Thursday, 28 January 2021
Zandile Bangani was born and raised in Cape Town. She writes about matters pertaining to education and is committed to improving the level of education available to working-class and impoverished families.
The self-taught farmer bounced back from losing her business during the Covid-19 lockdown to start another one, in a field she didn’t know. She now employs seven people in Khayelitsha.
A number of early childhood development centres have been forced to close because of Covid-19, resulting in a bleak present and future for the many children who depend on them.
A teaching graduate whose studies were not funded by the Funza Lushaka bursary programme says he is being excluded from jobs at state schools because he was not part of the scheme.
As public spaces where people can learn, especially in impoverished rural areas, they are a precious resource. But budget cuts are limiting their number and what they can offer.
A community-based and volunteer-run after-school programme in Khayelitsha is supporting working parents by providing a safe space for their children to do their homework and have fun.
If South African Sign Language is recognised as one of the country’s official languages, it will considerably ease many of the deaf community’s problems of access, education and equality.
Coronavirus lockdown regulations have denied graduates not only the chance to get into a gown and hat but also the chance to celebrate their success with loved ones and inspire future generations.
The coronavirus pandemic forced schools to shut abruptly, exposing the huge inequality between impoverished and privileged pupils as learning moved online and schoolgirls faced exploitation.
Duma Says: Wash Your Hands, Wear a Mask is about living with the coronavirus. It’s free and comes in various languages, with funds from bought copies going to the visually impaired author’s alma mater.
Students at the Eastern Cape TVET college say their return to campus after its Covid-19 closure has been blighted by health risks, late NSFAS payments and an unresponsive management.
Some students are funded for two extra years when they do not complete studies within specified periods. Many say this is a blanket treatment of their struggles and must be reviewed.
Although the number of Covid-19 infections continues to increase, the Department of Basic Education is preparing for another cohort of learners to go back to school.
The reopening of schools in South Africa is continuing apace amid the Covid-19 pandemic. With many teachers falling ill and some dying, support for them is crucial.
A lack of access to data and hardware means impoverished students are once again at a major disadvantage as teaching moves online during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Post-apartheid student activism draws heavily on the Class of 1976’s legacy of resistance. Black students remain marginalised and the Covid-19 pandemic once again brings inequalities to the fore.
Science has given the green light to schools reopening as children are unlikely to catch or transmit Covid-19. But the lack of water and toilets in addition to overcrowding at no-fee schools poses a risk.
Vulnerable households are struggling to put food on the table as the government lockdown puts their livelihoods on hold. Vouchers and food parcels help, but are they enough to prevent malnutrition?
The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic is being felt not only in the growing number of infections but also in an increase in general anxiety and cases of gender-based violence.
The Department of Basic Education has been unable to support pupils with different learning needs during the lockdown, leaving parents concerned that their children are being left behind.
Online learning is not as simple as downloading the educational material and in an unequal country like South Africa, not all pupils have equal access to the internet.
Leaving children unsupervised as schools close is a worry. But the Covid-19 lockdown means parents staying at home too. Not earning is impossible for people struggling to afford the basics of life.