It has been noted that there are some provincial departments of education which are going beyond their brief and authority in adding to the CAPS and in making things mandatory which are not.  This is contrary to the spirit of the CAPS and the instruction of the Minister of Basic Education to allow for flexibility. [...]

In recent times, there have been calls to halt the publication of Matric results in the press.  It is argued that the results are private, not public, information; and that candidates who learn that they have failed by this means (rather than from their schools, where there are people on hand to counsel) often react [...]

Every year at about this time, I take some time out to consider whether I still have a job or not. Not because it’s time for my annual performance review, but because, in many ways, if I do my job properly then I shouldn’t have a job at all. All teaching is like this. By [...]

WHO is the GBF?  The GBF is an independent body whose members comprise schools and their governing bodies. It was founded in 1999 in response to the need for leadership and guidance expressed by governing bodies at several public schools. WHERE do they operate? The GBF is a national body with provincial chapters in four [...]

Hats off to Pravin Gordhan for his medium-term budget. In particular, I was impressed with his statement that “Further steps will be taken to reduce administrative costs and unnecessary duplication of capacity”. I wish to suggest that this can be achieved in a way that I am sure is not currently envisaged by the Minister [...]

It is almost a given these days that in an ideal world, all students should have access to a mobile computing device whenever they need one. There are some teachers who disagree, but that number is dwindling every year. The Indian government has just announced the release of a $35 tablet called the Aakash, or [...]