Angie Motshekga

Thousands of parents in the Gauteng province are advised to get ready for the upcoming school admission season, as there is less than a month left before the online allocation period begins.

In 2014, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga published the Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure regulations. This law set out that all schools must have water, electricity, internet, working toilets and safe classrooms.

Research from Stellenbosch University suggests that around 45% of teachers will retire by 2030. To replace the loss of these teachers, tertiary education institutions will need to produce 50 000 teachers per year by 2030.

Parents in Gauteng will be submitting online school applications to help their children secure a placement for the 2023 school year. The education department in the province has provided parents with some tips for their applications.

Not knowing which school your child will be attending the following year can cause great stress and anxiety for parents around the country. One provincial education department has explained why this week is crucial in alleviating the anxiety of parents.

There have been engagements about newly published Education Laws, since the Department of Basic Education (DBE) received more than 5 000 written submissions from stakeholders and the general public. While the laws are scheduled to come into effect before the end of the year, there have been calls for changes to be made. 

A mere cursory glance at social media and parent groups shows the anxieties and frustrations of parents with school going children today regarding access to an excellent education. 

Parents in the Western Cape have faced numerous challenges when trying to enrol their children in schools in the province. This is especially true when the enrollment requires the use of the provinces’ online admissions system.

Two Western Cape schools have been named among the top ten schools in the world and will now go on to compete for a cash prize of $50 000.

A school’s code of conduct sets out the rules learners are expected to follow and the values they must uphold in and around the premises of a school.

School suspension, expulsion, compulsory attendance and language of instruction policies are just some of the continuous issues raised in the latest proposed schools regulations. Concerned groups have called for greater clarity related to some of the clauses in the governments plans.

The sale of alcohol on school premises, increased regulation of homeschooling and making Grade R attendance compulsory are just some of the continuous issues raised in the latest proposed schools regulation.

Police investigations are currently underway after a fire gutted several classrooms at a Gauteng primary school earlier this week.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in learning losses for hundreds of thousands of South African learners. However, the lives of teachers have also been lost, with a reported 3000 educators losing their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Overcrowded classrooms continue to hinder the ability of children to learn in schools around South Africa. The issue of overcrowded classrooms has resulted in a Gauteng school being closed for days as concerned parents demanded answers.

Recent statistics revealed that South Africa’s official unemployment rate stands at 34.5%. While this is an improvement from the last measurement, questions remain to be asked about whether young people are being adequately prepared for the workplace.

Grade 1 and Grade 8 are often the start of a brand new journey for many children as they begin a period of several years at a new school. In South Africa, many provinces make use of online application processors to manage the enrolment of children in schools.

Teachers are meant to impart knowledge to the next generation, however many are facing challenges in imparting this knowledge due to ill-disciplined learners.

A primary school in Limpopo has been closed down after an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) inspector found that the school was not compliant with the OHS Act 85 of 1993 and posed a risk of health to learners.

In two months during 2021, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) admissions website recorded 408 672 applications by 149 633 registered users demonstrating the amount of parents applying for the placement of their children in the province's schools.