Latest news with #BasilManuel
The Herald
5 days ago
- The Herald
A simple code of conduct is a starting point to stop bullying, says Naptosa
A simple code of conduct that is enforceable, where everyone knows what is expected of them in terms of behaviour and dress code, could be the starting point to end bullying at schools. This is according to Basil Manuel from the National Professional Teachers' Organisation of SA (N aptosa), on the back of the recent violent bullying incidents at two schools, in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape. One incident was at Thuto-Lesedi Secondary School in Vosloorus after which a 16-year-old pupil had to undergo facial surgery. He was attacked on July 23 by a group of older pupils at the school after refusing to hand over a bag containing sweets he was selling at school. In another incident, a video has gone viral showing a male pupil from David Mama Senior Secondary School in Mdantsane, Eastern Cape, assaulting a girl on a school bus. 'I have said to principals, if your code of conduct can't be memorised by every teacher, and in turn by every pupil, it's too long and it has too many nonsensical issues [then it's useless],' Manuel said. He said a code of conduct must be such that you can quote 10 or 20 lines of it and it becomes simple to enforce. ' But if you have to check and research your own protocol, then it's useless. 'The bottom line is that we have a beginning. We are far from reaching a point where everything works. We can only get, say, if everybody is running in the same direction and let's face it, there will always be people who think they should run in the opposite direction,' he said. He said the tide becomes stronger when more people are running in one direction and those in the opposite direction are eventually forced to change. The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) condemned the incidents, which it said highlight the growing violence in schools, despite the existence of codes of conduct which should guide appropriate behaviour and discipline among pupils. 'Sadtu is concerned that such measures are failing to protect vulnerable learners and create a culture of respect and safety. It is evident that more must be done to instil values of empathy, caring and tolerance among learners,' it said. Sadtu said schools cannot fight this scourge alone and reiterated the need for active involvement of parents, community members, teachers, pupils and government departments in creating a safe and nurturing school environment.
The South African
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The South African
Unions condemn education department as 464 schools drop maths
Teacher unions have strongly criticised the Department of Basic Education for failing to address the chronic shortage of maths teachers. According to Mail&Guardian, The South African Democratic Teachers Union's (Sadtu) Mugwena Maluleka questioned the department's human resource management. Noting that while universities continue to produce education graduates, many learners' needs are still being neglected. This follows shocking revelations that 464 schools across South Africa no longer offer mathematics as a subject. Naptosa's Basil Manuel added that the growing number of schools without mathematics undermines the future of the country's education system. According to the department, the affected schools include 135 in KwaZulu-Natal, 84 in the Eastern Cape, 78 in Limpopo and 61 in the Western Cape. Nationally, the percentage of learners opting to study maths dropped from 46% in 2011 to 34% in 2023. In 2024, only 255 762 learners registered for maths, down from 268 100 in 2023. Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga acknowledged that while maths remains a high-priority subject. Many schools lack the resources or demand to offer both maths and mathematical literacy. Sadtu claims that schools in rural areas are pressuring learners in Grade 10 and above not to take maths, fearing poor performance might lower matric pass rates. Maluleka stressed that the department must take responsibility for such practices. Research by the Human Sciences Research Council and Parliamentary Monitoring Group in 2023 found that many learners in early grades lack basic maths skills. South African Grade 9 learners ranked 38th out of 39 countries in maths and finished last in science. While Grade 5 maths performance placed the country 62nd out of 64 nations. Despite a slight improvement in the 2024 maths pass rate to 69.1% (up from 63.5% in 2023), the numbers remain troubling. The Western Cape led with the highest pass rates in both maths (78%) and science (79.4%). Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi urged the department to raise the 50% pass benchmark and equip more learners with skills for higher education and jobs. Tertiary institutions require 60% to 75% in maths and science for STEM programmes. Unisa's Prof Ramodungoane Tabane said the shortage of STEM graduates threatens the country's development. Highlighting that South Africa has only one engineer per 3 100 people—compared to Germany's one per 200. Education activist Hendrick Makaneta stressed the importance of transforming the education system with a strong focus on STEM. 'Our future depends on learners gaining the skills these subjects provide. The world is evolving, and our system must evolve too,' he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Eyewitness News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Extra school holidays 'disruptive' but no teaching time lost - National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA
Tasleem Gierdien 23 April 2025 | 6:30 Lester Kiewit Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit Public holidays Picture: © teka77/ CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit speaks to Basil Manuel of the National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA). Listen below: In the second term of the 2025 South African school calendar, there's a special school holiday week added to the calendar from 29 April to 2 May in addition to regular public holidays. The special holiday week is due to some public holidays in April falling over weekends but being observed during the week. Also read: Schools get an extra week off during April Manuel says the extra week off 'does impact learning and teaching'. "Truancy is at its highest during these many little holidays. Besides people who just keep their children out, many children just don't pitch, so it is less productive to have the children at school... you're caught between the devil and the deep blue sea..." - Basil Manuel, Executive Director - NAPTOSA "We're part of the calendar committee and we supported the notion that we close, noting that there's no loss of teaching time because this year we have 203 school days as opposed to the normal 200. But, it is disruptive in the sense that the rhythm is lost, and as you pick up the rhythm, then it's lost, but it's an annual event." - Basil Manuel, Executive Director - NAPTOSA "It's right there in that Foundation Phase and Junior Primary where the rhythm is most difficult to keep because you're trying to establish patterns, you're teaching things like reading and that is a sustained activity and when you break it, you almost have to go back to the beginning and those teachers have to work the hardest to maintain that and, of course, appeal to parents' sensibilities to keep it going at home... but that's possible in some areas and some areas it's not." - Basil Manuel, Executive Director - NAPTOSA "The other group on the continuum is at the higher levels of matric where you don't want them to lose that rhythm and then find it difficult to pick up and get into the game again... to do that, teachers have to do extra things like homework packs..." - Basil Manuel, Executive Director - NAPTOSA "And yes, children want the holiday, and I'm an advocate for that, children need the break, children need the holiday, children must play, but we've also got to balance it." - Basil Manuel, Executive Director - NAPTOSA Manuel says, despite the extra holiday days, teachers are burnt out. "Nobody sees the time spent at night, early hours of the morning when people get to school at the crack of dawn to do marking because they've also got families at home... don't for one minute assume that everyone is sitting in front of the television with their legs up... our matric teachers are feeling really burnt out because they're spending so much time at school... we've got to make a better plan. Our foundation phase teachers are also doing a marvellous job..." - Basil Manuel, Executive Director - NAPTOSA Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.
