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Spark Schools network fuels parents’ anger over enrolment mess-up

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Spark Schools network fuels parents’ anger over enrolment mess-up

Vicky Abraham

Parents of children enrolled at Spark Schools in Gauteng were left disappointed and confused when their children’s names did not appear on the registration roll, the day before schools started.

This was despite receiving emails from Spark Schools that their children had been accepted at different campuses around the province.

Distraught parents, bemoaned on the school’s Facebook media page that they had already bought school uniforms for their children because they were convinced that they had been accepted by the school. Also on the Facebook page, the school network informed parents it would not be accepting walk-in complaints and that parents should send their queries via email or over the telephone.

Nana Mashaba’s daughter had to return home on Wednesday morning as her name did not reflect in the admission list.

“Three ladies at the registration desk requested my daughter’s name and I gave them her name. Unfortunately, when they looked on the system my child’s name was not there. I was told that I need to phone the enrolment department to find out what is happening. I have been calling them since morning and they told me that I must just go home with the child because they are working on the system so that they can place her in the class. They could see that I have paid school fees, so the only thing that they have to do is to put the child in the classroom and allocate a class for her,” said Mashaba.

Mashaba said: “I am very disappointed because I woke up early in the morning and I arrived here at 6am. I was excited because as a parent I wanted to see my first child going to school. My daughter was very ecstatic, but now she has to go back home, and she is feeling sad and she was crying. She asked me ‘Mama why am I not joining the queue (other children), why am I going back home?’ I explained to her that I did everything right, but things didn’t work out properly, and I have been trying to get her a classroom.”

Spark Schools were inundated with calls and messages on social media from discouraged parents who were frustrated that they do not know where to take their children to as most schools had already closed for registration. They demanded the school to refund the fees they had already paid.

According to the Sparks Schools website, the annual fee is R21 000 for 2018 and the monthly tuition fee is R2 100.

 

Brian Khazamula and Manale Mabaso whose daughter was supposed to start her Grade R today at Turfontein, said: “We have done the application and paid the fees. We knew our child has to be at school today, but when we arrived here they told us we have to phone and confirm the registration. That is something that has to be done by the administration department not us. We are very frustrated, we have to go back home, and she will start her classes tomorrow.”

“She was excited when she came to school. But now her mood is dampened. She asked, ‘why am I going back home, isn’t this my school’. We had to create a story that her class starts tomorrow,” said Mabaso.

In response to parents’ displeasure, the Spark School team sent out a message to parents on Facebook notifying them they were aware of their concerns.

“We are aware that many of you do have queries regarding enrolment applications, and the first day of school. Should you have queries regarding enrolment please email registrar@sparkschools.co.za or phone 010 125 0600. We are experiencing high call volumes, so we do apologise if you are not answered immediately. Should you have any school-specific queries please contact your child’s school specifically. You can view contact details at the following page https://www.sparkschools.co.za/contact-us/. Please note that we will not assist any parents who come to the SPARK Schools Support offices. Any queries can only be managed via phone or email. We do thank you for your patience at this time,” wrote the Spark Schools’ team.

Spark School’s media team, Ogilvy Public Relations did not respond to questions sent to them before going to press.

Back to school: Chaos at some schools while others hit the ground running

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Back to school: Chaos at some schools while others hit the ground running

Thabo Mohlala

The first day of school resembled a mixed bag: some schools were ready while others look like they would still need a couple of days to sort themselves out. Experts say schools that hit the ground running on the first day tend to well at the end of the year.

Inside Education visited some schools randomly around Eldorado Park and Pimville to gauge the level of preparedness of each school. The first stop was at Klipspruit West Secondary, which was a site of racial confrontations between Coloured parents and Black teachers. The situation looked calm from the outside with police within the school premises.

An official who said he was deployed from the district office was stationed at the gate. He said although the situation was normal he was concerned about the late-coming of the learners who could be seen strolled in 15 minutes after the school started at 8am.

The situation looked chaotic at Eldocrest Primary School. Parents could still be seen registering their children and some learners were loitering outside classes. One of the school managers, who didn’t want to mention his name because he is not permitted to speak to the media, blamed the situation on factors beyond their control. “Parents did not heed the department’s call to register online and they only come to do so today. The other main contributing factor is that most parents choose to register their learners here because we are a no-fee school and we also run feeding schemes. So we cater for learners from the impoverished surrounding informal settlements,” she said.

The next stop was at Progressive Comprehensive Secondary School in Pimville Zone 4. The school did not seem to be ready for teaching at all. A sizable number of learners were outside their classrooms and some could be seen carrying orange chairs moving from one classroom to another. In the administration block, parents and learners formed queues to deal with a range of problems they wanted to be sorted out before they start with classes.

One of the teachers said one of the main reasons they could not teach was because they should first “sort” the learners. “We are trying to ensure we get a proper mix of the learners to avoid ethnicity. For instance, in this classroom here, majority of learners are Tsongas and Sothos. We need to dilute that and bring in learners from other tribes. The danger is if you leave it without diversifying them you would end up with one ethnic group in majority and often this breeds tribal tensions and at times fights. Teachers as well would develop negative attitudes towards the class or display favouritism based on those dynamics,” he said. He blamed this on the administrative staff who he thinks can balance the mix early on so that learning can start on the first day.

Wisani and Tshebedisano Primary Schools, also based in Pimville, seemed to have their ducks in the row. The premises were neat and quiet with only the cleaners and some ground staff members going about their chores. Although some teachers were issuing learning materials to learners, teaching was in progress in other classes.

One of the managers of one of the schools said the secret to getting things right on the first day is advance planning. “I didn’t go on holidays and the aim was to precisely prepare for this day. I didn’t just focus on the administrative side of things; I also made sure the yard does not look deserted. I personally cut the grass and trimmed the trees in the yard. Before we closed for December holidays, I made sure we have sorted out issues around time-table, which is very crucial to ensure teaching starts on the first of schooling,” he said.

Parent provokes EFF and ANC protesters at Hoërskool Overvaal and gets punched

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Parent provokes EFF and ANC protesters at Hoërskool Overvaal and gets punched

Bonile Khanyi

The first day of school at Hoërskool Overvaal in Vereeninging turned violent when a parent and protesters had a scuffle. 

The man, who was dropping off his daughter, threw a zap sign at the group of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and African National Congress (ANC) supporters who were outside the school protesting against the school’s Afrikaans-only language policy. The parent also tried to stop a black parent from driving past the school. He was then punched. 

 

EFF supporters were demonstrating outside the school, to voice out their frustrations about the recent ruling by the North Gauteng High court to set aside the Gauteng education department’s decision to force the school to enrol an additional 55 pupils.

Judge Bill Prinsloo said based on the overwhelming weight of the evidence‚ the Afrikaans-medium school had no capacity to admit the English-speaking learners‚ let alone to do so at such short notice and to convert to a double-medium school.

But many are not happy with this decision as they say it is blatant discrimination and racism.

Police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd after violence broke out.

 

In Pictures: Back to school for some, new beginnings for others

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In Pictures: Back to school for some, new beginnings for others

Inside Education went to a few schools in Soweto to capture the back to school excitement. Many grade 1s were going to school for the very first time and there were more smiles than tears.

Some fear that e-learning will erode African knowledge. This isn’t true.

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Some fear that e-learning will erode African knowledge. This isn’t true.

James Njenga

When people discuss the challenges related to e-learning (the use of electronic technology to facilitate learning), they tend to focus on access. This can mean access to financial resources to buy equipment as well as geographical constraints: some regions are simply too remote and underdeveloped to be properly connected to the internet – or even the electricity grid – which are of course both crucial for e-learning systems.

There are also socio-cultural challenges to the use of e-learning, particularly in Africa. Critics argue that the use of e-learning in African higher education could erode African culture and identity. They fear that e-learning platforms might prioritise Western culture and that this is somehow “un-African”. These critics fear that the use of e-learning will somehow destabilise the existing patterns and behaviours in African higher education.

But, based on my research, I would argue that e-learning is very important in Africa. This technology offers a chance to increase communication in the process of learning and to stretch educational offerings across borders. E-learning can also allow academics to build new networks beyond their own borders. So while knowledge from and about the West can come to Africa, the reverse is also true: the continent’s own knowledge can reach much further through e-learning.

There should be a drive across Africa to invest in e-learning, as has been seen in similar economies like Latin America and India.

Most African countries have progressive policies related to e-learning, and have embraced it in theory. However, at the practice level, a lot still remains to be done, especially by those who must share this information: educators.

At the same time, mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that it’s used without being perceived to undermine African people’s efforts, knowledge and cultures.

An important social innovation

Those who criticise e-learning because of its perceived threat to African cultural identities clearly see globalisation – and the resulting spread of technology and innovation – as a danger that aggravates the disparities between the Western world and African countries.

But e-learning is both a technological and a social innovation. At its best, it can address problems within a particular social context. For instance, my colleagues and I have used e-learning to complement our teaching in a Masters programme in health information management in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. This has saved money since students and staff didn’t have to travel. It’s also been an opportunity for invaluable cross-cultural learning.

African cultural identities will not be eroded by e-learning. On the contrary, the sort of cross-cultural experiences found in my example help to strengthen the continent’s cultural identity. At the same time, they are a way to better understand and accommodate diversity.

Critics also suggest that e-learning is an example of forcing technology on African people. This idea arises because of the power and economic disparities between the West and Africa. But it lacks a proper understanding of the problems the technologies are meant to solve.

For instance, large swathes of Africa are remote. People in those areas want to continue learning, but struggle to do so because they are far from cities or major centres. E-learning is a way to appropriately respond to this demand, quickly and cheaply.

Part of the problem here is that people do not distinguish between westernisation and modernity. Westernisation is cultural emulation of the West which leads to unquestionable adoption of Western ideologies, technologies and content. Modernisation is the acceptance of changes that are compatible to – and brought about by – science, technology and their functional requirements in people’s lives.

A resistance to modernity, in the form of e-learning, could actually hinder socio-economic development in Africa.

Allaying fears

E-learning is a mature socio-technical innovation. It has many benefits and can address some of the educational challenges in African higher education. Its critics must be heard so that their fears can be overcome. Those of us working in the field of e-learning, as well as those providing the platforms, will need to help people to distinguish between the sources of the technology – often, Western nations or organisations – from the benefits it brings.

The ConversationIt will also be important to prepare Africa’s educators for this technology. They must know how to use it, how to infuse it with local and relevant content, and how to provide students with authentic learning.

James Njenga, Senior Lecturer, Department of Information Systems, University of the Western Cape

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Teacher allegedly killed by a grade 8 boy

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Teacher allegedly killed by a grade 8 boy

Bonile Khanyi

A teacher was stabbed to death on Saturday, allegedly at the hands of one of his grade 8 learners.

Kingston Vhiya, who was a teacher at the Bosele Middle School near Kuruman in the Northern Cape, was allegedly stabbed by the boy in the early hours of Saturday morning after the boy accused him of failing him. 

According to reports, the 15-year-old boy went to the teacher’s house in the early hours of Saturday morning and began pelting the house with stones.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Dimakatso Mooi confirmed the incident.

“I can confirm that a teenage boy has been arrested for the alleged murder of Kingston Vhiya. It is believed that the boy went to the victims’ home on Saturday morning and threw stones and rocks at his windows,” said Mooi.

“When the teacher came out to talk to him, he didn’t see anyone there and as he turned around, the boy stabbed him to death.”

Mooi said the teenage boy was arrested at the scene on Saturday.

Speaking to Inside Education on Tuesday, Education spokesperson Geoffrey van der Merwe said that while the Department of Basic Education (DBE) could not divulge the specifics of the incident, a team of officials and the MEC for Education, Martha Bartlett will visit the family of the deceased on Wednesday to extend their condolences.

 

The boy is expected to appear in the Mothibistad magistrate’s court today on a charge of murder.

Department of Basic Education says it’s all systems go for 2018 academic year

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Department of Basic Education says it’s all systems go for 2018 academic year

Bonile Khanyi

The Department of Basic Education says it’s all systems go for the 2018 academic year.

Most provinces have confirmed they’re ready but Gauteng, the Northern Cape and the Western Cape are still dealing with admission and space issues. 

In Gauteng, the department announced that there were more than 31,000 pupils who still needed to be placed in schools while nearly 900 learners are yet to be placed in the Northern Cape’s Frances Baard and John Taolo Gaetsewe district municipalities.

In the Western Cape more than 11,000 pupils don’t have a confirmed place in a school for the year, mostly in Grades 1 and 8.

According to the department, this was because more than 150,000 learners migrated to the Western Cape over the past five years, placing the schooling system under enormous pressure.

Speaking to Inside Education on Monday, the department’s spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said he was confident that there’ll be a good start to the academic year.

“Readiness checks were done in 2017 and we are confident that with all the work done we are sure to have a good start to the calendar year,” said Mhlanga.

Mhlanga said textbooks and all the required resources were delivered to all schools last year.

He also outlined the department’s plan to ensure that they “utilise each and every school day for curriculum coverage to be improved in all schools”.

University registration: It’s back to business for Unisa

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University registration: It’s back to business for Unisa

Bonile Khanyi

Calm has been restored and it’s back to business after chaos erupted at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Tshwane. 

On Monday morning, South African Students Congress (Sasco) wanted to hand over a list of demands to the university’s management and barricaded the entrances to Unisa’s Sunnyside campus forcing students who came to register to climb over the gates to make their way to registration queues.  

Unisa Spokesperson Martin Ramotshela told Inside Education there appeared to be a scuffle between Sasco and the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC).

“There seemed to be a power struggle between Sasco and the EFF. One student body would not allow people to enter the campus while another was trying to get students inside campus so they can register,” said Ramotshela.

The EFFSC wanted students to be allowed in to register before the deadline on Friday while SASCO agreed with management to resume tomorrow.

He also said the university had deployed all its executive management to mediate the situation.

Registration has resumed and late applicants can now apply for a course of their choice after the university announced it would re-open applications for the 2018 academic year for first-time entering undergraduate students.

The deadline for late applications is on Friday, January 19.

Buti Manamela: Government needs to invest more in TVET Colleges

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Buti Manamela: Government needs to invest more in TVET Colleges

Chester Makana

An increasing demand for training and vocational education over the past years dictates that more investment should be diverted to the sector, Higher Education deputy minister, Buti Manamela said on Monday.

Manamela was visiting the Capricorn TVET college application centre at the Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba stadium where hundreds of students lined up for registration. He said the number of students considering TVET colleges had increased over the past four years and this was a call for attention.

“We are very excited that there is a huge demand for the TVET education,” said Manamela.

“This means that as government we need to invest more in expanding the sector,” he said.

Registration at the centre resumed on Monday morning after a stampede resulted in a suspension of the process. Six were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals, while two others were hit by a vehicle outside the campus. According to interviews by the SABC, some prospective students started queuing on Saturday afternoon, vying for space at the institution which already indicated that it could only cater for 1200. Some also slept at the local sports facilities.

Manamela said TVET colleges statistics had increased from 350,000 to at least 750,000 over the past four years.

“This shows that more people are responding to TVET colleges, therefore we need to respond to that,” he said.

However, Manamela did not reveal how the government would respond the system demands.

Manamela acknowledged that the free education announcement contributed to the increased number of students applying to higher education institutions.

In December last year, President Jacob Zuma announced that education would be free for students whose families had an income of less than R350,000.

The move encouraged aspiring professionals to join queues at various colleges.

Thuso Sekgobela,25, from Bolobedu was among top five applicants who submitted applications at the stadium on Monday.

She joined the queue around 1:20 am.

She said she was quick to complete the form and submit her application, and was optimistic she will be admitted.

Sekgobela said the process on Monday was better than last week.

According to Capricorn TVET management, successful applicants will be informed of their acceptance within two days.

Why African board games should be introduced into the classroom

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Why African board games should be introduced into the classroom

Rebecca Y. Bayeck

When most of us think about learning, we imagine a teacher and a classroom. In reality most of the things we know, and a great number of the skills we acquire as children and adults, are learned outside the classroom – in conversations with peers, engaging in community service, on the playground.

Educators and researchers are increasingly recognising opportunities for growth presented outside the classroom, and are working to integrate them into classroom learning experiences.

Games, in particular, are being seen as learning spaces. This is because they enable players to develop non-cognitive skills, such as patience or discipline, which are important for career and life success. Gameplay also develops a number of cognitive skills, including critical thinking and problem solving.

The African continent has a long history of gameplay that extends back to pre-slavery and precolonial times. Board games, in particular, have been used to teach, or reinforce, values as well as cognitive and motor skills.

Games have been part of the social fabric of many African societies for hundreds of years. The Morabaraba board game was historically used to share cattle herding strategies in parts of southern Africa (for example South Africa, Bostwana and Lesotho) and discuss information related to war strategies. And legend has it that Oware was used in 1700s Ghana by Ashanti King Katakyie Opoku Ware I to resolve issues between married couples. Today, board games remain equally popular and culturally significant.

Though a growing number of researchers around the world are making the connection between playing and learning, the learning potential of African board games remains severely under-explored. My research – which focuses on mechanics, rules and context – suggests that the creative use of these games could play an important role in formal education.

Similar but different

The board games explored in my research include Oware (Ghana), Bao (Tanzania), Moruba (South Africa), Morabaraba (South Africa), as well as Omweso or Mweso (Uganda).

I broke down some of the mechanics and rules of each game, as well as the context in which they were and are played. This enabled me to identify some of the learning outcomes of each game’s mechanics.

Popular board games across the continent.

The boards games could be referred to as “strategic games” as they involve strategic thinking. Most – with the exception of Morabaraba – are also from the same family of games, Mancala.

My analysis shows that the board games should be viewed as unique, and different. Each has its own mechanics, requires specific skills and produces distinctive learning outcomes. This means that the games could potentially be used to teach a variety of concepts and skills across a number of subjects and at different educational levels.

Focus on Oware

Oware is one of the most played and known African board games in the world – and its rules show its learning potential.

It is played on a board of 12 holes, with 48 seeds or pebbles equally distributed between two players. The seeds or pebbles are dropped one by one into consecutive holes by players who take turns to play. The aim of the game is to capture 25 seeds. This requires players to use multiple strategies and techniques.

Oware is one of the most popular games on the continent.
Adam Cohn/flickr

Playing Oware teaches strategic thinking and arithmetic. Patience, spatial thinking, communication, decision making and negotiation skills are some of the other learning outcomes it facilitates.

But the game mechanics of Oware suggest that it could even prove to be useful in a biology classroom. The life cycle of a cell is defined by a series of events that lead to its division and replication. Like the cell, Oware gameplay is characterised by a series of cyclical, repetitive movements, guided by the game mechanics or rules. Thus, using Oware mechanics or rules, the concept of cell life cycle can be explained to students in a biology course.

The full learning potential of games like Oware is yet to be completely uncovered, but it’s clear that it can be used to introduce students to new concepts they may easily understand because of their familiarity with game. Learning is made fun and enjoyable.

What’s next?

Games are certainly alternative spaces for learning and can advance education. The educational potential of African board games has long been argued by ethnomatheticians (who study the relationship between mathematics and culture) and anthropologists – including scholars such as James Owusu-Mensah, Arthur Powell, Oshon Temple, and Kofi Poku Quan-Baffour.

Mancala games can be played almost anywhere.
leo.laempel/flickr

The field of Game Studies is emerging and, across the world, educators and researchers are exploring games to understand and enhance learning. But many of the digital games that are celebrated for their educational value are expensive and inaccessible to most people. African board games, on the other hand, are simply made and can even be reproduced, or designed, in a playground by digging holes on the ground.

The ConversationThe moment is therefore ripe for African board games to assume their proper place in this emerging field. An inventory of these games is an excellent first step, but there is much work to be done.

Rebecca Y. Bayeck, PhD Candidate, Learning Design & Technology & Comparative & International Education, Learning Performances Systems Department, College of Education, Pennsylvania State University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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