Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout – Interview Series #3
Today we feature the last of our interviews with our partners working with us in the Zero School Dropout Initiative. In previous weeks we talked to Bottom-Up, Khula Development Group, Community Action Partnership and SAILI. These interviews can be read here and here. We end off the series by talking to Tabisa Bata of Masibumbane Development Organisation and Zeni […]
Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout – Interview Series #2
Last month we introduced the Zero School Dropout Initiative and featured the first two of our trailblazers. Today we continue our series by hearing from two more of our partners, Ilze Olivier of Community Action Partnership and Jennie Rist of SAILI. Ilze Olivier – Community Action Partnership What motivates you to work in this space? There is personal […]
Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout – Interview Series #1
Last week we introduced the Zero School Dropout Initiative and explored the magnitude of the issue. We continue our series by hearing from two of our six partners. First up is Ashley Visagie of Bottomup and Daleen Labuschagne of the Khula Development Group. Ashley Visagie – Bottomup What motivates you to work in this space? Half our […]
Leaving no child behind: The road to Zero School Dropout
The matric results represent a proud moment for many schools – an indication of education quality and success, but it is not the full story. The reality is that about half of any cohort of learners have left school without having written the matric exam.[1] Grades 10 and 11 in particular experience high rates of grade […]
Celebrating amazing teachers: Michael Peter Curry on saving lives
Today we are celebrating the many teachers who go beyond their job description to help their learners reach their fullest potential. We are humbled and inspired by those who are approachable to their learners; who keep working long into their evenings; who make do with limited resources; and who are always open to learning about […]
What does creative learning look like for grown-ups?
Working in the education and non-profit sectors, I’ve been to talks and conferences that fire up my passion – that make me want to leap out of my seat and do something. But I’ve been to at least as many with uninspired content, formats, speakers, or all of the above – gatherings where I wind up […]
Wordworks on early language, literacy and mathematics learning: Why it matters and who benefits
Wordworks recently published a policy briefing document exploring the importance and benefits of early language, literacy and mathematics learning. Starting from the stance that: “Every child aged between birth and five years should have access to high quality language, literacy and mathematics learning opportunities, which are delivered by skilled ECD practitioners and are available in […]
A call to collaborate on resources and materials for scaled-up ECD provision
What is the opportunity and the challenge? The Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector is at an important crossroads. For decades, NGOs in South Africa have been the main providers of ECD services to children under five. These organisations have worked in poor and isolated communities, providing training and support to ECD practitioners and caregivers, and […]
Time of opportunity and risk for the ECD Sector
The next five years are going to be exciting and challenging times for people committed to early childhood development (ECD). Never before has the scientific evidence for ECD been so strong, and never before in South Africa has there been such strong political support to increase access to it. For the two-thirds of children under […]
Helping our children reach their full potential by growing the building blocks of food, love, security and stimulation
How can we fix our education system? That question preoccupies our national mind – and not without cause. We fail to prepare enough people for basic jobs, let alone to sustain a sophisticated knowledge economy. If that is the question, the inevitable answer is that we need good teachers, quality textbooks and enough time in […]
