Category: Academic

A perfect storm

Mohamed Kharwa

The Academic Sector Mohamed Kharwa 2020 the year Covid-19 made us shift in the way people learn – from online learning, e-learning to distance learning – while campuses were closed under lockdown.  We have had to shift in the way we do business factoring in the use of hand santitiser, sterilisation, social distancing and masks […]

SABA Conference and AGM

Please join the 2020 SABA virtual conference and AGM – follow the link to the programme here and the link to register here.

No school for SA learners in May

Schools won’t resume in May 2020. Senior officials will start on Monday 4 May to prepare for the return of pupils. School management will go back on 11 May and teachers on the 18 May. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the school calendar’s been adjusted to save the academic year. Each province will have […]

DBE Postpone May/June rewrite Matric exams

Image: Harinath R/Pixabay The Department of Basic education on 18 April, announced the postponement of the May/June Matric examination. More than 350 000 part-time learners some who did not meet the pass requirements and others who want to rewrite to improve their marks will have to wait until November 2020. [Read more]

Universities and colleges remain closed

All higher education institutions (public and private universities and  TVET colleges) will remain closed under lockdown level 4. This decision was made to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus and to save the 2020 academic year but not at the expense of saving lives. The risk of an early return to 2.5 million students […]

Covid-19 Interrupting learning – finding ways to work together

The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted the education of children and students globally. More than 120 countries including South Africa, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, have shut their schools.  This means that more than half the world’s student population – 1,2 billion children – are forced to stay away from school and universities because of a […]

NSFAS – ring-fenced allowances

Minister of Higher education, science and technology, Dr Blade Nzimande has again reiterated that eliminating corruption and maladministration in NSFAS is a priority. Placed under administration in August of 2018 when the scheme was on the brink of collapse, in a statement made in January 2020 it was revealed that five internal forensic investigations have […]

Higher Education titles

Some publishers have provided Higher Education book lists for trade reference. Click through to the publishers listed below: Juta, Oxford University Press, Pearson.

Copyright Amendment Bill needs to be reworked

Both national and international stakeholders are concerned about the Copyright Amendment Bill. Concern from Washington (United States) that the bill threatens intellectual property rights could end SA’s preferential access to the US market at a cost of R12 billion in exports. President Cyril Ramaphosa and Sports, Arts & Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa have said that […]

TVET titles

Some publishers have provided back-to-school book lists for trade reference. Click through to the publishers listed below: Oxford University Press, Pearson, Shuter & Shooter Publishers

Grade 9 – the new exit point for schooling?

The DBE is working on formalising Grade 9 as one of the exit points of schooling, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said during her address at the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union congress at the Nasrec Expo Centre on 26 September 2019. Motshekga explained that they are, ‘Dealing decisively with the quality and efficiency through […]

Do you want to promote reading at your school or in your community?

In November the ATKV and WOW are starting with a reading relay together with LAPA Publishers and a private sponsor. Five grade 10 learners will be selected from each participating school. These five learners will each get five books to read and then give to friends to read as well. The friends then also pass […]

Kiswahili and Coding – subjects to be introduced in SA schools: Robotics on the cards

The Council of Education Ministers has agreed to introduce Kiswahili as a subject in South African schools. According to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, ‘Kenya and Tanzania have committed to assist with the training of educators and the development of appropriate learning and teaching support materials in Kiswahili.’ A few schools in Gauteng have been […]