and learning as they had the resources available and in fact, had already been using them in the normal course of events.

“Their teachers were experienced in this mode of delivery, as were their learners who had access to devices and stable internet connectivity.”

Oberholzer said that many schools could not deploy an online teaching model, either because the school or the majority of learners did not have adequate resources.

To fulfil their commitment to teach their learners and not be defeated by the pandemic, teachers in these situations reverted to traditional distance education strategies, she said.

“In some cases, they prepared weekly learning programmes for learners using textbook references and notes together with prepared exercises and tasks.

These were emailed to learners where possible, physically delivered to or collected by learners and family members from the school. The completed tasks were returned to the school for marking and possible further teaching intervention if required.

“The initiative of schools and teachers to continue with teaching and learning during this time is a testimony to their professionalism and the commitment of teachers and learners, as well as the support of parents to pivot and adapt to our changed circumstances,” said Oberholzer.

Increase in home schooling 

Some schools also saw a number of learners leaving to join distance and online education providers, and there was also an increase in the number of children being home-schooled.

“However, it soon became apparent for many parents that the concept of home schooling and the complexity and responsibility that goes into ensuring that their child is learning at an appropriate standard and pace is enormous, notwithstanding the massive adjustment for learners, many of whom struggled with this model and the social isolation, said Oberholzer.

“Suffice it to say that the educational consequences of the pandemic have brought home a new societal respect for teachers and the role they play in the development and progress of learners.”

As the examination period grew closer, a number of learners opted to only write a few subjects in the 2020 year, postponing the examinations in the other subjects to 2021.

The excellent performance of the Class of 2020 under very difficult circumstances, underscores the importance of the years of good, solid teaching and learning prior to the Grade 12 year.

“These achievements are proof that the Grade 12 year on its own does not provide the understanding, perseverance and resilience needed to achieve excellent results in the matric year – but that is the culmination of work and learning over 12 or 13 years of quality schooling,” she said.

(Source: Businesstech SA)

Opinion: MTN SA Foundation Accelerates E-learning Support To SA Learners, But Crime Poses A Major Threat

Charles Molele
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Opinion: MTN SA Foundation Accelerates E-learning Support To SA Learners, But Crime Poses A Major Threat

KUSILE MTUNZI-HAIRWADZI

THE impact of rampant vandalism, theft and break-ins at schools is influencing the hopes and dreams of children across the country. 

Thousands of Computer Application Technology (CAT) pupils will not be able to access the digital tools they need to succeed, unless urgent support and greater access to technology is provided on a large scale.   

Last year, in an address by Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, it was reported that 1 577 schools suffered vandalism and theft during the country’s national lockdown, with computer laboratories the hardest hit.

The situation has not improved and early this year more than 42 computers stolen at just one school in the south of Johannesburg. 

Through the MTN Foundation, we see first-hand the ripple effects this criminal activity is having on our future generations.

It is devastating to see the impact on learners.

These children had just been given access to computers for the first time in their lives, and to have them taken away is heart-breaking. and immediately stifles their learning potential. 

To date, MTN SA Foundation’s flagship project within the e-Learning offering has been the provisioning of multimedia centres in schools, institutions of higher learning and communities across the country.

However, as many as 34 of the schools which were connected between 2014 and 2017 have, sadly, reported burglary, theft, or some form of vandalism during the past three years.  

The 34 schools represent over 26% of the total schools connected over the past three years, being impacted.  

Visiting the schools targeted truly lays bare the broad impact these crimes are having.

Grade 12 learners, for instance, were using the multimedia centres to apply to universities and for bursaries, while free access to data and computers was opening the door to a myriad of opportunities for learners and teachers.

Hundreds of Grade 10 learners had also just started their studies in Computer Applied Technology (CAT), and there is a risk many schools and their learners may not be able to do the practical work needed to pass their exams, or may not be able to continue with their subject at all.

This will leave these learners to enter the job market unprepared for the digital world, which will only widen the digital divide and take away future opportunities from these young adults 

Teachers, along with their ability to keep up with curriculums, will also be hindered as they use the labs to research and formulate lesson plans.

Not only that, but entire communities also lose out, as the multimedia centres established at many schools were being utilised by all members of the community, giving them access to the benefits of the digital economy and connected world. 

There is no doubt the futures and dreams of these children are being placed in jeopardy by these unacceptable actions.

The torching of schools has, of course, further hampered progress as repairs to vandalised school buildings often take a long time with limited budgets available.  

With the education system as fragile as it is at the moment, working to weather the COVID-19 storm, digital solutions for children in remote or disadvantaged areas who may not be able to access physical classrooms, teachers, textbooks or computers, is more critical than ever.  

While MTN is saddened by the devastation wrought at many of these centres and schools, we stand steadfast in our commitment to support vulnerable children and schools. 

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) ushers in exciting opportunities, it is important that barriers for learners are removed.

Learners simply cannot be exposed to computers for the first time when they enter university gates, in doing so, these students are immediately at a significant disadvantaged to their tech savvy peers, once again stacking the odds against those with less financial stability.

It is imperative that the class of 2021 receives support to close the gaps in accessing online tools and learning.  

This year again, together with key partners, MTN SA Foundation will work to help children, along with teachers and educational institutions, overcome the hurdles that have been placed in their path and continue to drive greater access to education across South Africa as children head back to classrooms. 

The 2021 MTN SA Back-to-School programme is focused on increasing learner’s school performance and access to e-learning, building on the Foundation’s pivotal work during the COVID-19 school lockdowns.

The programme will take aim at assisting those in need, and especially children who may not enjoy the benefits of textbooks, teachers, or even properly functioning schools. 

Several interventions and offerings of e-education and virtual schools will leverage the existing MTN technology solutions.

This is critical as the pandemic has shown how crucial it is to drive seamless connectivity and support to help improve learning outcomes, no matter how challenging the situation may seem.

For instance, during the ongoing COVID-19 storm, MTN’s 96% LTE connectivity is enabling e-learning and virtual classes in previously unreachable areas.  

In the Eastern Cape Province alone, 72 000 SIM cards were pre-loaded with mobile data and provided to the Eastern Cape learners, in addition to the zero-rating of educational websites, and provision of equipment for modern multimedia centres, across the country.

However, we must remain aware that 51% of the country still makes use of “feature phones” which do not allow for online learning.

The cost of bringing features phones and tablets to market is a significant hindrance to accessing the internet.

To solve this problem, we will need a concerted and collaborative effort between business, NGOs and the private sector. 

Working with the Siyavula Foundation, the MTN SA Foundation has invested into the Siyavula e-learning platform that offers textbooks, practice software and exam preparation content.

This investment is ensuring that SA’s Grade 10 to 12 learners across South Africa have access to world-class Mathematics software and online textbooks for CAT and IT. 

Education is a right, and a crucial opportunity to grow and develop our future leaders.

It holds the key to a better life for all children and adolescents worldwide, a life with less poverty, better health and an increased ability to take their future into their own hands and become active participants in the economy. 

MTN’s primary focus on education seeks to drive access to information using technology as an enabler.

Therefore, we are placing a heavy focus on creating an MTN e-school that will use virtual platforms to provide access to curriculum aligned information to the target audiences.

Teachers will never be replaced.

We need to personal interactions, the sensitivity that comes with know your learner’s strengths and weaknesses and the power of experience when try to help a learner through a tricky piece of work.

But we can all do more to better use the resources we have at our disposal.  

Through ongoing collaboration and support with likeminded partners in the public sector, aligning to the strategic intent of the National Department of Education, Department of Social Development (DSD) and Department of Basic Education (DBE), in 2021 and beyond, we will continue to assist with brightening the futures of children and communities, despite the obstacles in their way.  

This work will be ramped up even further this year as we continue to bring the benefits of the modern, connected life to more people. 




Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi is General Manager at the MTN SA Foundation. 

(SOURCE: INSIDE EDUCATION)

Lebone Litho Printers: From Humble Beginnings To Industry Giants

Charles Molele
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Lebone Litho Printers: From Humble Beginnings To Industry Giants

THEBE MABANGA

WHEN Keith Michael started operating a small printing company in a garage in Sophiatown 20 years ago, little did he know that it would one day turn into one of the top printing companies in the South Africa with a net asset value of R400 million, and just over 300 staff complement.

Michael’s company, Lebone Litho Printers, is now preparing for the next phase of its growth with a move to its R100 million offices and fully integrating digital printing with its traditional printing business, which remains strong, despite the decline in demand for printing, and has just negotiated the COVID-19 storm with a sustained increase in revenue.

An activist by his own right, Michael, who was jailed for taking part in the anti-apartheid struggle, founded the company in 2000.

He grew up in Westbury, a historically coloured township outside of Johannesburg.

The area is crime-ridden and dominated by gangs, drugs and violence.

Michael notes the importance of a stable family home to counter the negative effects of such an environment.

“I always say that you are not the environment you come from,” he says.

His company offers a full spectrum of printing services for newspapers and magazines, coffee-table books and textbooks, flyers pamphlets, promotional materials and highly specialized digital printing

Michael is bullish about the future of printing.

“The future of printing is robust. We are focused on niche printing and complement it with app development and digital platforms”.

The Johannesburg-based businessman says over the past five years he has seen the print industry decline, owing to factors such as decline in newspaper sales and migration to digital products

This decline has been accelerated by COVID-19 as Michael confirms that they have witnessed a few companies close shop, especially foreign-owned companies who simply used COVID-19 as an opportunity to hasten their exit from South Africa.

Lebone Litho imports most of its printing equipment from Germany and has local agents from companies such as Heidelberg.

Technicians perform diagnostics and the company undertakes anticipated maintenance.

The machinery ranges between R1-R30 million and the business, which is debt free, maintains an offshore account to manage the exchange rate risk.

The company is, like all businesses, navigating the fallout from COVID-19.

Ever hard working, Michael is not allowing the negative effects of the pandemic to pull him down.

Instead, he is turning the negative into positives.

“COVID-19 has been a blessing in disguise,” says Michael, and this is not just optimism of an entrepreneur.

Michael says the company saw a revenue increase during the pandemic.

From its new offices in Selby South, Johannesburg, where they have been based for over the past few years, Michael and his management team research possibilities offered by digital printing and take the market share of the companies that have closed.  

COVID-19 has also enabled the company to purchase relatively new equipment at a lower price.  

Most importantly, Michael says COVID-19 offers the printing industry an opportunity to adapt to eco-friendly ways of printing and minimise waste and lower its emissions.

The company has a subsidiary, Lebone Media, which develops digital applications for integration into their traditional printing business.

Some of the application being developed include digitising school textbook with built online assessment, which can be accessed remotely by a teacher to monitor a learner’s progress and turning school workbooks into gaming applications to make learning more enjoyable.  

The company is also developing and testing services such as digital archiving, which can allow for paper-based storage facility accumulated over decades to be converted to electronic storage.

Michael studied for a B Comm through Unisa, and an MBA degree through the Milpark Business School.

After working for bosses for a few years, he decided to start his business.

He did this through acquiring a second bond on his house and grew the business over the past two decades.

The company currently prints 65 million workbooks for the Department of Basic Education and delivers these to 24 000 schools, twice a year.

The contract is delivered through a consortium led by Lebone and comprising Norvis and DSV, one of the world’s largest logistics companies.

The company then runs and prints for exam facilities for the Free State and Gauteng provincial education departments as well as the North West University. 

The company also runs a Learner-Teacher support centre for printing textbooks.  

Three years ago, Lebone Media acquired a label printing company now called, Lebone Paarl Labels, which supplies labels to the beverage industry.

In total, the company runs seven sites and employs 312 people directly and a further 500 through its suppliers.

The employee profile of the printing industry is that of a highly experienced printer technician who has a vast amount of experience but entered the industry with low levels of education.

Lebone Litho prides itself in up-skilling its workers through novel testing and on the job training with modules of up to six weeks, offered by their international equipment suppliers.

The company also sells the waste it generates, worth about R2 million a year, and the money is used towards training of staff and their families through bursaries for children and skills development programmes.

Giving is at the heart of the company ethos, thanks to Michael’s Christian values.

The company regularly donates to NGOs in communities where it operates.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the company has donated an estimate of R3 million to NGOs and churches, in food items..

Michael also runs Azalia Holdings, a venture capital that invests in other companies.

He is motivated by seeing South Africa succeed.

“If the country collapses, my company collapses,” he says of the need for business people to get involved in helping develop the country “the country’s success is my success.”

(SOURCE: INSIDE EDUCATION)

DRC: Meet Debora Kayembe, New Rector At University of Edinburgh

Charles Molele
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DRC: Meet Debora Kayembe, New Rector At University of Edinburgh

A RESIDENT of Scotland since 2011, human rights lawyer Debora Kayembe was named rector of the University of Edinburgh, one of the UK’s most prestigious institutions, in early February.

She will assume her new role on 1 March.

The 45-year-old Kinshasa-born political activist and human rights lawyer will be the first black person and the third woman to hold the prestigious position since 1858.

Here are five things to know about Kayembe.

1 – Human rights activist

Kayembe cut her teeth as a human rights activist in the DRC. Born in Kinshasa 45 years ago, she was raised by her paternal aunt and uncle, a doctor, in a well-to-do family with very close ties to the Mobutu Sese Seko regime. She grew up in the lap of luxury, safe from the outside world.

At the age of 19, after coming face-to-face with Kinshasa’s slums, where social inequality, injustice and child hunger were on full display, Kayembe was spurred to take action.

She earned her law degree at the Université Libre de Kinshasa and began her career as a human rights activist with the NGO Toges noires (Black Togas). After interning at the UN, she was called to the Congolese Bar Association in Matadi and became a lawyer with a specialty in international law in 2000.

2 – Forced into exile

After returning to Kinshasa in 2002, Kayembe was hired by an international law firm, where she worked on cases involving foreign investors facing corruption in the DRC.

Later on, President Joseph Kabila sent her, along with other civil society representatives, to South Africa on a mission to set up a transitional government and appointed her as special adviser to the DRC’s human rights commission.

In this role, Kayembe called for an investigation into a massacre that had taken place in Bunia, a city in eastern DRC, during the Second Congo War. Horrified by the eyewitness accounts and evidence gathered, which included reports of killings, torture and rape, she was about to hand in a damning report to the government when her name became the subject of rumours. The situation worsened to the point that several friends advised her to leave the country immediately.

3 – Linguist

Kayembe arrived in the UK as a refugee in 2005. She was granted political asylum and a residence permit two years later, while living in northern England, in the town of Blackburn, outside Manchester, whose MP, Jack Straw, was the then foreign secretary in the Labour government. He intervened on her behalf to prevent her expulsion from the UK.

Kayembe speaks more than four languages, including French, Lingala, Kikongo and Swahili, and previously worked as an interpreter and translator for African refugees at a local National Health Services (NHS) office. She went on to create her own language services company with an international client base.

4 – Member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Because her law degree was recognised in Scotland but not in England, Kayembe moved with her two young children to Edinburgh in 2011, where she was able to qualify as a barrister.

In 2012, she joined the Scottish Refugee Council, where she served as a board member. That same year, she was added to the list of assistants to counsel for the victim support section of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). In 2016, she became the first African woman to join the Royal Society of Edinburgh, where she holds a seat on the Working Group for Africa.

5 – First black person to serve as rector

In July 2020, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, Kayembe launched the Freedom Walk campaign, a civil rights movement which aims to promote “social reforms, racial justice and community harmony” in Scotland.

In February 2021, she became the first black woman, first African immigrant and third woman since 1858 to be named rector of the University of Edinburgh, one of the UK’s most prestigious institutions (according to QS World University Rankings, the university ranks 5th in Europe and 20th worldwide).

The university also has the third-largest endowment fund of all British universities, behind Cambridge and Oxford.

Appointed for a three-year term, the new rector plans to focus her agenda on combating racism, promoting diversity and stamping out inequalities in access to higher education. A few of her famous predecessors include former British prime ministers Winston Churchill and Gordon Brown.

(SOURCE: INSIDE EDUCATION)

Ten SA Boarding Schools Now Charge More Than R270 000 Per Year

Charles Molele
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0
Ten SA Boarding Schools Now Charge More Than R270 000 Per Year

SOUTH Africa’s most expensive boarding school costs over R330,000 per year – and all of the top ten schools cost above R271,000.

Hilton College is, once again, comfortably the most expensive school in South Africa – and after a R9,660, or 3% increase, for 2021, its R331,550 annual fees are almost R20,000 per year more expensive than its nearest fee “rival”, Michaelhouse.

This fee covers tuition and full boarding – but parents are required to pay some additional expenses like a “consolidated fee” of R450 per term, and undisclosed amounts for pupils who participate in golf, rowing, or canoeing.

For new entrants, as with most elite schools, there’s also a non-refundable acceptance fee – in the case of Hilton College, this is R82,887.50 that “must be paid to the school as a contribution to the school’s development programme”.

For the first time, there are now three South African boarding schools that cost in excess of R300,000 per year – Hilton College, Michaelhouse, and St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown.

In most instances, boarding schools charge a flat rate for both tuition and lodging – but in cases where schools also offer places to day pupils, Business Insider combined the two totals for Grade 12 pupils boarding on a per-term basis, and took the best case scenario of an upfront annual payment to determine the final costs.

Those that do stipulate boarding fees as separate line items in their fee schedules tend to charge between R115,000 and R125,000 per year for the ability to live and eat on campus. 

By way of comparison, a private room in first tier accommodation at the University of Cape Town, with three catered meals per day, costs about R95,000. A typical undergraduate degree at the same institution costs between R60,000 and R70,000 per year, which when combined with the residence fees is in some cases is about half the cost of South Africa’s high-end boarding schools.

Although the top three most expensive schools now all cost in excess of R300,000 per year, the remaining elite boarding schools aren’t far behind.

Roedean School and St John’s College are now charging above R290,000 per annum for the first time. And the remaining five schools in the top 10 cost between R271,000 and R290,000.

Subdued price hikes

Like the country’s most expensive day schools, South African boarding schools have trimmed their year-on-year increases in 2021. 

St Andrew’s College Grahamstown and Kingswood College (a new entrant into the top 10) saw the biggest hikes – both increased their annual fees by around 5%, around R14,550 and R12,960 per year respectively.

Kearsney College, the country’s most expensive day school, hiked its fees by about R12,430, or 4.5%.

The rest of the country’s boarding schools chose somewhat more modest fee increases for 2021 – most stuck to increases around the 3% mark. Just one, Bishops Diocesan College, chose not to increase fees at all for the 2021 school year.

These increases are roughly half those of 2020s – for that school year, the majority of pricey boarding schools saw it fit to increase their fees by 7%.

(SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER SA)

Gauteng Government Unveils A Multi-Million Rand Smart School In Katlehong Township

Charles Molele
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0
Gauteng Government Unveils A Multi-Million Rand Smart School In Katlehong Township

THEBE MABANGA

NOMALUNGELO Mthiyane, a resident of Moleleki section in Katlehong township could not hide her excitement when Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi and Premier David Makhura handed the state-of-the-art smart school to the community on Monday.

She had attended the school a few years ago and now has her own child about to complete Grade 7 at the school.

She recalls how during her time at the school, it could not accommodate its entire student body.

She and her peers had to be accommodated at a nearby school.

“I am now happy that our children have a beautiful school of their own” said Mthiyane. 

There was a buzz around the opening of the school attended by dignitaries including Makhura, Lesufi and Ekurhuleni executive mayor Mzwandile Masina, among others.

The opening of the school was attended by dignitaries including Gauteng premier David Makhura, Panyaza Lesufi and Ekurhuleni executive mayor Mzwandile Masina, among others. PHOTO: Eddie Mtsweni

Lesufi told community members who attended the event on Monday that the Gauteng government was slowly reversing the legacy of apartheid education by getting children from townships to attend quality schools in their areas, rather than commute to formerly white suburbs to access quality education.

“Our mission is to reverse the Henrik Verwoed legacy of education” said Lesufi, in reference to the former Apartheid prime minister who deemed African children to be deserving of poor education in inferior facilities.

Lesufi said the province is steadily making gains in improving the quality of education although there are still challenges.

Lesufi noted that the province is expecting 120 000 new learners in public schools this week, while next week, Makhura will be exiting 104 000 matriculants from the system.

Lesufi said this shows that the system now retains learners throughout the school career, with falling drop-out rates.

Lesufi however noted that last year about 3000 learners did not come back to school in August after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as learners dropped out while other were kept at home by anxious parents.

Lesufi said his department has now dispatched teams to look for the learner and urged parents to release learners back to school.

Makhura welcomed back 2 million learners to Gauteng schools and paid tribute to teachers who helped ensure that the 2020 academic year was completed under difficult conditions.

“We were anxious about the academic year, as we were anxious about the provision of housing healthcare and other services” Makhura said.

Makhura urged the community of Katlehong to look after the property as government will not have capacity to repair the school if it is vandalized.

He said this is because the government faces pressure to provide housing healthcare and other services due to inward migration that Gauteng experiences.

He cited the example of Menzi Primary School, a smart school unveiled in Langaville, Kwa Thema also in Ekurhuleni, in 2018.

The school was opened in January and within a month of its opening was burgled and vandalized, with some of the equipment stolen.

Makhura cited former President’s Nelson Mandela, who observed that through education the child of a mineworker can become a head of the mine, and former ANC President Oliver Tambo who noted that a nation that neglects its youth, neglects its own future.

He noted that the Gauteng government is building smart schools as part of an investment in youth development.

Tasneem Motara, the MEC for Infrastructure Development in the province officially handed over the school to Lesufi.

Motara said the facility, located on 1,1 hectares of land in Moleleki section, Katlehong, took 78 weeks to complete, slightly longer than planned due to challenges such as Covid and stoppages over local participation.

The school represents an investment of R77 million, with 46% spending on local contractors. This is more than the 30% required to be spent on local enterprises

The school was established in 1994 and is named after youth activist Abram Vusimuzi “Buddy” Hlophe.

Hlophe grew up in Katlehong was active in its youth structures such as the Katlehong Student Congress.

He was involved in underground political activities in the 80s and self-defense units in the early 90s and had a strong Leftist-leaning.

He was killed in 1992, at the age of the 23, in the political violence that gripped the area at the time.

Speaking during the unveiling on Monday, his father Jeremiah thanked the Gauteng government for the construction of the school and naming it in his son’s honour.

He said he hopes the school inspires a generation of young people to be inspired to follow their dreams through education.

Makhura and Lesufi expressed confidence ahead of the release of matric results next week, with Lesufi stating that “majority” of Gauteng’s matriculants had passed while Makhura said he expects that Gauteng will be among the top performing provinces.

Makhura said government wants to see bachelor passes and distinctions produced by township schools.

(SOURCE: INSIDE EDUCATION)

OPINION: Joburg Entrepreneur Keith Michael Offers Three Strategies Towards Bridging The Online Learning Gap In South Africa

Charles Molele
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OPINION: Joburg Entrepreneur Keith Michael Offers Three Strategies Towards Bridging The Online Learning Gap In South Africa

KEITH MICHAEL|

COVID-19 has presented new challenges and demands on the education system. It has shown that technology is no longer a luxury but an essential component of the education process. 

It has also exposed the historical inequalities in which many disadvantaged families do not have access to the internet at any given moment.

According to StatsSA, South Africa has more than 58 million people, but only 31 million have access to the internet. Mobile phones are the most popular and basic form of access to the internet that most South Africans have. While South Africa has the largest number of active connections, less than 3% of all households have (FTTH) Fibre to the Home connections and only 10% have home Internet access. 

This lack of access has certainly contributed to learners who were not able to learn from home, creating a major gap in their academics.  The challenge South Africa has remains bridging the digital divide that deprives people access to the digital world, which comes with much possibility.

E-Learning provides access – which many children, under “normal” circumstances would not be afforded. Rural areas are highly affected as they continue to lag in internet quality. 

In working towards tackling this issue, there are approaches that government and the private sector can adopt to ensure access for learners across the country.

First Strategy: Creating policies to complement the existing system of education

At least 9 000 schools in South Africa do not have access to the internet and more than 11 000 schools do not have internet labs. According to the department of education, an estimated amount of R16 billion is required to provide computer labs with connectivity.

With the right support and training, digital teaching and learning can become ubiquitous even in resource-strapped environments. Poorer schools should not be disadvantaged because of connectivity and lack of funding in the Information and communications technology (ICT) space.

Government should focus on policies that will integrate traditional and digital learning which has proven to not only be a trend that is being adopted all over the world but an effective way to ensure uninterrupted learning during the pandemic.

A few countries in the world have started to implement the strategy of creating platforms for students to access education while at home. Countries such as Afghanistan, China, Brazil, Argentina, and many others are finding ways to supplement learning for students without access to technology or connectivity. 

These countries have adopted effective digital programmes and are finding ways to deliver digital educational materials and learning resources to the homes of learners. 

Some countries also rely heavily on educational television as a learning resource to ensure that school closure does not exacerbate inequity in access to these learning resources. 

Second Strategy: The intentional and proactive raising of funds

The department of education in South Africa still has a long way in creating access for all learners. It has previously attempted to bridge the digital divide gap by providing learners with tablets, however many challenges arose including lack of funding in the ICT space and the lack of security of the tablets and devices amongst other things. 

Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi previously expressed commitment to providing every child in the region access to education via a tablet or computer – which proves to be a complex task. He also added that the plan was not just to allow children access to tablets in schools, but that pupils would be able to take their tablets home to continue with learning.

The department should focus extensively on working towards solving issues such as lack of funding and theft of tablets in schools. For this financial year, the government put aside over R30 billion to build new schools and maintain schooling infrastructure to improve the education system. Additionally, it had planned to allocate R23 billion towards the national school nutrition programme grant, in which 9 million learners in over 20 000 schools would receive meals daily. 

As many disadvantaged learners remain home, it is a great opportunity to reallocate the funds. Some of the funds should still go towards the nutrition of the learners, through giving them food parcels however a small portion can be invested in strategies towards online learning access.

Many learners in disadvantaged communities understand the importance of education and as such would opt for a chance to be able to continue with their studies uninterrupted. By modifying the education sector, we can open the window of opportunities to those students who would otherwise be affected the most by this shift.

Third Strategy: Creating an integrated Public-Private Partnership approach aided by the telecom sector

There is saying, it takes a village to raise a child. South African children cannot be starved and deprived of getting access to online learning when we have a healthy Telecoms Sector. 

Our government should seek the buy in of parents and private companies to invest heavily in the online learning space.

It will take enormous collaboration and energy from all sectors of society to engage government and the private sector to change the future of our learners with mentorship programmes- sponsorships- job shadowing and guidance on skill shortage starting with Grade R to Matric.

It is great to see that there are companies involved in creating e-learning applications to help the students and these companies are also advocating the free use of their products to aid students in times of distress.

Ed-tech solutions providers, school management services, education boards, ICT companies and education entrepreneurs can pull together and work to solve the issue of access. Identifying gaps and filling them is how every company with resources should conduct itself.

At Lebone one of the main priorities for each year is to find schools that are in need and look at ways to solve their problems. In the past year, Lebone invested more R100 000 towards assisting schools in disadvantaged areas to continue to assist learners by providing stationery and other requirements.

The major Telecom service providers should also be involved through giving free access to internet connectivity service for online education, especially in remote and disadvantaged areas. They can also upgrade the bandwidth of major online education service platforms. Teachers also require guidance on e-learning teaching methodologies and there should be an effort to strengthen online security. 

To reinforce the foundational imperative of online learning and create an effective outcome, excellent retired teachers must be part of the strategy. By uniting towards the same goal, funds can be available to ensure that our learners enjoy learning effectively and can focus solely on gaining the skill sets needed to grow and compete in the South African job market.

  • Keith Michael is CEO of Lebone Litho Printers.

(SOURCE: INSIDE EDUCATION)

SA Reopens Schools Amid Concerns Over Placements, Storm-damaged Schools Ahead Of New Academic Year

Charles Molele
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SA Reopens Schools Amid Concerns Over Placements, Storm-damaged Schools Ahead Of New Academic Year

NYAKALLO TEFU

MILLIONS of learners across South Africa returned back to their classrooms on Monday to mark the beginning of the new academic year, following a two week delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Briefing the media on Sunday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said it’s all systems go despite the COVID-19 disruptions, delays in school admissions and delivery of textbooks at certain schools.

 “It has been three weeks since we started phasing-in the reopening of schools for the year 2021. School Management Teams returned on 25 January and teachers have been back at work for two weeks now, since 1 February 2021,” said Motshekga. 

She said the health and safety of teachers and learners will be prioritized following concerns raised by parents and teacher unions. 

“We will continue to maintain the delicate balance between health and safety in schools on the one hand, while on the other, we deal with the curriculum gaps, identified during the 2020 academic year,” said Motshekga.

She said according to the latest available figures, 1 169 educators have passed away, as a direct result of COVID-19. 

“This year alone, up to Friday, 12 February, the number of deceased educators stands at 159; while for non-teaching staff we have recorded 63 deaths.  This is really heart-breaking, and we convey our sincere condolences to the affected families,” said Motshekga.

On Monday, various MECs of Education from the nine provinces visited a number of schools to monitor school readiness. 

 In Gauteng Province, MEC Panyaza Lesufi visited the newly built Abram Hlope Primary School in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg.

The Gauteng department of education said the state-of-the-art equipment will benefit hundreds of disadvantaged children in the sprawling township of Katlehong.

Lesufi was joined by Gauteng premier David Makhura, education officials and other dignitaries to handover the school on Monday morning. 

In KwaZulu-Natal, MEC of Education Kwazi Mshengu handed over a R255 million state-of-the-art school – the Anton Lembede Mathematics, Sciences and Technology Academy. 

The KZN department of education said the  academy will put special focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution and prioritize subjects like Maths, Sciences and Technology. 

The school is in La Mercy has 20 classrooms that will have a capacity of 600 learners. 

The department said Anton Lembede Mathematics, Science and Technology academy has one specialist classroom, a library, three computer labs and three science labs.

In the Western Cape, MEC of Education Debbie Schafer visited Aloe Junior School and various other schools in Mitchell’s Plain to see if they were adhering to COVID-19 protocols and were ready to receive learners. 

“Welcome back to a new school year! After last year’s disruptions, it will be important to focus on working really hard when you are at school. Teachers have been preparing for you to get stuck in straight away,” said Schafer. 

In Mpumalanga, MEC of Education Bonakele Majuba visited the Mkhulu Combined School in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality together with Deputy Minister of the Department of Basic Education, Dr Reginah Mhaule.

“We are pleased with the safe return of learners in this adjusted opening of schools for 2021, post the Covid19 second wave peak. Much appreciation to Mpumalanga MEC for Education, Mr Bonakele Majuba for ensuring readiness,” said Dr Mhaule.

 Eighteen schools in Mpumalanga are not open due to the inaccessibility of roads at Bohlabela and Ehlanzeni Districts due to the Tropical Cyclone storms. 

Meanwhile, two schools in the Eastern Cape failed to reopen after they were several damaged by tropical storms.

(SOURCE: INSIDE EDUCATION)

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