Latest news with #DepartmentofBasicEducation
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Unlocking potential: the case for integrating coding into South Africa's foundation phase curriculum
Contrary to some arguments, teaching this curriculum does not come at the expense of literacy and numeracy, but enhances those skills. Some articles in the media over the past few weeks have made concerning statements about the implementation of the coding and robotics curriculums not being mandatory in 'the foreseeable future'. The Department of Basic Education's revised annual performance plan for 2025/26 is mentioned as a source document. All the curriculums for Grade R to Grade 9 were gazetted in June 2024, and the plan was to roll out the foundation phase in 2026. The main reason stated for not rolling it out is that the immediate focus needs to be the improvement of literacy and numeracy in Grade R to Grade 3. Furthermore, a lack of resources is stated as another reason. The reasons mentioned in the various articles are all quite valid. Literacy and numeracy have proven to be a huge problem in South African schools over many years. A challenge regarding resources to roll out the curriculum is very real. Add to that the limited number of teachers who are equipped to teach conventional coding and robotics. Accepting all this, there is a harsh reality we all need to face. Since we already have gazetted Curriculum and Policy Assessment Statements (Caps) curriculums, nothing stops schools that have the resources to implement the foundation phase curriculum in 2026. 'Not mandatory' implies voluntary. The danger in this is the widening of the digital divide in our country. Putting it crudely, the 'haves' will go ahead and the 'have-nots' will stay behind. The feedback I have received from mainly rural teachers is extreme fear of missing out. This has been the fear of teachers who care for the future of their pupils over many years. Dr Bertie Buitendag from the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology at the Tshwane University of Technology worked on the foundation phase curriculum. He believes implementing it will enhance the foundational skills of numeracy and literacy rather than compete with them. Literature shows the cognitive domains that will be developed include computational thinking, problem-solving, pattern recognition, sequential thinking, language and communication skills, self-sufficiency and confidence. The foundation phase curriculum is unplugged, which means no technical devices are needed to roll them out. Tangible Africa is an engagement project of Nelson Mandela University. We have been sending out free weekly CAPS-aligned lessons from Grade R to Grade 9, using a WhatsApp chatbot. These lessons are all unplugged. For the foundation phase, they cover the full curriculum. Hundreds of teachers from around the country have been using them. The main positive feedback from foundation phase teachers includes easy implementation, pupil engagement, growing teacher confidence and enhancement of other foundational skills. It must be noted that these teachers had limited to no training and simply implemented the provided lessons. The main challenges faced are overfull classes, a lack of time and limited support or isolation. Overfull classes are a national challenge faced by all teachers in any subject. Although a lack of time is highlighted, the majority of teachers have succeeded in implementing their lessons in school time (30 to 60 minutes a week), and some started voluntary coding clubs after school. Mechanisms can be put in place (physical or online) to support teachers and help them not to feel isolated. In our lessons, Tangible Africa uses mathematics, language and life skills examples to teach the different grid coding concepts prescribed in the curriculum. The natural spin-off of this is that implementing the curriculum through various activities creates a new, fun and interactive mechanism to enhance foundational skills. To improve numeracy and literacy in the foundation phase, it is clear to me that something different needs to be done in the classroom to bring about change. I want to suggest that the answer lies in the coding and robotics curriculum, which allows for innovative mechanisms for change. Tangible Africa is not the only provider of unplugged material for the foundation phase, and the way we have done it by distributing free lessons via a chatbot can be improved. One example of this could be continuous online training and support to empower teachers. What the project has shown, however, is that the curriculum can be implemented with minimal costs in the deepest rural areas of our country. I have dedicated my life to finding low-tech ways to bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to the marginalised. Therefore, I plead with all role players to seriously apply their minds. Will coding and robotics in the foundation phase hold back the development of our young ones' numeracy and literacy skills, or actually enhance these skills in a way that belongs to the 21st century? We have a tool that could revolutionise education. We should not discard it without serious consideration. DM Dr Jean Greyling is associate professor in computing sciences at Nelson Mandela University and the founder of Tangible Africa. This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
The South African
a day ago
- General
- The South African
Term 3: When are the next school holidays?
After nearly a month of school holidays, learners across South Africa are set to return to school tomorrow, 22 July, as Term 3 of the 2025 academic year kicks off. With holidays winding down, families are shifting gears from rest to routine, and many are asking: How long is Term 3, and what should we expect? But also, when are the next school holidays? South Africa's Department of Basic Education has confirmed that Term 3 will run from 22 July to 3 October. That gives learners just over 10 weeks of classroom time, roughly 53 school days, depending on the province and individual school schedules. To put it in context, here's a breakdown of the 2025 public school calendar showcasing when reopen and close again for school holidays: Term 1 : 15 January – 28 March : 15 January – 28 March Term 2 : 8 April – 27 June : 8 April – 27 June Term 3 : 22 July – 3 October : 22 July – 3 October Term 4: 13 October – 10 December This means that the next school holiday will kick off from 3 October until 13 October. Learners will get a short break before the final push of the school year. Term 4 starts on 13 October and wraps up on 10 December, leading straight into the end-of-year, summer holidays. 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.
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- Science
- Borneo Post
AI revolution transforms learning for students in China's Chongqing
CHONGQING (July 21): Sixth-grader Zhang Tienan focused intently as he tapped his tablet to skillfully navigate a drone he had designed through a complex aerial 'maze' at the playground. 'Getting drones to execute my programmed routes gives me a real sense of achievement,' said Zhang from Lijia Experimental Primary School in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, who won first prize in the national youth drone competition last year. This fusion of creativity and technology at the school embodies the country's ambitious pledge to universalize AI education in primary and secondary schools by 2030. Nestled in Chongqing's tech-driven Liangjiang New Area, the school has pioneered AI integration since its founding in 2019, evolving from a small cohort of nearly 200 students exposed to coding to a nationally recognized AI education base. Principal Jiang Junbin's vision of 'future-oriented education' took flight with programming as the cornerstone. First-graders are taught to tackle coding fundamentals, yielding fruitful early results. Over 100 competition awards were clinched by students within a year or so. The success paved the way for establishing a comprehensive Junior AI Academy, featuring specialized labs for robotics, drones and 3D printing. Today, students navigate more than 10 AI-related courses. The school's innovative dual-teacher approach combines online instruction with in-person guidance. While a 'cloud teacher' delivers interactive lessons via screen, classroom teachers facilitate hands-on problem-solving activities. The model allows students, for example, to debate geometry with ancient mathematicians via AI avatars, generate vocabulary-learning stories through algorithms, and animate complex math concepts. 'Previously, geometric transformations existed only in imagination,' said math teacher Li Weiying. 'Now, AI-generated animations turn abstract concepts into tangible experiments.' The AI-powered transformation has also reshaped teaching. According to a white paper on smart education, AI is comprehensively transforming educational content, governance, paradigms and teaching methodologies to establish a future-oriented education system and realize intelligent education. IT instructor Zhao Bingxue recalled that 'Designing robotics courses from scratch with unfamiliar equipment was daunting.' Benefiting from the school's evolving AI course infrastructure, she crafted relatable scenarios to demystify computational thinking. According to Tian Zuyin, director-general of the Department of Basic Education at China's Ministry of Education, China has built the world's largest digital education platform for basic education — Smart Education of China platform for primary and secondary schools — offering over 110,000 high-quality resources across all subjects and grades, inside and outside the classroom. 'In class, it's not enough to just let students experience the preliminary application of technology. More importantly, we must clearly explain the underlying logic,' Zhao said. Principal Jiang also outlined an ambitious next step for the school. 'We will deepen AI courses to include machine learning and data analytics while expanding interdisciplinary projects. Our goal is to cultivate systemic innovation capabilities,' he said. As Zhang's drone landed flawlessly after its AI-guided flight, a classmate's digital avatar cartwheeled across the screen. In these classrooms, the Ministry of Education's 2030 vision is already coming to life, with one animated sketch, one soaring drone, and one spark of computational creativity at a time. – Xinhua
The South African
2 days ago
- General
- The South African
Back to school this week: Here's when Term 3 will END
South African learners are set to return to school on Tuesday, 22 July, as the third term of the 2025 academic year officially begins, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed. This follows the end of the June-July school holidays, which began on Friday, 27 June. Term 3, which runs from 22 July to 3 October, will be the longest term of the year, spanning 53 school days. It forms part of the uniform national school calendar implemented in 2024, which remains in place for all provinces in 2025. 'The new term structure, aligned across all regions, continues to bring consistency to the academic calendar nationwide,' the DBE said in a statement. Term 1 : 15 January – 28 March (52 days) : 15 January – 28 March (52 days) Term 2 : 8 April – 27 June (52 days) : 8 April – 27 June (52 days) Term 3 : 22 July – 3 October (53 days) : 22 July – 3 October Term 4: 13 October – 10 December (43 days) In total, the 2025 school year consists of 200 school days, with Term 4 being the shortest. 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.
Daily Maverick
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Treasury's decision not to allocate extra funding imperils compulsory Grade R roll-out
While the Bela Act makes Grade R attendance compulsory, the National Treasury's refusal to allocate additional funding leaves provinces struggling to deliver on the promise of universal early childhood education. The National Treasury has turned down the Department of Basic Education's request for additional funds to implement compulsory Grade R schooling. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube confirmed the Treasury's stance during her 2025/26 budget vote speech in Parliament, acknowledging that although the Department of Basic Education's budget rose by more than 8% to over R35-billion, it fell short of meeting the cost required for universal access to Grade R schooling. Gwarube did not mince words about the consequences: provinces must absorb the significant costs from within already stretched budgets. The enactment of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act in December 2024 marked a watershed moment, officially making Grade R attendance compulsory for all children in SA. The law was 'the culmination of over three decades of careful policy development, expert recommendations and legislative process', said Equal Education Law Centre legal researchers Daniel Peter Al-Naddaf and Katherine Sutherland. 'This year marks 24 years since Minister Kader Asmal launched Education White Paper 5 on Early Childhood Development, which recorded Grade R as the first year of formal education. This recommendation originated from the South African Preschool Study Team in August 1994 — almost 31 years ago,' they said. 'It took six years to reach a White Paper and another 23 years to become law through the Bela Act in September 2024. Compulsory Grade R was not a rushed policy decision. 'Yet, after 30 years of planning, implementation is failing due to lack of funding. The irony is that the very government that spent three decades developing this right now renders it meaningless through budgetary neglect.' Al-Naddaf and Sutherland noted that basic education is a constitutionally protected right that must be fulfilled immediately. By including Grade R in this definition, the law established not only a duty for parents to send their children to school, but also an immediate right for children to receive this education, regardless of when it might be convenient for the government. Taking from Peter to pay Paul During her address, Gwarube said the Department of Basic Education was unable to secure additional funding from the National Treasury for the undertaking, meaning that provinces must fund it from their allocated budgets. 'Our goal is clear: every child must enter Grade R ready to learn in all respects. We urgently need additional funding for compulsory Grade R, as required by the Bela Act,' she said. Al-Naddaf and Sutherland observed that, although there was a real increase this year in the consolidated Basic Education budget when measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), per learner spending declined when calculated using a sector-specific inflation rate, the Basic Education Price Index (Bepi). The Bepi provides a more accurate reflection of true spending power in the sector, as it captures factors like rising teacher salaries — the main cost driver — better than CPI adjustments alone. 'When factoring in this education-specific inflation measure, alongside projected learner enrolment growth and the formalisation of compulsory Grade R, it becomes evident that per-learner spending in real terms will decline to its lowest level since at least the 2013/14 financial year,' said Al-Naddaf and Sutherland. When asked how ready provinces were to fund and implement compulsory Grade R from their current budgets, Al-Naddaf and Sutherland said that, for many years, provinces had been expected to do more with fewer resources. This ongoing strain has left provinces, particularly those already facing funding challenges, in a vulnerable position as they try to fulfil the new mandate. The department has estimated that implementing universal Grade R will cost R17-billion. 'After a decade of chronic underfunding and budget cuts, it is unreasonable for the Treasury to expect provinces to somehow absorb a R17-billion obligation within budgets already cut to the bone, especially when provinces derive around 97% of their income from the national government,' said Al-Naddaf and Sutherland. 'It is estimated that the education system will need to incorporate an additional 200,000 Grade R learners to realise universal Grade R, and costs that provinces must bear to achieve this include additional Grade R classrooms; the upskilling of underqualified Grade R practitioners; furniture; playground equipment; learner packs; per learner funding for school budgets; and Grade R educator salaries.' They noted that several provincial education departments were at risk of becoming insolvent this financial year, attributing this to years of chronic underfunding and mounting obligations imposed without matching resources. Under-resourced schools The Gauteng Department of Education is wrestling with a R31.1-billion infrastructure backlog, forcing learners into crumbling buildings or overcrowded classrooms. This gargantuan backlog does not include the 2,000 new classrooms required for the compulsory roll-out of Grade R. In the Northern Cape, education officials say it will take at least five years to address the current shortfall of 252 classrooms. Meanwhile, Limpopo appears, on paper, to have nearly universal Grade R access, with only nine schools lacking Grade R. 'However, if one looks at the number of enrolled Grade R learners in the province (128,721) and the total number of Grade R educators and practitioners (2,151), this would amount to an average teacher-to-educator ratio of 60 learners to one teacher,' said Al-Naddaf and Sutherland. 'Having Grade R available on paper is fundamentally different from meaningful implementation — true access requires quality education with adequate resources, and it is clear that quality education cannot be achieved under these severely under-resourced conditions.' Al-Naddaf and Sutherland noted that many provinces had reported having to make trade-offs and redirecting funds from other vital programmes to fund universal Grade R. The effects ripple across the education system: Scholar transport budgets are slashed, making it harder for children in rural or remote areas to get to school. The National School Nutrition Programme, meant to guarantee a basic meal to every child, now stretches thin resources to feed growing numbers of Grade R learners, risking a decline in the quality or quantity of food available. Legislation versus purse strings Gwarube acknowledged these difficult choices, reflecting in Parliament: 'We operate under extremely difficult fiscal conditions which require innovation, creativity and firm financial discipline in all our provinces. 'This is a clarion call to all our stakeholders in the sector and PEDs [provincial education departments] to tighten belts, accelerate delivery and guard against falling foul of their constitutional responsibilities of delivering quality education to all.' Despite the funding setback, Gwarube outlined the department's plans to maximise its allocated resources. Early childhood development (ECD) is a particular focus, with the ECD conditional grant rising to R1.7-billion. Of this, R230-million is earmarked for a nutrition pilot programme targeted at the youngest learners, while R162-million will be invested in infrastructure for ECD programmes. Gwarube also highlighted several targeted allocations designed to address specific educational challenges. More than R4.6-billion has been allocated to curriculum policy support and monitoring, and R1.2-billion will go towards the school workbook programme, ensuring that learners from Grade R to Grade 9 receive the necessary learning materials. The minister announced that R57-million had been earmarked to advance mother-tongue-based bilingual education. However, these pockets of targeted funding can't offset the overall resources required to give every child quality access to Grade R schooling, as the implementation of the Bela Act rests uneasily on fragile fiscal ground. Al-Naddaf and Sutherland raised a constitutional warning: 'Treasury's refusal suggests that it believes it has the power to block the implementation of legislation by declining to fund it, even when this contravenes the rights of children.' This, they argue, undermines the law and the 'immediately realisable' right to basic education enshrined in the Constitution. 'We are most concerned about the hundreds of thousands of children who will be affected. It is vital that we consider what it means for democracy and the rule of law when the Treasury is effectively able to veto a law by refusing to fund it. It may be education today, but what guarantee does anyone have that their rights will have the funding to mean something?' Daily Maverick sent questions to the National Treasury, the Department of Basic Education and Gwarube's spokesperson. No responses had been received by the time of publication. DM
