It's no secret that prominent short-seller Steve Eisman has been outspoken against the for-profit education sector, and he has the ear of lawmakers and the Department of Education. </img> </img> </img> </img> </img>


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Polokwane - Some 235 pupils, who usually have to walk long distances to get to school, will now ride to school on brand new bicycles.The pupils,...

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Pretoria - The Mangosuthu University of Technology has been closed for an indefinite period following the disruption of academic activities this...

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Pretoria – Matric educators are set to receive uniform lesson plans from the Gauteng Education Department in a bid to increase time spent with learners.

Addressing over 5 000 grade 10, 11 and 12 educators at Gallagher Convention Centre on Saturday, Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Greecy said educators would no longer have to develop and submit lesson plans, however, they still needed to use the standard lesson plans to prepare for lessons.

The purpose of the meeting between the department and educators was to discuss the role of educators in Secondary School Improvement Programme (SSIP) schools and the training educators will receive this year.

The meeting was attended by all educators in schools that are part of the SSIP, which runs in schools that obtained a matric pass rate of less than 80 percent in 2010.

During the meeting, Creecy announced that a training programme for educators in the 391 underperforming schools will start on 14 May until 15 October 2011.

“They will attend training on Saturdays and during school holidays in the following subjects: Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, English First Additional Language, Geography, History, Life Sciences, Physical Science, Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy,” Creecy said, pointing out that grade12 learners are attending classes in these subjects every Saturday and during school holidays.

She said during extra classes, grade 12 learners are taken through selected topics that are high risk and high yield, optimal time management in an exam as well as mock examination papers.

“Learners will also attend grade 12 camp programmes for two weeks to prepare them for the final examinations. Grades 10 and 11 attend during school holidays and the focus is on addressing content backlogs and gaps in Maths, Physical Science and Accounting … They also focus on weekly tasks and problems, as well as career education,” Creecy said.

According to Creecy, schools in the SSIP programme will deliver the curriculum in terms of pace setters and work schedules. The SSIP programme for learners focuses on tuition and support in order to consolidate key concepts and focus on exams.

She urged educators to positively engage with the SSIP programme, adhere to pace setters and work schedules and participate in the training sessions.

She also asked educators to encourage learners to attend the extra classes on Saturdays as well as suggest ways of improving SIPP. - BuaNews

Cape Town - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has condemned violence against teachers in schools.Speaking ahead of her department's Budget...

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Pretoria – The Department of Basic Education has given permission to schools across the country to take two days off on April 28 and 29 as part of...

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Pretoria – A total of 11 946 386 workbooks have been delivered to schools, with the rest expected to be delivered in June 2011.

Presenting the department’s R13.868 billion budget on Wednesday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga acknowledged the delays in the distribution of workbooks due to challenges including incorrect addresses for some schools and new schools not being on the database.

She said to limit errors, the department has determined the number of learners and will verify the data with Provincial Education Departments. District managers and principals will be informed of the process of delivery.

“The workbooks have been developed differently and with huge savings and much has been learnt from the process of their development, and the money will be ploughed back into the system to add more learner support materials.

“We will be able to add more workbooks in other subjects and extend their provision to other grades beyond Grade 6 … [which is] vital for a delivery-driven basic education system,” the minister said.

Motshekga said the department should up its current delivery programme through the establishment of a Planning and Delivery Oversight Unit, whose task is to ignite the delivery process.

“This unit’s mandate will be to take forward the processes and initiatives currently underway, guided by the current administration’s outcomes approach.

“Among other things, it will have to work with and through provinces to weave together all the current initiatives so as to allow for a coherent value chain from policy to implementation in the classroom,” she said.


Full details on the unit would be announced in the next eight weeks.

Sixty-four of Soweto's 80 schools performed badly in last year's matric exams - ill-discipline, neglect of duties, abuse of pupils, gangsterism and...

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Johannesburg – Underperformance, low levels of parental involvement in education and illegal industrial action are just some of the challenges facing...

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Pretoria - The Gauteng Provincial Government is to hold a Soweto Education Summit aimed at addressing underperforming schools in that area this weekend.

The summit will also address instability in Soweto, while also addressing issues such as improving classroom teaching and learner performance, said the provincial Department of Education.

Ways of improving school governance and management and creating a political climate that fosters a spirit of learning and teaching will also be in the spotlight.

Teachers, principals, religious and business leaders, parents and students are expected to attend the summit which will be held at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus from 8am to 5pm.

Many schools in the area experienced disruptions which continued after last year's teachers' strike.

The average 2010 matric pass rate of Soweto secondary schools was 63 percent, compared to provincial average of 79 percent.

Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, during her State of the Province Address said the summit would mobilise civil society to contribute towards government's goal of quality education for all. "With Soweto's rich history, we cannot allow it to lag behind in terms of the culture of learning and teaching. The education of the African child must be everybody's business and concern," Mokonyane said at the time. - BuaNews