training

The South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) says the demand for free education by students at higher education institutions is justifiable considering the high number of students who dropped out because they could not afford higher education.

SAIRR deputy CEO, Frans Cronje, says the students’ protests raised questions about how the government prioritised its programmes.

The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has announced that it will this year focus on pupil’s performances in schools.

MEC Barbara Creecy says that, “Our president and our premier have made it clear that by 2014 we need to ensure that learners leave primary schools able to read, write and achieve in basic mathematics.”
Creecy states that the province’s matric pass rate needs to improve, with a higher percentage of young people achieving a university entrance.

The Limpopo Department of Education says it has contracted about 600 teachers from Zimbabwe, to cope with the shortage of science, mathematics, commerce and technology teachers in the province.

Education MEC, Namane Masemola, has described the teacher provisioning for the province’s schools as an important exercise to ensure quality learning and teaching.

Meanwhile, the department has also extended the contracts of temporary teachers until end of March this year, to allow the redeployment exercise to be completed.

Wow, another R2,7 billion for basic education. The more one watches the depressing matric results, the more one thinks that money is not our problem. Poor rural schools often out perform urban schools with better facilities. We need to refocus on the basics such as teaching and learning in a stable well managed environment.

No real mention was made in the budget of ABET, the adult literacy campaign Gha Re Kude or the difficult work of the FET colleges in producing skilled people for the labour market.

The Liberia Education for All Technical Committee (LETCOM) and its partners in collaboration with the Africa Network Campaign on Education (ANCEFA) have launched a Civil Society Education Funds in Monrovia.

The programme was launched following a two-day workshop aimed at creating awareness for the implementation of the programme and to brainstorm for the improvement of education in the country.

Higher education minister, Blade Nzimande, has announced that poor students no longer need to pay registration fees at university.

Nzimande says that the National Student Financial Aid Scheme will cover all expenses for poor students who qualify, adding that the issue of registration fees has claimed many careers.

The Department of Higher Education plans to double enrolment at colleges and universities in the next five years and to also increase success rates at these institutions.

A local teacher, Mmipe George Mokgehle, has proven that hard work is rewarding by scooping the prestigious African ICT Achiever’s Award at the weekend.

Mokgehle, who teaches at Toronto Primary School in Mankweng outside Polokwane, was awarded a certificate of excellence at a function at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg.

The award is given in recognition of teachers who have contributed to improving information communication technology (ICT) skills among pupils. The contest was between teachers from all parts of the continent.

Eight years, hundreds of millions of rands and six companies later, by the end of the month most schools will have Gauteng Online.

This is according to SMMT Online executive chairperson, Tebogo Mogashoa. Mogashoa says they have connected 1 365 of 2042 schools, adding that, “Our target for November is 1500 schools. There are 157 schools with structural defects that the education department has to sort out.”