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Celebrating South African Teachers

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 10 Oct 2011   |   

The little girl knew something was wrong. As she came home from school, the sight of police cars around the house alarmed her. The intense voices of her parents arguing frightened her.

The truth would scar her for life. Her father was a paedophile.

Enter a teacher, who took the hand of this young soul and patiently walked her through the trauma, leading her to healing and wholeness. That girl, now a young woman, found the strength to submit her story, in honour of that teacher-healer, for the Great South African Teachers book.

This is not a book about failing schools, troubled children or bad teachers. It is a collection of stories from current and former school children who celebrate the outstanding South African teachers who transformed their lives. From affluent schools and poor, from former-white schools and still-black schools, from the big cities and the small villages, come powerful stories about great educators.

They are great in different ways. There are the subject artists who dazzle young minds with their teaching craft. There are the life performers who help children make the connection between classroom learning and preparation for life. There are the extended parents who care not only for the minds of children but for their hearts as well – these are the “extra-mile” teachers who take on pastoral duties of care beyond their job descriptions. The courageous activist stories tell of teachers who risked their jobs to teach outside the official curriculum during the years of apartheid education. The words and actions of the inspiring mentors have remained with their students long after they left school.

Great teachers have one thing in common: they leave an indelible imprint on the lives of young people.

The book started with a simple invitation in the Sunday Times: “Submit a story about the teacher who made the greatest impact on your life.” Within days, scores of stories flooded in – it seemed people had been waiting a long time for the chance to share their memories of educators who changed their lives. This was an idea whose time had come. The stories came from every province: about young teachers and older teachers; from the World War2 era to recent months; from children still in school to octogenarians; about tough-love teachers and gentle, gracious teachers; about teachers of subjects inside school and teachers of life outside school. The rich mix of class, colour and creed in the stories entranced the review panel and the editorial team.

• Read complete article at Timeslive

Technology in the South African Classroom

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 06 Jun 2011   |   

Teachers in a South African primary school are using Microsoft’s interactive hands-free gaming systems, Xbox Kinect, to improve English literacy among learners. Microsoft says both learners and teachers have embraced the new technology in the classroom. Victor Ngobeni, Manager of Microsoft’s Africa School Technology Innovation Centre, will present a workshop about the study, which is a world first, at the upcoming African Education Week in Johannesburg from 6-8 July.

Games used in all three learning areas
The study is taking place at the Lakeside Primary School in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and six Xbox Kinect units were installed in the school’s Grade 1, 2 and 3 classrooms in March. Says Victor Ngobeni: “Teachers integrate it into formal lessons for 2 to 3 hours three times a week. The other time spent playing is purely for enjoyment. Although the games are used in all three learning areas, it appears that numeracy (maths) is being integrated more often than the other two as all the games have scores and these are being used in lessons on counting, number concept, basic operations and data collecting. Games like Kinect Sport, Kinectimals and Joyride have also been used in lessons on road safety, transport, wild animals, pets, diminutives and good sportsmanship.”

• Read complete article

Aussie Teachers Loving Lesotho

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 16 May 2011   |   

“We came to teach and ended up learning.”

That was the comment of two Australian teachers, Lydia Mancini and Kaye Young, who travelled to the highlands of Lesotho to help with the education of local youngsters.

The directors at Maliba Lodge, Australians Nick King and Chris McEvoy, and Lesotho engineer Stephen Phakisi, have established a community trust in the area both to improve and protect the environment in the Tsehlanyane National Park and to improve the living conditions of local villagers.

Lesotho’s literacy rate of 85 percent is one of the highest in Africa but this small country has major problems, with high levels of HIV, poverty and malnutrition. It is estimated that 60 percent of the population live below the poverty line.

The Maliba community trust sponsors a work programme for the five local schools and experienced teachers are being flown in from Australia to help with tuition and to improve the skills of local teachers.

Mancini and Young, who are from Peninsular Grammar in Melbourne, have spent a month at Maliba Lodge, running workshops and helping teachers and pupils at the schools.

“We hope this programme will continue, with at least two groups of teachers travelling to Lesotho from Australia each year,” said McEvoy.

Both teachers described their experiences as “amazing”.

“We thought we were going over on this noble quest to teach all these poor people but we ended up learning so much about ourselves,” said music teacher Mancini.

“The children and teachers were very accepting and warm. The musical experience was phenomenal and really moving. They are in their element when they are singing and I am so excited that I can now sing in Sesotho.”

Young was taken with the enthusiasm of the children and their ability to work in the most demanding conditions.

“The children were so affectionate and love school and learning. Honestly, the whole experience exceeded our expectations and it has changed the way I teach.”

Young said one of the best ways to learn something was to teach it to others.

“That is one of the great things about our job. In teaching the students in Lesotho, and working with the teachers to provide them with ideas to improve their teaching methods, I found that I was also learning myself and improving my teaching skills.” Young said she had to produce creative ideas and activities for teaching students in their second language – English – and under difficult circumstances. The classes were large and there was a lack of resources and equipment.

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Durban Government School to Represent South Africa in the World Championship Kids Literature Quiz

by Chelsea on 13 Apr 2011   |   

There’s more than one South African team travelling to New Zealand for a World Championship this year. A couple of months before the Rugby World Cup kicks off, a team of four 12 year olds from Manor Gardens Primary School in Durban will compete against teams from UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand in the Kids Lit Quiz, an international competition which tests the literary knowledge of children between the ages of 10 -13.

To get to the world final, Manor Gardens Primary School had to beat 150 teams from schools all over South Africa in regional finals that took place in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. The competition is open to 10 – 13 year olds from any primary school in South Africa.

In a nail-biting competition, Manor Gardens emerged triumphant, the first time a team from KZN has won the Kids Lit Quiz in the 8 years that South Africa has been taking part. It is also interesting to note that while the majority of teams come from private schools, Manor Gardens is a government school and is the only government school ever to have won a National Kids Lit Quiz final.

Having won the Nationals for KZN, Manor Gardens will now have to search for sponsors and funds to get the team to New Zealand. School librarian, Isobel Sobey commented that, “These children have worked so hard and it would be heart-breaking if we couldn’t raise the funds to get them to the World Finals. We will be asking the Durban community and local businesses to dig deep to assist them with travel expenses so that they can make their school, KZN and South Africa proud”.

Wayne Mills, a university lecturer from New Zealand, came up with the concept twenty years ago. He developed the quiz so that good readers could also be rewarded and have a chance to win glory for their schools, just like the children who are good at sports. The first quiz took place in Hamilton. In that first year 14 teams took part. Today it has grown into a hugely popular annual event spanning four continents. In the UK alone, 400 teams took part in the regional finals this year.

To sponsor the team, please contact Manor Gardens Primary School (a Section 21 company) on 031 261 1401.

SA – The Good News via Manor Gardens Primary School.

No School for Ivory Coast Children as Violence Rages on

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 28 Feb 2011   |   

DAKAR – Some 800,000 children in Ivory Coast have missed out on school since the outbreak of violence following last year’s disputed presidential election.

In the western regions of Moyen Cavally and 18 Montagnes, where fresh fighting erupted on Tuesday, some 180,000 children are losing out on their education and most teachers have been absent since November.

“We know from experience that when children’s education is disrupted in a situation like this, they are less likely to go back to school once the crisis is over,” said Guy Cave, Ivory Coast country director for Save the Children.

“We are talking about a massive disruption to children’s right to education. It is really important that we get children back into school as soon as possible.”

More than 80,000 people have been uprooted by clashes between supporters of incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara, who is internationally recognised as the election winner.

Nearly 45,000 of those who have fled their homes have sought safety in Liberia. But aid groups say the thousands of children who have crossed into Liberia cannot attend school there because of language and curriculum differences.

The repercussions of the turmoil on children’s education were outlined by the United Nations on Thursday following a nine-day assessment mission across the West African country.

The assessment, carried out with other aid groups operating in the country, revealed that education has even been disrupted in the centre and east of the country where basic services are still functional.

• Read complete article at Alertnet

Cavendish Square Hosts 2011 Literacy Book Sale

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 24 Feb 2011   |   

SHOW US YOUR HEART THIS FEBRUARY AND SUPPORT CHILDREN’S LITERACY AND WESTERN CAPE AIDS/HIV NGO, WOLA NANI

WHEN: THURS 24th – SUN 27th FEBRUARY
WHERE: CENTRE COURT, CAVENDISH SQUARE
CELEBRITY CHILDREN’S BOOK READINGS:
SEE CHAD SAAIMAN & WINNIE THE POOH IN CENTRE COURT, SAT 26th FEBRUARY,
11:00 – 12:30
BOOK DRIVE: BRING YOUR OLD & UNUSED BOOKS IN DURING THE SALE TO BE DONATED TO WOLA NANI

• Visit Cavendish

Basic Education Minister Expects the Worst Results from SA Children

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 09 Feb 2011   |   

More than six million pupils across the country have started writing the annual national assessment exams – and Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is “expecting the worst”.

The tests are intended to assess whether children’s skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and especially analytical skills, are at the appropriate level for their age.

Motshekga, who was at Midrand’s Ebony Park Primary School for the start of the tests, said: “I expect the worst, but we need to know the worst so that we can address the weaknesses [in the education system].”

The assessment exams will show how South Africa’s school children compare internationally, she said.

“Pupils can learn, but they can also forget. This is not only about knowledge, because people forget facts. It is about skills . interpretive and analytical skills . and are these children at the right levels.”

It was expected that about 12million pupils will have to write the assessment exams by June.

Parents will be told how their children performed.

Teachers do not see the exam papers before their pupils write and so cannot prepare them for the questions.

• Read complete article at TimesLive

Angolan Writer Concerned About Few Publications of Children's Literature

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 03 Feb 2011   |   

Luanda – The Angolan writer Maria Eugénia Neto expressed on Friday concern about the little children literature published in national literary market.

Speaking to Angop, the writer urged society to encourage and inculcate reading habits in children. “You have to read because you learn to write by reading doing drafting and learn new vocabulary’’, she said.

The writer complained that republication of her books “E nas florestas os bichos falaram” and “Trepadeira que queria ver o céu azul” by the Ministry of Environment had difficulties of disclosure.

Maria Eugénia Neto was born in Trás-os-Montes (Portugal) on 8 March 1934 has published books like “E nas florestas os bichos falaram”, (Prize of Honour Cultural Commission of the former German Democratic Republic to UNESCO, 1977-Leipzig).

Other books written by Maria Eugénia Neto are “Foi esperança e certeza (1979)”, “A Formação de uma estrela e outras histórias na terra” (1979), “O vaticínio da Kianda na piroga do tempo” (1985), “A Menina Euflores/Planeta da estrela” (1988), “Este é o canto” (1989), “As nossas mãos constroem a liberdade”, “A lenda das asas e da menina mestiça-flor”.

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Exclusives Book IBBY SA Award Calls for South African Published Children's Books

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 02 Feb 2011   |   

Dear Publishers and Children’s Book People

Exclusive Books, in association with IBBY SA, is once again delighted to announce its sponsorship of the Exclusive Books IBBY SA Award, for the best original children’s picture book or illustrated children’s story book published in South Africa.

For the Exclusive Books IBBY SA Award 2011, we invite submissions of books published between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010. The rules and conditions are detailed below.

Please send submissions (two copies of each title) to Exclusive Books Head Office before the 30 April 2011.

Kind regards

Colleen Whitfield

Corporate Social Investment & Children’s Books Manager

Exclusive Books

1st Floor | Rivonia Village | 3 Mutual Road | Rivonia

Tel: 011 798 0000 | Fax: 086 682 8794 | colleenw@exclusivebooks.co.za

The Rules of the Exclusive Books IBBY SA Award

1 The name of the award is: ‘The Exclusive Books IBBY SA Award’.
2 It is awarded to the illustrated literary work for children (i.e. picture book or illustrated children’s story book or illustrated book of poems) adjudged the best in the period of adjudication.
3 Books that are clearly works of non-fiction are not eligible.
4 The award is R5 000.00 for the writer and R5 000.00 for the illustrator.
5 If the writer is also the illustrator, the award is R10 000.00.
6 If there are two or more writers or two or more illustrators, the respective award is shared equally.
7 The writer and illustrator must be South Africans, whether living in South Africa or not; or non-South Africans living and working in South Africa.
8 The book must be an original work written in any of the official South African languages.
9 The book should not be a re-issue or a re-working of a previously published book.
10 The book must have been published in South Africa.
11 The award is given to a book that is recognisably South African in character.
12 The award is made every second year, from 2007 onwards.
13 The two-year period for eligibility shall be the previous two calendar years.
14 The sponsor of the award is Exclusive Books, and the judging of the award is entirely in the hands of IBBY SA.
15 The jury will ideally consist of a non-practising publisher of children’s books, an academic in Fine Art with specialisation in design and book illustration, the Chairperson of IBBY SA, the IBBY SA Executive members responsible for the awards portfolio, and any members co-opted from the areas of design, public and school libraries, academic librarianship, and book-selection for children.
16 The jury is to be convened and chaired by a member of the IBBY SA Exec.
17 No staff-member of a participating publisher may sit on the jury; no writer or illustrator of a book that is entered may sit on the jury; no one who has contributed in any way to the production of a book that is entered may sit on the jury.
18 No correspondence concerning the adjudication or the award may be entered into.
19 A shortlist of five (or fewer) titles may be published some weeks before the final award is announced.
20 The award will be announced at an Exclusive Books event in September or October in a major South African city, the date, venue and details of the event being at the discretion of Exclusive Books.
21 Exclusive Books will invite all South African authors, illustrators and publishers to submit two copies of eligible titles between 1 February and 30 April of an awarding year.
22 The publisher of the winning book must be prepared to donate a minimum of ten copies for review and promotional purposes.

20 April 2007 / Updated 26 March 2009 / Updated 13 January 2011

2011 Cape Town Book Fair Cancelled

by Nonikiwe - Editor on 26 Jan 2011   |   

The Cape Town Book Fair for 2011 has been cancelled, with plans underway to bring the show back in 2012 “in a new and remodeled format,” run in parallel with the IPA Publishers Congress, set for June 12th through June 14th, 2012.

The organisers say that “publishers in South Africa have voiced their support for a bi-annual Fair.”

iAfrica adds that “a letter from Publishers Association of South Africa president Brian Wafawarowa indicated that one of the factors for the event’s postponement was the ‘non-participation of key publishers in last year’s Book Fair.’”

• Read complete article at Booksellers