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South Africa: Ekurhuleni executive mayor announces R100 million for top performers

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South Africa: Ekurhuleni executive mayor announces R100 million for top performers

Charles Molele

Ekurhuleni executive mayor Mzwandile Masina said the metro has set aside R100 million in bursaries to benefit deserving learners including the 2018 matric top performers from the city region.

On Thursday, Masina honoured top matric performers, teachers from best performing schools and university graduates, who benefited from city’s bursary scheme.

He singled out the North Ekurhuleni district as one of the top 10 districts in South Africa after it was named as such by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga earlier this month. The region contributed significantly in the attainment of Gauteng’s number one spot for the 2018 matric results.

Speaking during the Excellence Awards ceremony held at the Alberton civic centre on Thursday, Masina said the city’s R100 million bursary scheme was meant to assist struggling families and were in recognition of hard-working learners.

“We are rolling out these bursaries as part of our acknowledgement of the hard-work that the learners have put in as well as to assist struggling families to enrol their children for further education and training. We will continue doing this good work,” said Masina.

On Thursday, Masina spent his morning at the City of Ekurhuleni Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony 2019, Alberton Civic Centre in Alberton, Ekurhuleni, with hundreds of top-performing matric learners and new graduates from the city’s bursary programme.

The ecstatic Ekurhuleni mayor spent his day interacting with teachers, school principals, parents and officials from Department of Basic Education and the Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi.

During the awards ceremony, Masina handed out certificates, bursaries and corporate gifts to top learners, assisted by the MMC of Human Settlements Lesiba Mpya, city manager Dr Imogen Mashazi and programme director Simphiwe Ngema.

Said Masina: “Once these learners complete matric, we do not leave them in the lurch, the City awards bursaries to the amount of R100 million to deserving learners. The majority of our bursaries are awarded to those pursuing academic studies in scarce skills, such as in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, technology and accounting skills.”

He urged graduates from Ekurhuleni to become entrepreneurs and plough back into their communities by starting businesses and creating employment for other young people.

“We are happy that you are now equipped with the necessary skills to truly impact your communities and make noticeable change. You serve as the pillar of this community and you have been exemplary in your discipline,” he said.

Over the past three years the city has also seen an average of about 80% of Ekurhuleni’s graduates graduating in scarce skills.

“In total, there are 217 graduates from our bursary programme for the year 2018. Of these graduates; 52 are graduating from the Science, Aviation, Engineering and Built Environment faculty, 89 are graduating from finance, commerce, economics and transport management faculty. 40 are graduating from the humanities and law faculty, 9 from the health sciences faculty and 27 from the information, communication and technology faculty,” said Masina.

“A total of 180 graduates are graduating from our traditional universities and universities of technology, the rest of the graduates are from recognized and reputable colleges. Of the graduates, 139 are graduating with degrees, 73 with national diplomas and 5 with national certificates. We have a healthy spread of graduates across the City with 92 coming from the South of Ekurhuleni, 44 graduates from the North of Ekurhuleni and 81 graduates from the East of Ekurhuleni.”

After Masina’s address, a discussion entitled This is My Story: Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers took place between learners sharing how they coped with their studies during examinations.

Tineke du Plessis, one of the 2018 best performing learner overall from Hoerskool Dr EG Jansen in Ekurhuleni South, said high school built her character, confidence and resilience.

“I was scared of high school and had a big challenge on how to juggle my academic life with sport and cultural activities at school. But I gave all to my studies. I am planning to study at the Potchefstroom University this year and I am sure I will succeed after going through matric and its challenges,” said du Plessis during the open discussion.

Nezipho Mhlanga, one of the 2018 best performing learners from priority schools from Tembisa West Secondary School in Ekurhuleni South, said it was not easy for her to study for her matric because she came from an impoverished background and lived in a shack with her family.

“I grew up in a township and life can be difficult but I spent most of my time going through my books and studying Accounting and Economics. I received seven distinctions (in 2018). I have a passion for Accounting and I would like to be a chartered accountant after completing my studies. I am highly inspired by Nonkululeko Gobodo, the first black female chartered accountant in South Africa,” said Mhlanga.

Masina congratulated Tineke du Plessis for being the overall best performer and Nezipho Mhlanga for being the overall best performer from priority schools.”

“I also wish to congratulate the North District for featuring in the national top 10 best performing district list as number 7, even though this is a slight drop from number 4 in the previous year. I wish to congratulate the Ekurhuleni South district for being the most improved district; we applaud this district for its consistency in improving every year,” said Masina.

“Most importantly, none of this would be possible without our educators. I wish to congratulate the following teachers: Kamlesh Narshai, Elaine Garnet, Taryn Deaconos, Rachel Masadza, Rae Brodie, Heidi Harmse, Lis de la Hunt, Debbie Doman, Bettie Vivier, Panayiota Constantopolous, Henning Pieters, Alet van der Venter, Caitlin Mclellan, Wilna du Plessis, Candice Vengatass, Sue Sutton, Hannelie Naude, Christina di Batolomeo, Marguerite Froneman, Teresa Swart and Annemie Smit for outstanding teaching and performance in their subjects. These teachers have produced numerous distinctions and bachelor passes, please continue the good work.”

#FeesMustFall: Free tertiary education not an option for SA – World Bank

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#FeesMustFall: Free tertiary education not an option for SA – World Bank

Gabriella Steyn

The World Bank on Tuesday stated in a report that South Africa’s new education policy that wants to provide free tertiary education to students could negatively affect the country’s national budget.

Paul Noumba Um, World Bank country director for South Africa said in a statement: “There is a general consensus in South Africa on the need for a skills revolution, which will enable its youth to participate in a skills-hungry economy and make the country’s economy more competitive in a world that is constantly being reshaped by technological progress

“Notwithstanding the long term needs to fundamentally improve the basic education system, investing in human capital by enrolling more students in universities, TVET and community colleges as well as improving the quality of educations is a major imperative.”

The report by the World Bank shows that the free education policy will increase the demand for tertiary education by 23 percent at universities and 88 percent at Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET) institutions. These statistics according to the institution, is a capacity that South Africa cannot support without compromising on education quality and fiscal sustainability.

Sébastien Dessus, World Bank South Africa Program Leader said in a statement: “We see that more than 90 percent of potential Post School Education and Training (PSET) students could benefit from the new National Student Financial Aid Scheme, making it progressive as it would reduce income inequality but would also put a huge strain on the fiscus, equivalent to about one  percentage point of GDP, leaving fewer public resources to increase admission capacity without compromising education quality”

“Nonetheless this constraint should not deter this objective if difficult but necessary trade-offs are made.”

According to the World Bank, South Africa should be focused on improving South Africa’s TVET learning spaces, community colleges, distance education institutions, and historically-disadvantaged universities.

The Bank believes that the implementation of financial aid should be increased progressively by offering financial support to poorer students while offering income contingent loans to learners.

Business Report Online

South Africa: Court to rule on Schweizer-Reneke teacher’s return

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South Africa: Court to rule on Schweizer-Reneke teacher’s return

Zelda Venter 

The North West MEC for Education, Sello Lehari and his department, are no longer opposing the urgent application today by suspended Laerskool ­Schweizer-Reneke teacher Elana Barkhuizen to return to her post.

Lehari told labour union Solidarity late yesterday afternoon that he decided to withdraw his opposition to Barkhuizen’s urgent application before the Labour Court to have her suspension set aside.

Lehari indicated that he would abide by the decision of the court.

Lawyer Werner Human said the application was still on the roll and the case would go ahead as planned, as the court must rule on the legality of the suspension.

Both the school and its governing body earlier indicated that they, too, would abide by the court’s ruling.

Lehari and the department were due to deliver their opposing papers by 4pm on Monday, but missed the deadline. They informed Solidarity nearly 24 hours later by email that they would no longer oppose the application.

While Barkhuizen will not have opposition to her case, Human said it did not automatically mean that the judge would grant the order.

“The judge can still pose a few questions to us. The MEC in a statement sent to us acknowledged that he did not have the power to suspend Barkhuizen. He said: ‘I have no powers to suspend the applicant and at any time when reference was made to suspension, I was only confirming what was conveyed to me by the governing body.’”

Human said this was despite the fact that Lehari had clearly stated in front of scores of people that it was his decision.

Human said Barkhuizen still had to obtain an order that would entitleher to return to the school.

In her court papers, Barkhuizen said the children were at first seated in certain groups, according to needs such as communication barriers, as the school was predominantly Afrikaans and used an interpreter.

“I explained to the parents my approach to education and the outlay of my classroom. I explained my approach to seating arrangements, particularly with reference to individual learner’s needs and requirements.”

“It has everything to do with an effective teaching approach to the advantage of the learners themselves.”

Education department supports school, says sangoma pupil must cover beads

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Education department supports school, says sangoma pupil must cover beads

Sibongile Mashaba 

The Gauteng Department of Education is not investigating the violation of the Constitutional rights of the Sunward Park High School learner who is also a sangoma.

If anything, the department says that the measures put in place by the school are that the learner may wear her beads, but she must cover them up.

“According to the information at our disposal, a meeting was held at the school with the parents of the learner and measures were put in place in relation to the learner’s calling.

“The learner may wear her traditional beads, but she must keep them covered with a long-sleeved shirt.

“This is so that it does not attract attention from other learners or educators who may not subscribe to her calling,” said the department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona.

On Tuesday, The Star reported that Bongiwe “Lwandle” Ngobese, 15, was allegedly called “a demon” by educators at the school for wearing her traditional beads and bracelets.

In the scorching heat, she is forced to wear a jersey to school to cover up the beads.

Mabona said: “The learner may not practice, promote or advertise her status as a traditional healer/sangoma at the school.”

Bongiwe underwent the initiation process in 2018 and missed out on schooling. She is in Grade 10 and wants to become a lawyer when she finishes school.

In an interview with The Star this week, Bongiwe said: “I love everything about my life and would not change a thing. I love being a sangoma and I enjoy it. My family supports me. My schoolmates know about it. I just have a problem with a few teachers who are discriminating against me wearing my traditional beads.”

Students get another chance for NSFAS financial aid

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Students get another chance for NSFAS financial aid

Nomahlubi Jordan 

Students whose financial aid applications were unsuccessful can appeal to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

“There are unfortunately some students who have been unsuccessful, based on information that we received from credit bureaus regarding their household income. Should a student want to dispute this outcome because of changes to the household income or Sassa status, they may lodge an appeal by providing the necessary documentation to NSFAS,” said spokesperson for the scheme Kagisho Mamabolo.

Students can lodge their appeals by completing a form that can be downloaded from the scheme’s website or by submitting their appeals directly to NSFAS offices, Mamabolo said.

He said appeals would be considered only if:

  • There is a “material” change in combined household income
  • A student lost a bursary/sponsor in the 2018 academic cycle
  • A student failed to meet academic criteria while he/she had a satisfactory academic track record
  • If more than one student from the same household is concurrently enrolled at a tertiary institution.

According to Mamabolo, NSFAS has assessed all 2019 applications of first-year students.

“Of the 417,000 applications received, more than 300,000 students have been declared approved, pending registration at public institutions for NSFAS funded qualifications.

“In December 2018, the NSFAS administrator, Dr Randall Carolissen, called for a review of the 109,000 applications that were initially unsuccessful for the 2019 academic year.  Following this process, more than 60,000 of these applicants have subsequently been declared financially eligible. As NSFAS processed applications in the pipeline, the number of unsuccessful applicants escalated to 65,000.”

Students are encouraged to log on the NSFAS self-service portal www.nsfas.org.za to check their application status. Successful applications will be indicated as: “Approved for funding subject to registration.”

Source: TMG Digital

Court lets Rhodes University lecturer off sexual harassment hook

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Court lets Rhodes University lecturer off sexual harassment hook

Philani Nombembe 

A Rhodes University lecturer accused of sexual harassment has been given a reprieve, just 20 days before his contract with the university ended.

The institution hauled the lecturer, whose name is known to this publication, before a disciplinary hearing in July last year. The lecturer was found guilty of sexual harassment and he took the decision to the high court in Grahamstown to have it declared “unlawful and void”.

He challenged the guilty finding on technical grounds. The nine-page judgment does not give details of the alleged incident, nor does it reveal the person who made the allegations.

The lecturer complained to the court that the university had “failed to ensure a prompt resolution and conclusion of the disciplinary action” and that “the parties involved in [the] disciplinary hearing had resolved the matter between them in an informal manner that any action taken against him is tantamount to ‘double jeopardy’”.

But what got the lecturer hot under the collar was the fact that his disciplinary hearing was dealt with under a new harassment policy. The university’s harassment officer testified at the hearing that the old policy, although under review, was still being implemented.

“[Rhodes University] admits that the disciplinary hearing was conducted under the auspices of a new procedure. It is conceded in this regard that the new procedure was utilised on the bona fide but mistaken view that it had been approved by the Rhodes University’s governing structures and that it ought to have governed the [lecturer’s] disciplinary hearing,” the judgment reads.

Rhodes University argued that the case concerned a labour relations issue and that the high court was not the appropriate forum to hear the matter. The university denied that it had breached the lecturer’s contractual rights in a manner that could lead to the nullification of the disciplinary finding.

Judge Nomathamsanqa Beshe found that Rhodes University’s disciplinary code and the “old harassment policy” formed part of the lecturer’s employment contract and that the institution’s failure to “adhere to the two documents amounts to a breach of an enforceable contract. He has a right to be dealt with in terms of his employment contract.”

“I am not persuaded that the breach was not material,” said Beshe. “I am of the view that the [lecturer] has succeeded in making out a case for the relief he seeks. Accordingly the application succeeds. The disciplinary hearing against the [lecturer] is declared unlawful and void…”

Beshe made the ruling on December 11. The lecturer’s employment contract with Rhodes University ended on December 31.

#FeesMustFall activist Nompendulo Mkatshwa for parliament

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#FeesMustFall activist Nompendulo Mkatshwa for parliament

Neo Goba

Former #FeesMustFall activist Nompendulo “Ulo” Mkatshwa will likely make it to parliament after elections as her name appears in the top 50 of the ANC’s national list.

Mkatshwa, 25, is among top ANC members who will be deployed to parliament, subject to her making it through the party’s vetting process. Mkatshwa, who became known during Wits’s #FeesMustFall protests in 2015, was regarded as the movement’s foremost leader, which included her SRC predecessors Shaeera Kalla and Mcebo Dlamini.

Earlier this year, acting ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said candidates who made it to the 200 list will be submitted to the IEC by the end of January after the NEC gives the approval.

We understand that the party is yet to complete the vetting process of its members.

The vetting process, according to Kodwa, “includes criminal records, people who have a history of fostering divisions, people who have been to the DC of the ANC [and] people who can’t pass the test of the integrity of the ANC”.

Mkatshwa holds a BSc in geography from Wits and is furthering her studies.

Sowetan

Danone Cup promises to be spectacular

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Danone Cup promises to be spectacular

Staff Reporter

The under-12 Danone Nations Cup soccer season promises to be a spectacular one this year.

The call is out for primary schools around SA to register and enter their teams.

This year marks two major milestones in the history sponsors’ Danone, namely the company turns 100 and it is 20th edition of the tournament.

“It’s a privilege for Danone to be involved in this prestigious tournament,” said Chantel Ehlers, Internal Communications manager, Danone Southern Africa.

“Over the past 20 years, the tournament has inspired millions of youngsters around the world to believe in their dreams and develop healthy eating habits that will benefit them throughout their lives. As 2019 coincides with our centenary year, we have decided to host a spectacular double final in the place where it all began – Barcelona.”

Nomlinganiselo primary school from the Western Cape won the 2018 SA Danone Nations Cup and will compete against 18 other nations for the world title. The tournament is run under the auspices of the South African Schools Football Association (Sasfa).

Games will kick off at cluster level in March, with the national final in June or July. The world finals are in early October.

Schools can register by contacting Sasfa’s Themba Tshabalala @ thembatshabalala@saschoolsfa.co.za or on (011)403 2844, 084 290 0602 or 072 588 4957.

Professor Tawana Kupe at helm of an ever-expanding Tuks

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Professor Tawana Kupe at helm of an ever-expanding Tuks

Virgilatte Gwangwa 

THE University of Pretoria is the place to be, declares its new vice-chancellor, Professor Tawana Kupe.

Not only for him, but for its tens of thousands of students too.

It holds a number of special attributes, such as being the only university in South Africa to offer a sought-after degree in Veterinary Sciences, and its High Performance Centre is a sporting powerhouse.

But, most importantly for Kupe, who has taken over the position of VC and principal from Professor Cheryl de la Rey, is that it offers high-quality education across its faculties.

Speaking from the comfort of his new office in the administration building on Tuks’ main Hatfield campus, the 55-year-old Zimbabwean professor told the Pretoria News that he had been raised by teachers.

His mother was his Grade 1 and 2 teacher, while his father was the principal at the same school, later to become a school manager looking after 30 primary schools in his home country.

He said that from his time in high school, he knew he wanted to be a professor, just like his uncle. “My mother’s brother was a history professor and he would normally write me letters from New Zealand, Nigeria and the UK, where he worked.

“In the letters he would always tell me to value education, so when I was in high school, I would tell other guys that I was going to be a professor,” he recalled. After completing his Master’s degree in Zimbabwe, he was offered a tutoring post.

“When I finished (studying) I though I was going to be a teacher just like my parents, but when I went to bid farewell to my professors, they told me I could hang around and help with tutoring and marking, which I did.

“The first year into tutoring I had fun, and then people started giving me more and more work. By the end of the year one lecturer had resigned and I was told there would be a post advertised. I applied for the position and actually got the job from 1989.”

Six years later, Kupe completed a PhD in Media Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway, and returned to the University of Zimbabwe, where he worked in various departments before moving to South Africa to teach at Rhodes University.

Between 1991 and 2001 he was there, acting as the head of the Journalism and Media Studies department. Wits invited him to lecture on journalism and media studies, and he later helped to start their Media Studies department and became its first head, he said. Kupe said he was beyond excited to be joining the largest residential university.

“Tuks has 53000 students, followed by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with 46000.

“This shows you that the university is responding to the national demand for higher education and the number is going to grow.

“If you come here in 2025, we will have 75000 students,” he said.

One of Kupe’s priorities is to step up the university’s transformation programmes to ensure that students pass and graduate in good time. The only way for this to happen is that they choose the right course – one that interests them rather than is driven by how much money they think they can earn.

Kupe said to ensure that they did not have a lot of drop-outs due to poor career choices, the university offered career counselling and guidance at their registration centre.

“Transformation is not just about demographics, more black students than white students, but it is about people passing and getting their degrees and finishing in time.”

He said 55% of Tuks students are black and more than half are female. “In the residences, 59% of students are black, but in people’s minds, Tuks is still a ‘white’ university.

“However, it is true that the transformation of academics has not been as fast as the transformation of students,” he said.

Under his leadership, Kupe said he wanted to ensure that students and staff felt safe, secure and free from any form of violation. “Part of our transformation programme is to mount advocacy programmes around gender-based violence, racism, homophobia and xenophobia among others.”

South Africa: Department launches investigation into matric Business Studies scores

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South Africa: Department launches investigation into matric Business Studies scores

Sne Masuku

THE Department of Basic Education is investigating how the scores of last year’s Business Studies matric pupils dropped dramatically in the final examinations.

While the department said it was not convinced that the complaints received were a national concern, as it believed the claims “come from certain groups and not everywhere else in the country,” the claims would be investigated.

The investigation comes after a Durban North principal conducted his own investigation and reported a “shocking drop” in Business Studies marks in the matric final exams.

Realising it would affect scores of matriculants’ entry into university, he called for the department to immediately review the results and for affected pupils to receive their correct results.

Nationally, the pass rate for the 192139 pupils who wrote Business Studies was 64.9%; in KwaZulu-Natal 59.5% of the 51588 matriculants who wrote the subject passed.

To qualify for a Bachelor’s pass, a requirement to enter university, pupils need to have passed all their subjects, but the affected pupils achieved 20% passes in the finals, although they had achieved 70% and above in their school-based assessments.

After a complaint by the principal of Oakridge College, Durban North, the DA also called for an urgent review of marking of last year’s Business Studies exam.

The SA Teachers’ Union brought the concerns of schools in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Gauteng to the attention of the department.

The union threatened legal action should the department fail to divulge information regarding the marking processes, the adjustment of marks and incorporation of the school-based assessment marks.

Last week AfriForum held a meeting in Centurion to seek answers as to why thousands of pupils had performed poorly in Business Studies.

A source told the Daily News yesterday that teachers who had not studied the subject, had not taught the subject at matric level, and had never marked the subject before had been appointed as markers.

The source claimed that some markers who had been doing the job for more than 10 years were not appointed.

The department said it would investigate claims by DA spokesperson on Education, Nomsa Marchesi, that markers did not have the requisite qualification or experience, and allegations concerning the conversion of marks during the data capture process.

Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said they would also investigate why these claims come from “certain groups” and not everywhere else in the country, and give feedback at the right time.

“We have received a letter that reads almost the same as the one we got from the DA. What we find interesting is that the complaints come mainly from a certain group of people representing a certain section of society.

“In these letters, the authors say the concerns regarding the paper have come from ‘countrywide’ ,but in our engagement with districts and schools we have not come across this particular issue,” he said. “We take it seriously and at the right time we will make our public standpoint,” he said.

While the investigations would get under way, some of the affected candidates already accepted at universities told the Daily News yesterday they were left with no choice but to apply for re-marking, because they feared the investigation would take long.

The closing date for re-marking was Friday, January 18.

They would have to wait until April to see if there would be any change in their marks. By then, it would be well into the end of the first trimester of the year and they would have lost their places, sponsors and bursaries.

In 2017, Mvelo Lusiba from Velabahleke High School lost his university sponsorship after the department bungled his maths mark.

As per his original NSC results sheet, he had obtained eight distinctions and 67% for maths. Knowing he was a top pupil, his principal took him to the department offices in Durban, where it was found that he had in fact got 93% for maths.

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