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South Africa: Four classrooms destroyed in Vuwani fire

África/South Africa/25 Agosto 2016/Fuente y Autor:news24

Resumen: Un total de cuatro aulas fueron destruidas en un incendio en Vuwani, Limpopo, el martes por la noche, dijo la policía. Se recibieron informes en torno a 20:00 de miembros de la comunidad acerca de una quema de la escuela, dijo Coronel Ronel Otto.

A block of four classrooms was destroyed in a fire in Vuwani, Limpopo, on Tuesday evening, police said.

Reports were received at around 20:00 from members of the community about a school burning, Colonel Ronel Otto said.

It was confirmed that four classrooms were destroyed.

The cause of the fire was not known.

Forensic services would conduct investigations to determine the cause, Otto said.

No injuries were reported.

In April this year, Vuwani residents burnt down and vandalised dozens of schools in protests against a Municipal Demarcation Board decision to merge the Vuwani municipality with parts of the Malamulele municipality in the Vhembe district.

Nearly 53 000 pupils were affected by the protests and shutdown.

Fuente de la noticia: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/four-classrooms-destroyed-in-vuwani-fire-20160810

Fuente de la imagen: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRCZTu9eazb9wOQs54UkYvH50_467HjAojTbFZkxNQWIA_OQMPzICVs5A

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GE’s New Africa Innovation Centre will Help Develop African Solutions for African Challenges

South Africa / allafrica.com / 24 de Agosto de 2016

Innovation is the business buzzword of the moment, but supporting innovation is sometimes easier said  than done. However, GE is putting its money where its mouth is and developing the continent’s first Innovation Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. The centre, opening in June, will leverage local talent, skills and knowledge to address Africa’s toughest challenges.

In 2014, GE made a $50-million commitment to South Africa to develop innovation and skills, particularly in light of the opportunities for sustainable development in the region. The result is the Africa Innovation Centre, which will provide the tools and space for GE to collaborate with local customers to design uniquely African solutions to business challenges. These pilot solutions will be commercialised by local business teams.

“The GE Africa Innovation Centre will work with our customers and partners, leveraging our global expertise – our people and processes – to find and apply solutions that work,” says Jeff Summers, of GE. “Our  team is committed to finding local and global solutions to African  opportunities, leveraging the best of GE and global methodologies, technologies and tools.”

Thomas Konditi, President & CEO Africa for GE Transportation, stressed that innovation was vital for  African growth. “Africa has a unique environment to deal with,” he said. “As part of the developing world, technology doesn’t always fit with our needs. We have a lot of entrepreneurs here that are poised to help us connect the  dots and come up with new solutions.”

The GE Africa Innovation Centre includes an exhibition space celebrating the best of African and GE innovation, ideation spaces for effective collaboration, an agile work space, and a learning and development space. It will also include a physical and virtual showcase of GE Healthcare’s product and services technology with a virtual connection to be maintained to the GE Healthcare Institute in Nairobi, which is currently in development.

The centre will also serve as the headquarters for the Londvolota Enterprise Development company which launched in 2015 with a commitment of accelerating supplier development in South Africa and equipping Small Medium Enterprises (SME) to participate in the GE value  chain.

As befits an innovation centre, best in class technology will be used. The 2,700m²2 facility will be the first green and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building in Sub-Saharan Africa. The project was 90% built, designed, and executed by local enterprises.

GE’s commitment to innovation extends beyond the Innovation Centre. Some examples include the anaerobic membrane bioreactor technology (AnMBR) piloted with South African customer  Sasol, as well as its partnership with USAID on the Power Africa Off-Grid Energy Challenge promoting energy solutions for communities who fall outside existing power grids.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201608191266.html

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Sudáfrica: Higher Education Legislation Outdated – Dept

África/Sudáfrica/21 de Agosto de 2016/Fuente: All Africa

RESUMEN: Según el Departamento de la Educación Superior la legislación que regula la Educación Superior es obsoleta y necesita ser modificada,  «Ha habido muchas críticas en contra de la legislación vigente,» así lo afirmó el Director en Jefe del Departamento de Servicios Legislativos, Eben Boshof. Se le presentará un proyecto de ley al comité especial del Parlamento Europeo sobre la educación y la recreación, que modificaría la Ley de Educación Superior de 1997, en 14 áreas clave. Estos incluyen la incorporación de objetivos de la transformación, la inserción de nuevas definiciones y cambiar los ya existentes, tales como «institutos técnicos», y de prever nuevas instituciones, como centros de educación superior. El nuevo proyecto de ley ampliaría el poder del Ministro de la Educación Superior para determinar la política, en particular en relación con los objetivos de transformación. Se reconocería sólo tres tipos de instituciones – universidades, colegios universitarios y universidades de educación superior.  Son crecientes las instituciones que colaboran con las universidades más establecidas. Los colegios de educación superior están limitados en cuanto a su alcance, e incluyen escuelas de agricultura. política, lingüística. El  Presidente del comité, Lynette Zwane preguntó cómo el nuevo proyecto de ley afectaría a las políticas lingüísticas en diversas instituciones. BoshofT dijo que el ministro sólo tenía el poder de hacer política lingüística en el sentido amplio. «Las políticas lingüísticas de la institución permanecen en la institución específica, pero estarán sujetos a la política determinada por la Ley de idiomas.»  BoshofT dijo que el ministro sólo podía tomar decisiones después de recibir el asesoramiento del Consejo de Educación Superior (CHE).

Legislation regulating higher education is outdated and needs to be amended, the higher education department said on Wednesday.

«There’s been a lot of criticism against the current legislation,» the department’s chief director for legislative services Eben Boshoff said.

He was presenting a draft bill to Parliament’s select committee on education and recreation, which would amend the Higher Education Act of 1997 in 14 key areas.

These included incorporating transformation goals, inserting new definitions and changing existing ones, such as «technikons», and making provision for new institutions, such as higher education colleges.

The new bill would extend the higher education minister’s power to determine policy, in particular relating to transformation goals.

It would recognise only three types of institutions – universities, university colleges, and higher education colleges.

University colleges are growing institutions partnering with more established universities. Higher education colleges are limited in terms of scope, and include agricultural colleges.

Language policy, autonomy, transformation

Committee chair Lynette Zwane asked how the new bill would affect language policies at various institutions.

Boshoff said the minister only had the power to make language policy in the broad sense.

«The individual institution’s language policies will remain with the specific institution, but it will be subject to policy determined by the Languages Act.»

Another MP asked about accountability measures, as the bill would give far-reaching powers to the minister.

Boshoff said the minister could only make decisions after receiving advice from the Council on Higher Education (CHE), and would have to give reasons if he or she wanted to deviate from it.

The minister’s only real decision-making avenue was to initiate independent investigations.

Another question related to how the bill would address transformation. Boshoff said the bill only dealt with these issues by giving all those affected a framework within which to work.

He said transformation was a complex issue and it would need the CHE’s input.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201608180233.html

Fuente de la imagen: http://www.destinyconnect.com/2016/08/18/higher-education-legislation-outdated-dept/

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Sudáfrica: Little Progress for Youth With Disabilities

África/Sudáfrica/19 de Agosto de 2016/Fuente: HRW.org

RESUMEN: Sudáfrica ha avanzado poco en hacer frente a la discriminación y la exclusión que sufren los niños con discapacidades cuando se accede a las escuelas, Human Rights Watch y la Sección 27, dijo hoy. El Gobierno Nacional de Sudáfrica tiene que tomar medidas urgentes para demostrar su compromiso con la educación inclusiva.   Mientras que altos funcionarios del gobierno han hecho declaraciones alentadoras acerca de la inclusión de todos los niños en la educación, el gobierno no se ha traducido su compromiso en acción. LaSección 27, un centro de abogados líder sudafricano de interés público, llevó a cabo una nueva investigación que demuestra violaciónes generalizadas y graves de los derechos de los niños con discapacidades, incluyendo la actual discriminación y la falta de medidas concretas para abordar áreas de alta exclusión en el Distrito Umkhanyakude de KwaZulu -Natal. Basado en entrevistas con 100 cuidadores de niños con discapacidades y las visitas a las escuelas especiales y 14 de servicio completo,  describe la situación allí como un «apartheid racial y discapacidad dual en el sistema educativo de Sudáfrica.»

South Africa has made little progress in addressing the discrimination and exclusion faced by children with disabilities when accessing schools, Human Rights Watch and Section 27 said today. South Africa’s national government needs to take urgent action to demonstrate its commitment to inclusive education.

Section 27, a leading South African public interest law center, conducted new research demonstrating widespread and severe violations of the rights of children with disabilities, including the ongoing discrimination and the lack of concrete action to address areas of high exclusion in the Umkhanyakude District of KwaZulu-Natal. Based on interviews with 100 caregivers of children with disabilities and visits to 14 special and full-service schools, it described the situation there as a “dual racial and disability apartheid in South Africa’s education system.”

“While senior government officials have made encouraging statements about inclusion of all children in education, the government has not translated its commitment into action,” said Elin Martínez, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The government is failing thousands of children and young people with disabilities who are being denied their right to inclusive education.”

Nongovernmental organizations have repeatedly called for clarity on the numbers of children with disabilities who remain out of school, as well as for explicit budget lines for inclusive education in national and provincial budgets. Human Rights Watch has also said the government should stop segregating children with disabilities, and ensure that they are accommodated and guaranteed quality education in mainstream schools.

The government has not yet presented accurate data to show how many children with disabilities are out of school and continues to rely on estimates and outdated data.

In November 2015, the minister of basic education, Angelina Motshekga, announced that the Department of Basic Education would take major steps to strengthen the implementation of its inclusive education policy. In March 2016, President Jacob Zuma announced his commitment that “all government institutions must ring fence a budget for participation by and empowerment of young persons with disabilities, and must report annually on the impact of these programmes.”

Yet, the government’s 2016-2017 budget does not have a dedicated budget line for inclusive education, and does not stipulate financial support for full service schools, which would be adapted or built to accommodate children with disabilities and provide specialized services and attention in a mainstream environment. The Department of Basic Education stated that it has budgeted R6.3 billion (US$450 million) for special schools in 2016, and allocated funds for workbooks for visually impaired learners.

Research conducted from 2013 to 2015 by Section 27 in Umkhanyakude District, in northeast KwaZulu-Natal, found that schools are not provided with sufficient and consistent funding to accommodate students with disabilities. Both special and full service schools in the district report serious problems with infrastructure and access to basic services.

While some full service schools receive as much as R273,000 (US$20,000) for this purpose, one school reported receiving as little as R22,000 (US$1,600) from the province’s Department of Education as recently as 2014/15. Full service schools report that they have too few classrooms, with multi-grade classrooms shared by as many as 89 children.

Chronic underfunding also affects special schools around the country, particularly those in rural areas like the Umkhanyakude District. Although the district’s three special schools have been built recently and appear impressive at first sight, they lack furniture and facilities needed by children with disabilities.

Human Rights Watch and Section 27 acknowledged the government’s attempts to carry out its screening, identification, assessment, and support policy, to ensure that all children are screened for learning barriers. Where the policy has been carried out correctly and understood by local education officials, it is increasing support for children with disabilities who are adequately assessed. However, the policy is not being uniformly rolled out in many rural areas, in many cases due to a lack of resources and the absence of qualified education personnel.

Beyond assessments, the government should ensure that adequate support and reasonable accommodations are provided in mainstream schools, to ensure that more children with disabilities can get quality education in inclusive environments.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child will review South Africa’s record on September 19-20, 2016. Nongovernmental organizations have submitted evidence on the discrimination faced by children with disabilities in education. They urged the committee to recommend that South Africa should adopt adequate legislation to protect the right to education of children with disabilities, and allocate adequate resources to guarantee more children with disabilities access inclusive schools.

“We acknowledge the department’s intent to make a budget available to strengthen special schools for an inclusive education system,” said Silomo Khumalo, legal researcher at Section 27. “However, intent is not good enough. It must be supported with action. Funds from the Treasury must be allocated. We measure the department’s success by the standard set by the constitutionally entrenched right to basic education and children with disabilities’ right to equality. This right applies to all children, including children with disabilities, right now.”

New Evidence of Exclusion of Children with Disabilities
Section 27’s August 2016 report, “‘Too Many Left Behind’: Exclusion in the South African Inclusive Education System,” documents widespread violations of the rights of children with disabilities in the Umkhanyakude District of KwaZulu-Natal. Section 27 found violations against poor black children with disabilities so severe that it described the situation as a “dual racial and disability apartheid in South Africa’s education system” that amounts to systemic violations of children’s constitutional rights to basic education, equality, and dignity.

Based on interviews with 100 caregivers of children with disabilities, and visits to three special schools and 11 full service schools in the district, Section 27 found that a large number of children with disabilities in the district do not have – and may never have had – access to school. A study in Manguzi in 2001 estimated that 53 percent of children with disabilities “did not attend school,” and of those who did, 53 percent “reported having difficulties at school.”

At special schools, teachers struggle to teach the curriculum – both because they don’t have the requisite skills to teach children with varying barriers to learning, and because their classes are too big to give children individual attention and support.

Out of the 11 full service schools in the district, only two have any transportation provided by the province’s Department of Education. One of the schools, with an enrollment of 1,000 learners, has a bus that transports 120 children on a specific route. The second school shares a single bus with seven other schools in its area, and the principal must provide a list of only the children with the greatest need to receive the service. Many children on the list refuse to use the bus, saying they are bullied by high school students who also use the bus.

The nine remaining schools have no transportation or budget to help children with transportation. The schools say that the provincial Department of Education has been made well aware of their desperate need for transportation.

Ten of the 11 full service schools in the district are primary schools. Only one of the 14 schools in the district that serves children with disabilities – Somfula Secondary School – is a high school. This school has such limited space that it largely only accepts students from its primary school. Most children with intellectual, sensory, or severe physical disabilities cannot go beyond grade seven or attain a National Senior Certificate in their own district.

A government report released in November 2015 estimates that Kwazulu-Natal has as many as 182,153 children ages 5 to 18 with disabilities, but that as many as 137,889 – 76 percent – may not be receiving any schooling.

Selected Accounts
A parent of an 8-year-old boy with physical and intellectual disabilities in Manguzi, said:

The doctors [at Manguzi Hospital] referred my son to Sisizakele [special school], and I was told that he would be placed on a waiting list and I would receive a call. I have still not received a call. He was delayed in learning to walk and talk, though he will laugh sometimes. Now he can even bathe himself. But he can’t read or write and is very slow at school, and still struggles to speak properly. The local school indicated that they couldn’t cope with him after he had been there for a year.

He is eight years old. He has been out of school for more than two years. Both my son and I are hurt that he is not in school. It means that the teachers think my son is nothing compared to other people.

The head of department at a special school said:

Some learners leave the school, and then find somewhere to do grade seven, and then receive further education. Others cannot, because they are fully dependent and would require another special school to do so, even if they could cope with the content of higher grades. [There are] three children currently at the school who have the potential to go to grade seven after being educated at [our special school]; but because they are in wheelchairs, they cannot be taken to another school.

A principal at a full-service school said:

It is more important to have transport, because there are learners with disabilities at the school. There is a grade four learner who is epileptic, and he does not want to walk so far and so will fight with his parents. There is another learner in the school who has a physical disability who walks far to school, and sometimes when she arrives she will complain that she feels sick and so she can’t learn. This child has a limp, and must walk 10 kilometers to school. One side of her body does not work properly.

Fuente: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/08/19/south-africa-little-progress-youth-disabilities

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Sudáfrica: 0% university fee increase for 2017 will be unsustainable

África/Sudáfrica/14 de Agosto de 2016/Autor: Dineo Bendile/Fuente: EWN

RESUMEN: El Consejo de Educación Superior ha recomendado un aumento en todos los ámbitos relacionadossegún la inflación para las universidades de Sudáfrica en 2017. A principios de este año, el ministro de Educación Superior Blade Nzimande pidió al consejo para que le asesore sobre un marco regulador para la gestión de los aumentos de tasas tras numerosas protestas de los estudiantes. Ahora el cuerpo ha presentado un informe al Nzimande, donde se dice que un aumento de tasas cero por ciento el próximo año será insostenible. El Consejo de Educación Superior ha aconsejado a las universidades para acordar un aumento de tasa uniforme que será implementado en el año 2017. Se cree que un aumento de la manta en el nivel del índice de precios al consumidor es el método más favorable para su uso. Según el informe, este método equilibra los intereses de los estudiantes con la sostenibilidad del sector de la educación superior. Sin embargo, muchas asociaciones de estudiantes que han hecho presentaciones ante la comisión de investigación sobre la educación superior gratuita esta semana todavía mantienen el rechazo hacia el aumento de tasas el próximo año.

The Council on Higher Education has recommended an across the board inflation-related increase for South Africa’s universities in 2017.

Earlier this year, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande asked the council to advise him on a regulatory framework for managing fee increases following numerous student protests.

Now the body has submitted a report to Nzimande, where it says a zero percent fee increase next year will be unsustainable.

The Council on Higher Education has advised universities to agree on a uniform fee increase which will be implemented in 2017.

It believes a blanket increase at the level of the consumer price index is the most favourable method to use.

According to the report, this method balances the interests of students with the sustainability of the higher education sector.

The council says universities are better off negotiating as one unit than having individual exchanges with students over increases.

However, many student bodies that have made presentations to the commission of inquiry into free higher education this week still maintain they want no fee increase next year.

‘THERE’S NO MONEY’

Yesterday, National Treasury said it hadn’t budgeted for another zero percent fee increase in the higher education sector next year.

Treasury said it hadn’t made any plans for the decision to be rolled over to 2017 but it had planned for fee increases to resume next year and will now continue with involvement in fee discussions.

Treasury Deputy Director General Michael Sachs said, “We’ve budgeted on the basis that we will return to the situation of normal fee increases.

“But of course we’re prepared to respond to changes if they’re there.”

Sachs said continuing with no fee increases will mean sourcing money from other aspects of the Budget.

With Treasury saying it’s not willing to take out loans to spend more on higher education, it said the only other alternative is to increase taxes.

Lobby group Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ) said it believed students should only pay university fees based on what they can afford.

The group made its presentation to the commission of inquiry into free higher education yesterday afternoon.

Like other student groups, it was also calling fees to remain flat despite National Treasury saying it hadn’t budgeted for this next year.

Representatives from SLSJ said they didn’t agree with calls for higher education to be free for everyone.

Nikhiel Deeplal said the rich, who can afford to pay, must do so to ease the burden of government having to subsidies universities.

“The rich must be able to subsidise the poor, therefore remove the billions that are being pumped into State institutions and we give it to individual students.”

The group believed its proposed method will work better than the current system which sees National Student Financial Aid Scheme funding given to poor students, while those who don’t qualify are disadvantaged.

Fuente: http://ewn.co.za/2016/08/13/Council-on-Higher-Education-recommends-inflation-related-increase-for-universities

 

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South Africa: Gauteng schools receive ICT equipment

África/SouthAfrica/14 Agosto 2016/Fuente y Autor:eslwatch

Resumen: Unas 50 escuelas en Gauteng son set esta semana para recibir información y tecnología informática equipos gracias a la donación de Old Mutual Sudáfrica Limited.

SOME 50 schools in Gauteng are this week set to receive information and computer technology equipment courtesy of a donation by Old Mutual South Africa Limited.

Member of the Executive Committee for Education, Panyaza Lesufi, will receive the equipment on behalf of the schools.

The project, now on its third year, forms part of Old Mutual’s effort to support the Department of Education’s vision of paperless classrooms.

«This will assist the department in its drive to ensure that more learners in Gauteng have access to a wealth of information relating to their curriculum needs through the use of ICT,» Gauteng Department of Education’s Head of Communication, Oupa Bodibe, says.

Over 165 schools in Gauteng have benefitted from this programme in the last three years.

Fuente de la noticia: http://eslwatch.info/articles/education-news/africa-news/south-africa-gauteng-schools-receive-ict-equipment.html

Fuente de la imagen: http://www.htxt.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/ICT_IN_CLASSROOMS-658×382.jpg

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Sudáfrica: Basic Education Committee Pleased With Starting of Schools in Vuwani

Africa/Sudáfrica/12 de Agosto de 2016/Fuente: All Africa

RESUMEN: El comité de la lista en la Educación Básica observa con satisfacción los informes de que la educación ha comenzado hoy en Vuwani, Limpopo. El Comité alentó a todas las partes interesadas para poner en esfuerzos para hacer que este año sea un éxito para todos los estudiantes. La Presidente del Comité, la Sra Nomalungelo Gina dijo: «Ahora es el momento de nuestros estudiantes  para utilizar todos los medios posibles y todo el tiempo necesario para ponerse al día.   Ms Gina dijo que el Comité  le preocupa que apenas ayer otra escuela fue incendiada. «Esto es inaceptable. Las escuelas están ahí para asegurarse de que nuestros estudiantes reciban una educación adecuada, que en muchos casos debido a la historia del país, muchas personas mayores no tenían.«Deja que los alumnos disfrutan de los frutos de nuestra democracia al permitir su acceso a la educación. El derecho a la educación es después de todo un derecho constitucional básico.»La escolarización en la zona se detuvo hace tres meses después de que las comunidades locales no estaban conformes con el proceso de demarcación. Se realizaron varias reuniones de alto nivel para tratar de resolver el asunto.

The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education is pleased to note reports that schooling has commenced today in Vuwani, Limpopo. The Committee encouraged all stakeholders to put in efforts to make this year a success for all learners.

Committee Chairperson, Ms Nomalungelo Gina said: «It is now time for our learners to use every possible method and all time needed to catch up. This is especially important for our Grade 11’s, who will find themselves in matric next year.»

Ms Gina said the Committee is however concerned that just yesterday another school was burnt down. «This is unacceptable. Schools are there to ensure that our learners get a proper education, which in many instances due to the history of the country, many older people did not have.

«Let the learners enjoy the fruits of our democracy by making it possible for them to access education. The right to education is after all a basic Constitutional right.»

Schooling in the area stopped three months ago after local communities were unhappy about the demarcation process. Several high profile meetings were held to try and resolve the matter.

Ms Gina called on parents and the larger community to take ownership of state infrastructure to ensure they are not vandalised during protests. «These infrastructure is for the benefit of the public at large. Once protests or disagreements have been resolved, the community will still need them,» she said.

The Committee is further pleased to note media reports that schooling in the camps that were set up to accommodate matriculants in Vuwani were successful. According to reports, matriculants were able to catch up on all the work that was lost. «The Committee would like to commend educators and learners for the extra effort that was put to ensure that school work was up to date and that mid-term exams were written in preparation for the 2016 National Senior Certificate examinations which will start in the middle of October,» said Ms Gina.

Fuente: http://allafrica.com/stories/201608110558.html

Fuente de la imagen: http://www.wanafrica.com/sociedad/africa-futuro-en-riesgo-por-baja-escolarizacion-de-millones-de-ninos/

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