Local Elections: How parties pledge to tackle libraries, school safety and ECD
Ahead of Local government elections, EdDesk reviewed 12 party pledges on three core learning-related issues, bearing in mind that schooling is a provincial and national responsibility.
Reach for the Moon: Africa space mission targets learners in STEM push
JOHANNESBURG: An NGO behind Africa’s first space exploration mission wants to involve schools, giving learners hands-on exposure to science and engineering amid mounting concerns about low participation in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
Little Tumi’s Future: Gwarube targets ECD red tape to unblock subsidies
JOHANNESBURG: A workshop at a Bana Pele leadership summit in Gauteng detailed “Little Tumi’s” journey to access Early Childhood Development (ECD), highlighting a system where more than one million children remain locked out due to bureaucratic compliance hurdles.
R1.6-bn allocated to fight stunting in shift to pre-birth care
PARLIAMENT: The money will support interventions for pregnant women and young children, but questions remain about how it will be spent and which communities will benefit.
Eastern Cape orders new R1.6-billion textbooks as Western Cape holds back
CAPE TOWN: The Eastern Cape began ordering Grade 1 to 3 learning materials from the new R1.6 billion Foundation Phase National Catalogue this week, while the Western Cape is holding off until procurement concerns are resolved.
Top teacher urges daily reading to fight illiteracy
BENONI: National Best Teacher Mpho Anaki Mosala says daily reading, classroom reading corners, and regular comprehension checks are among her core tools to help young learners engage deeply with books as South Africa continues to battle weak literacy outcomes.
Foundation Phase catalogue approved, but hurdles remain
CAPE TOWN: Five months after being suspended, provinces have been given the all-clear to order Grade 1 to 3 materials for 2027 from the new Foundation Phase school catalogue. But what exactly has been approved? …
Principals wrestle with homework in the AI era
POLOKWANE: Artificial intelligence is forcing schools to rethink how homework is set and assessed, with principals at a recent national conference raising concerns about learners using AI to complete work they may not understand.
Foundation Phase catalogue ‘a big advancement’, says DBE Reading Director
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa needs more accessible African-language reading material for children as the government works towards a target that every 10-year-old can read for meaning by 2030.
School catalogue freeze risks sabotaging literacy target
CAPE TOWN: Public schools face relying on a dated textbook catalogue in 2027 as the rollout of new materials remains frozen pending legal advice. With principals calling for urgent guarantees that books will arrive on time, an education expert has warned …
Two years into her tenure, Gwarube faces a R140-billion school infrastructure crisis
CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s school infrastructure is caught in a double squeeze: shifting learner movements are leaving rural classrooms empty while urban demand outstrips space, according to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube.
Principal association president issues appeal to ease burnout pressure
POLOKWANE: About 850 principals gathered in Limpopo to take stock of their challenges, with the president of the SA Principals Association calling on the government to reform systems to free up principals to do their job of leading schools.
Inside Jansen’s frontline fight to fix our schools
CAPE TOWN: Professor Jonathan Jansen tackles South Africa’s education crisis head-on in Worth the Fight. He exposes how out-of-touch policies sabotage working-class schools, making the case for why real change demands leadership and a community effort.
Eastern Cape teacher assistants show real impact of stalled mega-jobs project
MAKHANDA: About 1.4 million youth in the country, including the Eastern Cape, have benefitted – in the short-term at least – from a massive youth employment project that has alleviated the daily stresses of teachers in about 23,000 schools since 2020. But now many are back home, trying to build on their experience, while the project’s future is uncertain.
DBE seeks Treasury lifeline for 200 000 teacher aide jobs
JOHANNESBURG: In an exclusive interview, Lala Maje of the Department of Basic Education explains why a suspended teacher assistant programme that boosted youth employment is so desperately needed. A rescue proposal is now before the Treasury, after the programme stalled due to UIF funding issues.
Mother Tongue Wednesdays: A backyard afterschool library in Joburg is reclaiming language and learning
ORANGE FARM: The chatter of children’s voices rises from behind a corrugated gate on a Wednesday afternoon in Drieziek 3, Orange Farm. Inside a small backyard building that was once a storeroom, rows of plastic chairs and low desks fill the space. Here, Abantu Literacy League hosts its weekly ritual: Mother Tongue Wednesdays, a day when English gives way to the languages of home – isiZulu, Sesotho, and to a lesser extent Sepedi, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.