My FREE SA
Jayram Daya
My Front for Radical Educational Empowerment of South Africans
Read, write and comprehend with skill — the first step to
learning. The skills to read with comprehension, write with artistic talent and find out at all times what did they understand is
the very first step a child's training in the early years. The parents
are the first to introduce these skills and then the preschool and primary
years.
• What does the Government need to do for awareness? I would like to see commercial advertisements on TV, Radio, and Posters that incorporate the value of teaching skills from home to school, the most important Reading, witting, understanding, keeping cleanliness and obedience to law and order.
•
What parents need to do? Spend quality time with the children by reading
and writing with them, inspiring a sense of responsibility of cleanliness,
respect for adults, environmental sustainability, law and order and so on.
•
What do the learners need to know to be good students? , to develop
habits and routines with good values, To be proud of the family, culture and
the country. Appreciating that learning is an ongoing process that will never
end from the cradle to the grave. Read and write at all times.
•
What do the grandparents need to do? Inspire the values that create
wealth and hard work for the country and the community. Teach grandchildren
gardening, arts like cooking, knitting, and good housekeeping.
•
What the political parties and ministers need to show? ANC needs to reply
to this question for the upcoming generations of South Africa, having the opportunity to the desition making, in the welfare of South Africa for the 25 years that have gone by
• What the media need to do? Join the front for the Radical Educational Empowerment of South
Africans and inspire the citizens of South Africa with motivating articles on
education and skills development. I would welcome any of the news media to take over my blog. FREE of charge.
Note 39; To support this front please read the articles
written to follow, interesting how close we are to reality.
- 78% of Grade 4 learners can’t read, but the government wants to teach them coding Staff Writer18 February 2020https: and
- It will soon be compulsory for South African kids
to start school at an earlier age – new laws to be tabled this year
Note 40; when
the parents and politics are hindering the progress of a child then new laws
are to be enforced and I am sure that the law will give punishment to those in
default. All must be aware of this law before having a child.
78% of Grade 4 learners can’t read, but the government wants to teach them coding
With 78% of Grade 4 learners not being able to read with meaning, the government should use its resources on improving literacy levels instead of spending money on coding and robotics.
This is the view of Nic Spaull, a senior researcher in the Economics Department at Stellenbosch University.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his recent state of the nation address that coding and robotics will be introduced in Grades R to 3 in 200 schools this year.
The Grade R to Grade 3 coding and robotics curriculum has been developed, and the design of the Grade 4 to 9 curriculum is at an advanced stage.
The rollout of the coding and robotics teaching in all schools is expected to happen by 2022, Ramaphosa said.
First reading, then coding
While the plan to introduce coding and robotics in the curriculum was widely welcomed, not everyone thinks it is a good idea.
“I was disappointed that the President did not stick with his focus on early-grade reading,” Spaull said.
He said the previous focus was to ensure that all children would be able to read with meaning by the age of 10.
This initiative was widely accepted as the best way forward, but coding and robotics are now taking centre stage.
“I think it is a publicity stunt, trying to say that South Africa is ready for the fourth industrial revolution and that we are doing big things which sound sexy,” he said.
The reality, he said, is that we have 78% of Grade 4 learners who can’t read.
He added that you cannot teach a child to code when they can’t read and do basic Mathematics.
“When we focus on coding and robotics it means that we take away time and resources from reading and Mathematics,” he said.
No capacity to implement both
While many people believe that schools can teach coding and improve reading at the same time, Spaull said research shows that there is no capacity to achieve both goals.
“The capacity which the government has to implement new programmes means they can only do a small number of things well,” he said.
“If you ask them to do 10 or 20 things well, they are not able to do it.”
If, however, the government’s resources are only focused on early reading, early Mathematics and teacher development, the results will be much better.
“The problem is that we keep piling on these nice-to-haves, but it is a mistake to think we can do a lot of things well.”
Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga says the department will table a bill this year that will make two schooling years before Grade 1 compulsory.
The minister said this when she participated in a debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said when tabling SONA that the investment the country makes now in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and early school learning will yield great economic benefits in the next two decades and beyond.
“We are in the process of declaring the two years prior to Grade 1 compulsory. The Basic Education Amendment Bill, which pronounces on this, will be tabled in Parliament this year,” she said.
Motshekga said the Ministries of Social Development and Basic Education are at an advanced stage in moving the Early Childhood Development function from the Department of Social Development to the Department of Basic Education, with transitional arrangements already determined.
Under the guidance of the Office of the Chief State Law Advisors, two main proclamations have been drafted. One is a national proclamation to be signed by the President, and the other is a provincial proclamation to be signed by Premiers from each province.
“We are in the process of finalising the National Framework for ECD, which we will release for broad consultations early in the 2020/21 financial year.
“Guided by the Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC), we are determining the financial and human resource implications of an integrated ECD programme at local, provincial and national levels.
“We are in the process of conducting a readiness assessment of the DBE [Department of Basic Education] readiness to receive and effectively deliver the ECD function,” said Motshekga.
Skilling learners for the future
The Minister said, meanwhile, that the department was making progress in preparing young people for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to ensure that they are equipped with skills for future jobs.
This comes against the backdrop of a report from the World Economic Forum, which stated that an estimated 60% of the current jobs will disappear in the next 10 years and that new skills will be required to function effectively in the future.
“It is for this reason that we need to ensure that every South African child is equipped with skills, knowledge and competencies required to function effectively in a changing world, during the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution and beyond.
“The department has completed the development of the Coding and Robotics Curriculum for Grades R – 9 with the assistance of experts comprising university lecturers, labour, industry experts, our partners in civil society, and education experts within the sector.
“This exciting curriculum will equip learners with digital skills required for future jobs, and to function effectively in a changing world, and will teach every South African child about artificial intelligence, virtual reality, 3D printing and advanced manufacturing,” said Motshekga.
She said the Coding and Robotics Curriculum is being piloted in Grades R – 3.
“Our plan is to fully implement this curriculum in all Foundation Phase schools by 2022.”
SA needs to improve colleges’ funding and infrastructure to make them the first choice for vocational skills training, writes Stanley Ncobela
Now that registrations for the new academic year are done, the institutions of higher learning continue to face growing challenges – from the shortage of on campus student accommodation to scrambling to keep up with the large number of applications.
Some hopefuls’ dreams were shattered because of limited spaces or they didn’t meet the admission requirements.
The most catastrophic challenge in higher education has been the wave of student protests that have swept across universities.
These protests, coupled with the criminal vandalism of university and public properties and the disruption of academic activities, require capable government and effective campus management.
Dealing proactively with the challenges confronting students and adopting comprehensive approaches to violence is the only way to go.
While we continue to witness the chaos and ghastly mayhem that put the higher education sector at a precarious crossroads, we must also acknowledge the challenges faced by the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges.
We should try to understand how the college landscape in this country is recapitalised and restructured to improve its image with programmes and a qualifications mix that meet the needs of the job market.
Perhaps, we need to think deeply about how the colleges’ curriculums should respond to the job market needs and what measures should be put in place to mitigate barriers on the curriculum responsiveness to the increasingly competitive labour market.
Five years after the publication of the department of higher education and training’s White Paper for Post-School Education and Training, there is little tangible progress to review and rationalise the entire scope of vocational training programmes and qualifications.
That there have been problems of implementation is clear, but the reasons for this deserve closer examination.
THOUGH ACCESS TO THE TVET PROGRAMMES IS RELATIVELY AFFORDABLE, WITH LOWER FEES AND OTHER CHARGES BECAUSE OF THE CONCESSIONS AND EXEMPTIONS FOR LOW INCOME GROUPS, THESE COLLEGES ARE STILL PERCEIVED AS INSTITUTIONS OF LAST RESORT.
The slow and uncertain pace of policy implementation points to a more fundamental problem of the cumulative deficits of years of under-investment and a failure to commit the financial resources needed to deliver on the promises of the white paper.
There is consensus that, to effectively achieve strategic policy objectives of the white paper on the TVET colleges sector, government needs to rethink many of its current approaches on the delivery of vocational and occupational skills.
This is crucial in order for us to respond to the large numbers of unemployed youths, particularly those who fall in the “neither in the labour force nor in the education or training” category and to the sluggish economic growth and development.
The gaps between colleges and universities are substantially higher in terms of quality of provision, investment and funding.
These widening gaps are a clear sign that the college terrain is still lagging in many respects as it faces crippling budget shortfalls.
It also appears to predominantly operate in a separate system within the broad higher education sector.
The TVET college sector was not yet developed along as clear a path as the university sector has.
Understanding of the best vocational structure has shifted over time and all attempts to ensure sufficient artisans and technically trained students with modern and high-tech academic mainstream programmes are moving at a snail’s pace.
Most matriculants who jostled in snaking queues in a desperate attempt to access quality higher education and training, still view the TVET colleges as a less prestigious career option compared to a university education.
This is one of the reasons South Africa has very few people with vocational skills compared with other developing countries.
Though access to the TVET programmes is relatively affordable, with lower fees and other charges because of the concessions and exemptions for low income groups, these colleges are still perceived as institutions of last resort.
The wide range of academic programmes and the qualifications mix that are poorly articulated – some of which have already fallen far short of quality measures – are not necessarily matched with standards of provision, hampering student mobility.
This leads to high levels of inefficiency.
With the emergence of a new skills revolution, the structures and arrangements needed will require sustained investment on work-oriented programmes that meet industry standards and effective policy implementation in the TVET colleges.
This will necessitate more realistic views on appropriate professional lecturer training programmes to improve the quality of throughput rates, teaching and learning.
An efficient and appropriate salary structure for the TVET lecturers should be considered as well as the strengthening of governance and management in the college system.
Injecting more investment will elevate physical and technological infrastructure while plugging the funding gaps.
This will demonstrate our unwavering commitments to the long-term growth and expansion of the college sector.
The TVET colleges and government will need to engage with employers, not only to build pragmatic relationships, but also to intensify true participation as key stakeholders in the quest to bring the new kinds of vocational and occupational programmes required by economy.
We need instructional programmes to replace the National Accredited Technical Education diploma (Nated) subject offerings as they are no longer relevant.
We also need to ensure that training levies are effectively utilised.
This will help us develop a vibrant, responsible and responsive public TVET college sector to meet current and future skills needs.
Widening participation and the expansion of the colleges sector will need to be underpinned by economies of scale and a sustainable drive for quality and efficiency.
Developing a college landscape to become globally competitive may not be an easy task.
It requires the involvement of experts, government and all key stakeholders.
Industries should also be included to ensure quality, credibility and relevance of offerings, standards of provision and outcomes.
To build strong, inclusive and responsive TVET colleges as institutions of choice, new ways need to be formulated with the department of higher education for:
- Increasing the pass rate from 40% to at least 50% while also transfiguring the entire national certificate (vocational) courses and Nated programme with more adequate, effective and new-fangled kinds of pre- and post-matric courses;
- Developing appropriate pedagogy that would academically and occupationally smooth the pathways into world of work;
- Providing a national diploma prior to or without seeking the 18-month in-service training as currently required. Doing so would make life much easier for students to join the labour force;
- Developing post-matric qualifications to have at least 360 credits, which would automatically take three years of full-time study. I think such a move would improve the status of the TVET colleges and also provide students with a pathway for furthering their postgraduate studies;
- Dismantling academic barriers and barricades of college exit routes, whether to higher learning or the workforce; and
- Developing vocational qualifications that give general eligibility for polytechnic and higher education studies.
This is long overdue.
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