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Link Plan to fix schools is lacking in some essential details
Godwin Khosa critiques the National Planning Commission's plan to improve education, contending that the plan "offers no meaningful alternatives, ...is limited in its analysis, and more political and commonsensical in its approach than technical and comprehensive". Business Day, 21 November 2011.
Link Nick Taylor says it's time to face facts about our country's youth
Addressing a joint Council for Education Policy Development, Umalusi and University of the Witwatersrand seminar on the problem of youth not in employment, education or training, Taylor, a research fellow at JET Education Services, said the country had to "face facts" that a large proportion of its youth were "functionally illiterate and ineducable". Business Day, 21 October 2011.
Link Analysis of the 2010 matric results
Nick Taylor explains how, in spite of the increase in the pass rate, deeper analysis of the figures highlights the shortcomings of South Africa's education system. Dr. Taylor maintains that the obsession with the matric pass rate above all else is misleading, detracts from what should be the focus of the education system and is damaging to the life chances of students and of national development. (An abbreviated version of this article appeared on page 17 of The Times, Wednesday, January 12, 2011).
Link Angie's hollow victory: Obsession with matric pass rates is a national folly
In his analysis of the 2010 matric results, Nick Taylor writes that "...The obsession with the matric pass rate of the Department of Basic Education and the public is not only misleading but encourages what economists call "gaming the system"'... and ... "A far better picture of the system's health would be obtained by looking at the number of pupils enrolling and passing each year, and at the quality of those passes'. The Times, 12 January 2011.
Link New school system goes back to basics
Article reporting on the Minister's announcement on the review of the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement. Motshekga revealed that a new curriculum, called Schooling 2025, is to replace the old OBE curriculum. ..."A key finding against the system was from a 2008 survey conducted by the Department of Education through Jet Educational Services". Ido Lekota, Sowetan, 8 July 2010.
Link New system to mend flaws of shaky OBE
Report on the media breifing by the Minister of Educationon on the review of the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement. "The review follows a 2008 survey conducted by the Department of Education through Jet Educational Services which found that only about 36 percent of children could read and count by the time they were eight or nine years old". Nontobeko Mtshali and Sapa, The Star, 7 July 2010.
Link Patronage kills education
In this, the third and final article in a series written for The Times, Nick Talyor discusses teacher knowledge and the need for teachers to value professionalism. 3 March 2010. (The other articels in the series are are: Be cool to your school, 17th February and School's out (of control), 24th February).
Link School's out (of control)
In the second of three articles appearing in The Times, Nick Taylor discusses poor service delivery with specific reference to schools and the role of teacher unions. 24 February 2010.
Link Regenerated quality education as a basis for building a movement of learners; teachers; and parents for quality education in all schools.
Nic[k] Taylor has put it very aptly, “Three features of our school system combine to undermine effective teaching and learning: poor time management, insufficient attention to text, and very low levels of teacher subject knowledge..." from the Address by the Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Mr Enver Surty, MP, on the occasion of the debate on the President's State of the Nation Address. 15 February 2010.
Link Not enough money for Districts
Godwin Khosa, JET CEO commenting in the Mail & Guardian on the 2010 budget speech: "A bigger portion of the money allocated for basic education should have been directed towards building the capacity of district offices." Monako Dibetle and Thabo Mohala. 19 February 2010.
Link Be cool to your school
Teachers and education officials slave away under difficult conditions trying to educate our children, labouring not only under government policy that is quite inimical to building the developmental state we all long for, but also suffering indiscriminate insults from public opinion. Is this altogether deserved? Nick Taylor puts things into perspective. The Times, 17 February 2010.
Link What's right with South African schools?
Nick Taylor writes: "This article is dedicated to the many South African teachers and education officials who not only slave away under difficult conditions trying to educate our children, who not only labour under government policy which is quite inimical to building the developmental state we all long for, but also suffer indiscriminate insults from public opinion". It is the first of three articles written for The Times on South African schools. The other articles are: School's out (of control), 24th February and Patronage kills education, 3rd March.
Link Revised curriculum a 'disaster'
...a hard-hitting Education Department report... has prompted a leading analyst to call on the minister for basic education, Angie Motshekga, to admit that OBE was a mistake. Primarashni Gower. Mail & Guardian, 23 October 2009.
Link Former JET staff member appointed Western Cape Head of Education.
Penny Vinjevold appointed new head of education (HOD) in the Western Cape Education Department. 30 September 2009.
Link At last, a real test of quality
Martin Gustafsson and Thabo Mabogoane. Mail & Guardian, 16 September 2009.
Link Principals need to claim their turf in South African education
Godwin Khosa. Business Day, 7 August 2009.
Link Treat teachers with class
Competencey testing for teachers must be done for the right reasons. Godwin Khosa. The Teacher, 31 July 2009.
Link Access to education no help if teachers do not make the grade
Nick Taylor. Business Day, June 2009.
Link No one accepts blame for poor maths results.
Sue Blaine. Business Day, 12 May 2009.
Link Jet founding chairman Mike Rosholt honoured: Order of the Baobab in Silver for a pragmatic pioneer
Sue Blaine. Business Day, 9 April 2009.
Link Raise the standards when examining matric results (Critics need to do their homework)
Nick Taylor. Business Day, 28 January 2009.
Link South Africa: More Than Just OBE is on the Agenda
Sue Blaine. Business Day, 19 November 2008.
Link Literacy, numeracy make slow progress in primary schools
Sue Blaine. Business Day, 7 November 2008.
Link Remarks by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor MP, at the handing over of the Community Higher Education Service Partnership (CHESP) from JET to the Council on Higher Education (CHE)
September 2008.
Link It's OBE, but not as it should be
Nick Taylor. The Teacher, 15 April 2008.
Link Longer holidays could jeopardise schooling
Aeysha Kassiem. The Mercury, 3 April 2008.
Link Learner absenteeism report published
March 2008.
Page How should we judge the SC results of 2007?
Nick Taylor. February 2008.
Link A 'foundation for learning' strategy to be gazetted
Ministry of Education. November 2007.
Link Address by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, at the launch of the Bitou 10 Foundation, Plettenberg Bay
November 2007.
Page How should we think about the 2006 matric results?
Nick Taylor. February 2007.
Link Report slams quality of SA education
SAPA and Louise Flanagan. Mail & Guardian, 13 October 2006.
Page Fixing schools will take huge effort
Nick Taylor. Opinion piece for Business Day. August 2006.
Link Address by Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, MP, at 12th provincial annual conference of the South African Principals Association (SAPA) Limpopo, Naboomspruit
June 2006.
Link National evaluations to track learner performance
Department of Education. October 2005.
Link Address by the Minister of Education N Pandor , MP, on the occasion of an Annual Report Meeting of JET Education Services, Johannesburg
September 2004.
Link Charles Teddlie: Getting schools working in South Africa: a valuable addition to the SESI field.
Review appearning in journal, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 2004; 15(2): 227-240
Link Speech by Professor Kader Asmal, MP, Minister of Education at the Joint Education Trust Annual Report Back Meeting, Sunnyside Park Hotel, Johannesburg
May 2000.
Link Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the Joint Education Trust Annual Review, Johannesburg
March 1996.