The story of South African education in 2024 is one of controversy and crisis, dominated by the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act and overshadowed by persistent failures in higher education.
Naledi Pandor, the country’s former International Relations Minister who also previously served as Minister of Science Technology, said several universities could lose funding after cutting ties with Israeli institutions and urged the South African government to offer financial support.
While not a panacea for the system’s challenges, the BELA Bill is a step towards improving education quality through learning and teaching, but it needs a committed teaching force.
StarSat’s closure will leave only one operator in the satellite TV space and 500000 subscribers high and dry
There is no doubt of the impact of the NIC on the country’s politics – and history – especially its role in forming the United Democratic Front in 1983, which mobilised against apartheid, demanding the creation of a united, nonracial, non-sexist, and democratic South Africa, the writer says.
All ministers, united under the banner of the Government of National Unity, have pledged to serve all the people of South Africa, giving a strong sense of reassurance to the citizens. Yet Minister Siviwe Gwarube, at the first sign of pressure from her own party, has wilted, the writer says.
By Edwin NaiduThirty years of democracy has not dimmed the recurring narrative over exorbitant vice-chancellors’ salaries. The ongoing issue over high salaries should not mask the country’s education failures. While one gets a narrative that the glass is always half full, it begs whether the country is getting a return on its massive education investment.
The gross domestic expenditure on research and development (Gerd) in South Africa has gone up in real terms for the first time in four years, driven strongly by an increase in expenditure by the business sector, according to the National Survey of Research and Experimental Development by HSRC.
OPINION: Anecdotal evidence shows that billions are spent on education with little good to show for it, writes Edwin Naidu.
Council offers to drop charges with ‘sweetheart’ deal.
The individual results of the Class of 2022 – the largest cohort of matric pupils to date in South Africa – will be released at examination centres on Friday, January 20. Umalusi said that, although there had been incidents of cheating, its evaluation had found no systemic irregularities that would compromise the credibility or integrity of the examination results.
He remains determined to stay at the institution, but is deeply frustrated about the lack of action from various authorities, despite evidence relating to alleged corrupt activities.
African nations are signatories to the United Nation’s Sustainable Developmental Goals, a collection of 17 interlinked goals aimed at being a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future”.
Amid the current euphoria of finishing matric with distinction for many, the stigma of those who scraped through with a 30% pass in one or two subjects remains a blight on an education system that continues to fail South Africans, writes Edwin Naidu.
OPINION: Though necessary, the matric certificate is not worth the paper it is printed on when only a few are celebrated – and the majority consigned to the scrap heap, writes Edwin Naidu.
Looking back, 2022 was a challenging year for education in South Africa and the continent.
It’s not acceptable when more than 900 global citizens descend on our doorstep to celebrate innovation; our country subjects them to load shedding.
Many academics and foreign affairs experts insist that Africa must preside over its future than be instructed on how to conduct its affairs on the world stage. Many will tell you that Africa has long been a stepchild in global affairs, underrepresented at the United Nations without a permanent seat on its security Council and generally being nudged into kowtowing to the demands of dollars and their donors in the name of democracy.
Dealing with diversity and inclusivity remains a significant challenge throughout the racist planet. And the leadership of private schools is contributing to the problem.
In the tertiary sector, out of 26 vice-chancellors in South Africa, seven are women. In Kenya, six out of 29 public universities are led by women.
One hopes that schoolchildren and small business operators get the message about the wonders of a more inclusive digital Africa.
Concerns have been raised over the impartiality of a panel nominated to investigate alleged governance issues
Universities in Africa need a mindset shift
Ethiopia is bucking the trend in its quest to stamp out cheating during the final exams for Grade 12 pupils.
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education has launched a new system for one-million learners in grade 12 national high school leaving examination. But is it a revolutionary move or just a band-aid?
