By Mmathabo Bless Maebela “I feel like some coffee. Can I offer you some?” asks Gadra Education’s research and communications manager, Kelly Long, with a warm smile as I am welcomed into her office. “Yes, please, mam. Two sugars and no milk,” I reply. It is an unseasonably cold and rainy morning in Makhanda, so coffee is necessary. A few minutes later, she walks in with two cups of coffee and settles into her chair as the aroma of the coffee fills her office – a room that came to house an hour-long interview between her, an advocate for educational…
Author: Rod Amner
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By Relebohile Mohapi I am in awe. I watch a teacher roll on the floor with her learners, showing them how to execute the dance move flawlessly. Her 13-year-old learners watch intently to reproduce the exact move she has just made. The girls gaze at her with trust in their eyes and fluid limbs. I can’t help but think back to yesterday when I questioned her in her colourfully-decorated classroom about her teaching journey. She retains the bright smile which greeted me the day before. Her energy remains the same: excited and ready to tackle the task ahead. Kerry-Lee Knott-Craig…
By Atlegang Seoka and Thubelihle Mathonsi As a young girl growing up in Pietermaritzburg, Lucky Xaba watched her grandmother welcome visitors with a soft smile and a soothing presence. She insisted that no guest should leave the house empty-handed. It never mattered who the guest was; they would always go home with something. Even on days when the pantry would be empty, her grandmother would extend a glass of water to her guests, saying, “Even if you have nothing, the least you can offer is water.” Xaba absorbed it all and grew to understand that there is a quiet dignity…
By Mohale Manyama and Sinesipho Habana Four teams of learners from two local high schools, Ntsika and Nyaluza, competed for glory at a lively and competitive literary quiz at the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies (SJMS) on 11 October. The teams were quizzed on two Fundza novels, Blood Ties and Sugar Daddy, part of the popular Harmony High young adult book series set in a fictional township high school. The learners read the novels as a Reading and Writing Club (RAW) activity facilitated by SJMS Writing & Editing students. The four teams faced off against each other, with…
By Nozipho Maphalala, Afikile Kopo, Vuyisile Zandamela The Rhodes School of Journalism’s TV studio buzzed with excitement as Grade 12 Ntsika and Nyaluza High School learners gathered before the green screen for the first of a series of podcasts about human rights. The podcasts are the brainchild of Nosi Dosi, program organiser for local after-school NGO Inkulukeko, aimed at developing local youth’s citizenship and leadership skills. The podcasts were themes around our Bill of Rights (Chapter 2 of the South African Constitution) and explored how local youth could use these rights to their full advantage. Dosi hosted the podcasts. She…
By Praise Paida Tizora Xolani Madlabathi has an Honours degree in music therapy and was a dedicated teacher for three years. But, in 2024, he returned to university to pursue a law degree. I am meeting him in the Rhodes University Law Library to find out why. South Africa has been facing a significant teacher shortage for several years. The problem is exacerbated by high attrition rates and challenges in attracting new teachers to the profession. What is Madlabathi’s story? He sports a fetching blue woollen hat, which he adjusts every few seconds, a black jacket, a white t-shirt, blue…
By Langelihle Elsie Skade Good Shepherd Primary School teacher Jade Botha is a passionate and dedicated teacher who recently won the Award for Excellence in Intermediate Phase Teaching at the Makhanda Teaching Awards. She has shaped young minds in her eight years as an English teacher. Her education journey, though, started with another aspiration altogether. Jade wanted to do psychology. She was fascinated with the way human beings behave. However, she soon learned that her calling was to walk hand-in-hand with children on their learning journeys. She switched to doing a Bachelor of Education, majoring in intermediate phase math and…
By Atlegang Seoka Excited Samuel Ntlebi Primary School children lined the street outside their school to welcome a small cavalcade of cars last week. The children sang, ululated and held up letters spelling out SIYAFUNDA EMAKHANDA. In the cavalcade was a bakkie loaded with books, shelves, cushions and carpets, a special delivery from project initiator Lucky Xaba and a team of Rhodes University librarians, including Rhodes’ principal librarian for learning support & community engagement, Sizwe Mabena. Minutes later, the bakkie was unloaded, and a colourful and well-stocked library magically materialised in a Grade 1 classroom. Ntlebi was one of four…
By Ndalo Mbombo and Nicole Palmer A few months ago, the Lebone Centre sent 12 high-quality children’s books to six local English-medium primary schools. Eleven of the books were written by South African writers, giving the kids relatable experiences to savour, while the twelfth was The BFG by Roald Dahl. After devouring the delicious volumes, seven teams of six were sent to Kingswood College Junior School on Monday, 2 September, to face 40 questions from quizmaster Majorie Brown at Makhanda’s first-ever Phendulani Literacy Quiz. At stake were dazzling new book sets for the schools and spot cash prizes for individual…
By Nozipho Maphalala and Vuyisile Zandamela The first-ever Makhanda Teaching Award honoured the excellence of local teachers at a dazzling ceremony at PJ Olivier High School recently. Six exemplary local educators received personal awards of R30 000 each, while the winning Early Childhood Development Centre, the Little Red Dragon School, bagged R50 000. Khutliso Daniels’ ebullient principal, Radio Mcuba, won the Excellence in High School Leadership award, while Khutliso’s Life Sciences teacher, Lungelwa Deliwe, won the Further Education and Training (FET) prize. Khutliso’s 96% pass rate in 2023 set a new benchmark for the no-fee school sector. Before 2023, no…