Hands-on Learning Issue 14
Through our Hands-on Learning publication, we hope to play a helpful role in synthesising information from innovators and implementers in civil society, supporting them to share what they have learned so that others are able to draw from and build on their experiences. In this issue: Dynamic networks are amplifier strategies that enable social innovators […]
Steps to address South Africa’s dropout crisis
The majority of learners who start Grade 1 will not complete their schooling. The South African education system is failing our children because a lack of educational qualifications puts them at a disadvantage in the labour market, increasing the prospect of a life mired in unemployment, and in so doing, perpetuating cycles of poverty and […]
Connecting with learners to keep them in school
For many learners, school can feel like a losing battle. We see this in the country’s low matric throughput rates – with only 40% of learners who start school going on to pass matric 12 years later[1]. Merle Mansfield of the Zero School Dropout Initiative asks what can be done now to give our learners […]
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 […]
Where did the other half go? What is driving school dropout in South Africa?
Most 17 year olds are attending school and will soon write their matric exam, even if not all of them pass. Right? No! By the time a class of 30 children reaches grade 12, 50% of their peers have already left school without even making it to the grade where their can write matric. This […]
Share: Offering second chances
Many adults and youth have not completed their formal education due to the many and varied challenges that beset South Africa. There are as many adults and youth requiring education as there are children in school, yet their needs are not adequately addressed or even considered as important. Why adult education and providing second chances […]
