Research Report Theme 8: Governance & Management in Higher Education

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The main purpose of this research project is to allow praxis to inform policy by outlining the courses of action that institutions are implementing in South Africa. While it is understood that the reality of each institution is unique, it is hoped that this project will highlight issues of governance and management during these times as we all continue to learn while the COVID-19 situation unfolds.

Research Infographic Theme 8: Governance & Management in Higher Education

Researchers Bootcamp Theme 8: To investigate how higher education institutions are managing the risks and impact of COVID-19.

Theme 5 Research Infographic: Unlocking the Lockdown mindset and its untapped possibilities

To contribute to finding solutions to the pressures placed on education systems during times of crisis, by investigating the best mega-, meta- and micro-level education strategies.

Theme 2 Research Infographic: A comparative study on the response of NPOs in education to the COVID-19 pandemic

To investigate how education non-profit organisations (NPOs), particularly but not only in South Africa, are responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Theme 2 Research Report: A comparative study on the response of NPOs in education to the COVID-19 pandemic

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The main purpose of the research was to investigate how NPOs in education, as a valuable stakeholder group in the education ecosystem, were responding to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis, with an emphasis on those operating in South Africa. A secondary purpose was to make recommendations for long term changes essential for the future sustainability of NPOs.

Theme 9 Research Report: Education, inequality and innovation in the time of COVID-19

In this paper we examine the effects of school closures amidst the pandemic, the effectiveness of remote learning and the possibility of remaking schooling in the South African context.

The potential of skills development and recognition for regulated labour mobility in the IGAD Region

Report published by the international Labour Organization

Research Infographic Theme 12: Innovative finance for education during and after COVID-19

To make the case for introducing innovative finance mechanisms to support and fund the education sector during this crisis, and beyond.

Research Report Theme 12: Innovative finance for education during and after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgency for the development and use of innovative finance mechanisms to support the education sector. Innovative financing is an “approach to funding organisations, businesses and projects that optimises positive social, environmental and financial impact”

Research Report Theme 11: Building Back Better- Teacher choices in action: An enriching supplementary module for ‘Teaching Practice’ in 2020 and beyond

A group of teacher educators, drawn from a range of HEIs, have formulated a practice-focused module that can be used towards a partial fulfilment of Teaching Practice requirements. The module, called “Teacher Choices in Action” draws attention to an essential but often ignored dimension of student learning during their school-based placements. The module presents to students sets of choices that teachers need to make in every lesson they design and teach. These choices revolve around how teachers conceptualise and work with knowledge, how teachers work inclusively with learners and how teachers support learner engagement with the content.

Research Infographic Theme 11: Building Back Better- Teacher Choices in Action: A module to supplement "Teaching Practice' arrangements for 2020 and beyond

The purpose is to consider the impact of the the COVID-19 pandemic on Teaching Practice arrangements for pre-service teachers

Research Model Theme 11: Building Back Better- Teacher choices in action

Teacher choices in action: An enriching supplementary module for ‘Teaching Practice’ in 2020 and beyond

Bulletin on the Colleges Improvement Project

Bulletin on the theme of teacher education and professionalisation.

Bulletin No. 21 November 2008

Project overviews and common task assessments

Bulletin No. 20 July 2008

Celebrating fifteen years

Bulletin No.19 April 2008

Focus on Whole school development and report on the Conference, “What works in School Development?”

Bulletin No.18 December 2007

Focus on Improving Schooling

Bulletin No.17 April 2007

Focus on Quality education for all

Bulletin No.16 December 2006

An update on lead projects

Bulletin No.15 September 2006

Focus on Challenges Across the Education Spectrum

Bulletin No.14 April 2006

Focus on Improving Schooling

Bulletin No.13 July 2005

Focus on Linking Learning to the World of Work

Bulletin No.11 June 2004

Focus on Workforce Development

Bulletin No.10 September 1999

Community-Higher Education Service Partnerships

Bulletin No.09 November 1998

Educator Development & Support

Bulletin No.08 July 1998

Higher Education, Job Creation & Workforce Development

Bulletin No.07 October 1997

The Education Debate: Curriculum

Bulletin No.06 June 1997

New Partnership Projects in Progress

Bulletin No.05 November 1996

New Partnership Projects

Bulletin No.04 September 1996

Adult Basic Education and Training

Bulletin No.03 June 1996

Early Childhood Development

Bulletin No.02 November 1995

Teacher Development

Bulletin No.01 June 1995

Youth Development

Systemic School Improvement Interventions in South Africa: Some Practical Lessons from Development Practitioners

Some practical lessons from development practitioners

Change Management in TVET Colleges: Lessons Learnt from the Field of Practice

Lessons learnt from the field of practice

Getting schools working: Research and systemic school reform in South Africa

Taylor N., Muller, J., and Vinjevold, P. 2003. Getting schools working: Research and systemic school reform in South Africa. Pearson South Africa.

Creating Effective Schools

This book is the culmination of six years of work on the National School Effectiveness Study, a longitudinal research project that collected and analysed relevant school and home background data from 300 primary schools selected from all provinces except Gauteng.

Hands on learning brief written by Roelien Herholdt.

December 2010

Keynote presentation on the occasion of the launch of the RESEP reports: “Binding Constraints in Education” and “Laying Firm Foundations: Getting Reading Right”, Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study, Stellenbosch University, 24 May 2016.

Roelien du Toit and Carla Pereira

Roelien Herholdt, JET Education Services and Prof Elbie Henning, University of Johannesburg. Presented at the South African Research Association for Early Childhood Education Conference, 2014

Elisabeth Henning, Lyn Teixeira, Roelien Herholdt, Nozipho Motolo, Hanrie de Villiers. Presented at the South African Research Association for Early Childhood Education Conference, 2014.

Presented at the BRIDGE Monitoring & Evaluation Colloquium, October 2013. Pat Sullivan.

Roelien Herholdt

Amanuel Garza

Roelien Herholdt Presented at the University of Johannesburg

Presentation to the CSR in Education Conference, TSiBA Education, Cape Town, 21 November 2008

Keynote address delivered at Rhodes University PhD Symposium, July 2015 by Yvonne Reed, School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand. Presents an overview of findings from several research studies, including the Initial Teacher Education Research Project (ITERP).

Roberts J. (2002). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Diphofa M. (1997). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

September J and Sedibe K. (1997). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Bloch G, Darrell L, eds. (1995). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Buchler M and Ralphs A. (2000). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Community Agency for Social Enquiry (CASE). and JET Education Services. (2007).

Jansen, J and Taylor, N. (2003). Geneva: World Bank.

Joint Education Trust (1995). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Perold H and Omar R. (1997). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Perold H. (1998). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Roberts J and Muller J, eds. (2002). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Roberts J. (2001). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Sehoole, MT. (1996). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Simkins C and Pereira C. (2005). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Taylor N. (2008). Boksburg, February 2008. Presentation to the JET conference What works in school development?

Paper presented to the 4th Sub-regional Conference on Assessment in Eduction, 26-30 June 2006 Taylor N. (2006). Hosted by UMALUSI.

Taylor N, Pereira C. (2004). Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Taylor N. (2007). Also published as Chapter 29 IN: International Handbook of School Effectiveness and Improvement . Springer International Handbooks of Education , Vol. 17. Townsend, Tony (Ed.). Dordrecht: Springer.

Taylor N, Fleisch B, Shindler J. (2008). Background paper for the Fifteen Year Review of government business, commissioned by the Policy Unit, Office of the Presidency

Taylor N, Fleisch B, Shindler J. (2007).

Taylor N. (2007). Presentation to the Imbewu Programme Review Conference, Port Elizabeth, 25-28 June 2007

Taylor N. (2002). Johannesburg: JET Education Services. Paper presented to the National Consultation on School Development, Department of Education, 29 January 2002

Taylor N. (2001). Paper first presented to the international conference “Designing Education for the Learning Society”, SLO, Enschede, Netherlands, 5-8 November 2000, and repeated at the curriculum dialogue seminar, “What counts as worthwhile knowledge for the 21st century South African citizen?”, GICD, Johannesburg 14 February 2001. Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Taylor N. (2001). Johannesburg: JET Education Services. Presentation to the New Millenium Business conference, Wits University Business School, 15 May 2001

Taylor N, Prinsloo C. (2005). Presentation to the Consortium for Research On School Quality seminar, April 2005

Taylor N. (2009). Presentation to Governing Body Foundation, May 2009.

Valla V. (1996). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust

Vinjevold P, Roberts J. (1999). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Vinjevold P. ed. (1996). Johannesburg: Joint Education Trust.

Paper Presented at the Wits School of Education Research Seminar, Staff Lounge

Report by Nick Taylor, Thabo Mabogoane and Binaben Akoobhai on a research study commissioned by the Office of the Presidency and funded by GTZ. The purpose of the research was to investigate the link between school level learning and institutional practice. The study focused on school level practices in high schools, and measured learning outcomes by school mean performance on the annual national Senior Certificate examinations.

Nick Taylor (August 2011)

A report commissioned by the National Planning Commission

Nick Taylor writes: Obsession with pass rates a national folly

A Review commissioned by the National Planning Commission. Johannesburg: JET Education Services.

Commisioned by JET Education Services. Johannesburg: JET

Fleisch B, Shindler J, Perry H. (2012). Who is out of school? Evidence from the Statistics South Africa Community Survey. International Journal of Educational Development 32 (2012) 529–536. (An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 10th UKFIET International Conference on Education and Development, 15–17 September 2009, New College, Oxford. Funding for the research project was provided by the National Research Foundation and CREATE, University of Sussex. The authors are exclusively responsible for the research presented in this paper).

Presentation to the QQI conference The Digitalisation Agenda: Rethinking the role of qualifications and skills. Dublin, 24 October, 2017

Validation Report prepared by JET Education Services

Exploring a Work-Based Values Approach in South African TVET Colleges to Improve Employability of Youth: Literature review

A literature review in which we consider an opportunity for systemic change from a perspective that, in our view, is largely under researched in South Africa as well as internationally: that of student, lecturer and employer values, specifically values related to working and workplaces.

A literature review funded by the Zenex Foundation and published by JET

Fact sheet of findings and recommendations

From eMpela to Project DROID: a review of two ICT4E initiatives in South Africa

Summary paper prepared for the UNESCO & ITU Mobile Learning Week: Skills for a connected world, 26-30 March 2018, Paris.

JET Bulletin May 2018: Standardised learner assessments in ‘affordable’ independent schools – perspectives from research and practice

JET Education Services (JET), in collaboration with four school operators and Old Mutual Alternative Investments’ Schools Fund, has been involved in the assessment of educational quality in affordable independent schools using standardised assessments. This work has led to a more developmental use of assessment, with some school operators using detailed analysis of the assessment data to inform their teaching practices.

Bulletin December 2018

Focus on school food gardens

Teacher professional standards for South Africa: The road to better performance, development and accountability?

Report based on two research papers written by Nick Taylor, Natasha Robinson and Jane Hofmeyr for JET Education Services.

Newsletter of the National Association of Social Change Entities in Education (NASCEE) @WORK

Nick Taylor coauthored this article published in Research in Comparative and International Education

An op-ed by Zaahedah Vally

Leadership for Literacy: Exploring leadership practices in township and rural primary schools serving poor communities in South Africa

Final Report on the Case Study Schools, 9 April 2018

Employability and Learning Pathways in the Green Economy

In separate initiatives to test new models for increasing employability and skills in the Green Economy, the J.P. Morgan Foundation, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, along with, the Nedbank Foundation, National Business Initiative (NBI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Institute of Plumbing South Africa, undertook interventions to leverage employment opportunities for young people and labour market mobility for those who were already working. This paper presents lessons from three of those interventions that can contribute towards developing a framework for entry and mobility within the Green Economy. Two of these programmes targeted unemployed youth, and one targeted employees in the plumbing sector, who did not have a formal sector-specific qualification. All three programmes used a combination of knowledge training and practical learning, with two of them offering a workplace learning component. Of the three programmes, the one without the workplace learning component showed the least desirable outcomes, with only 5 out of 25 being employed, according to a tracer study 6 months after the programme ended. Skills programmes that have a workplace learning component optimise the candidates readiness, and also the match between the candidates capacity, and occupational roles. It creates the opportunity for the industry itself to identify what skills are in demand. This kind of responsive and demand-driven training can enhance employability and entry into the labour market.

As the adoption of technologies like the IoT and other digital tools becomes widespread, the field of QA looks to be more challenged than it was in this new fascinating yet frightening world. Read more on how digital transformation is creating challenges in quality assurance and testing operations and what could be done:

Taylor, N, Deacon, R and Robinson, N. (2019). Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report: Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.

Taylor, N and Robinson, N. (2019). Background Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Robinson, N and Taylor, N. (2019). Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report: Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.

Adotevi, J and Taylor, N. (2019). Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report: Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.

Uwase, J and Taylor, N. (2019). Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report: Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.

Arinaitwe, JM, Taylor, N, Broadbent, E and Oloya, C. (2019). Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report: Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.

Taylor, N and Robinson, N. (2019). Paper prepared for the Mastercard Foundation Report: Secondary Education in Africa: Preparing Youth for the Future of Work.

Injini commissioned JET Education Services to conduct an external evaluation of the Injini Africa’s EdTech Incubator programme. The goal of Injini is to improve education outcomes across Africa through supporting EdTech entrepreneurs with solutions that are evidenced-based, effective and scalable, and can address challenges of access and quality. This report presents the results of the external evaluation of Injini Africa’s EdTech Incubator programme, which was conducted from January to March 2019.

Trialogue recently hosted a CSI forum which explored some of the ways to support teacher development. Attached, please find presentation from Dr. Nick Taylor representing JET Education titled Priorities for teacher development - What can corporate donors do? Trialogue publications, including the current edition of the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook, are available for complimentary download from ther website: https://trialogue.co.za/publications/

Joint Report by SSACI, JET Education Services and the NBI, March 2016

Joint Report by SSACI, JET Education Services and the NBI, March 2016

JET Education Services JETStreaming research capacity building programme for young graduates

Building social change agents in education research that contribute to the development and application of 21st century models for education that seek to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

The Jala Peo (“Plant the Seed”) Initiative is a vehicle for the promotion of nutrition education and school food and nutrition gardens active in 67 schools across three Provinces: the Free State, Limpopo and the Western Cape. The Initiative seeks to make sure every school has a thriving school food and nutrition garden and that all learners in South Africa understand how to produce and consume nutritious food. To do this, the Initiative has created Forums – multistakeholder partnerships of government departments, private sector, academia and NGOs to increase and direct investment and resources towards more effective agriculture and nutrition education.

Improving Grade R mathematics teaching in South Africa: Evidence from an impact evaluation of a province-wide intervention

Congratulations to Eleanor Hazell (JET Education), Garth Spencer-Smith (Kelello) and Nicky Roberts (Centre for Education Practice Research) on the publication of their article: Improving Grade R mathematics teaching in South Africa: Evidence from an impact evaluation of a province-wide intervention in the SAERA 2018 Conference Special Edition of the Journal of Education.

We present the impact on learner outcomes of a province-wide Grade R mathematics intervention (termed RMaths) in relation to theoretical frameworks established from a meta-evaluation of evaluations of education interventions in South Africa and a review of other meta-evaluation and synthesis studies. We compare the changes in Mathematics performance from baseline to end line, of learners in the intervention group (taught by R-Maths-trained teachers/practitioners) to the comparison group (learners in schools in the same districts, but whose teachers/practitioners had not yet received the R-Maths intervention). The intervention group performed 2.9 percentage points better than the comparison group over the whole Marko-D test of mathematical competencies, with a small effect size. The greatest effects on performance were from language of learning and teaching, and district. The R-Maths case indicates that a modified cascade model which includes some elements of Fleisch’s “educational triple cocktail” (structured learning materials, teacher training, and support) may be successful by working with, and through, department of education structures. Whether the effects are retained over time and if these effects can be replicated in different contexts is not yet known.

African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF)

Skills and qualifications of the people in Africa are at the heart of African renaissance. Therefore, the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF) is a vital policy of the African Union. Development of the ACQF is underway (2019-2022). The African Union Commission (AUC) is partnering with the European Union (EU), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the European Training Foundation (ETF), in developing the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF), a key output of the “Skills for Youth Employability Project” (SYEP). JET Education Services (JET), was appointed to undertake the first part of the AQCF development process, namely the mapping study of qualifications frameworks in Africa aligned to the African Union’s (AU) “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want”. See the ACQF factsheet infographic.

Consolidating research and comparing practice: What funders need to know for meaningful engagement with literacy in South Africa

Research Brief Kelly Shiohira

The Jala Peo (“Plant the Seed”) Initiative is a vehicle for the promotion of nutrition education and school food and nutrition gardens active in 67 schools across three Provinces: the Free State, Limpopo and the Western Cape. Your school food and nutrition garden is a living thing. And just like you and me, it needs to be nurtured for it to grow. It needs to be planned for.

The objective of the Research Bulletin is to promote and share research findings on PSET. The Research Bulletin contains the following kinds of information: abstracts, summaries, and excerpts of completed or current research and evaluations; summaries of event proceedings; summaries of research practice; and statistics on post-school learning. The theme if this year’s Research Bulletin was on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR); as linked to the 2019 DHET Research Colloquium on the 4IR and its implications for PSET.

UNESCO-UNEVOC virtual conference: Artificial Intelligence in education and training

A considerable amount of attention has been placed on Artificial Intelligence, its impact on innovations in various sectors, and its implications for the transformation of the workforce and the labour market. Many of the professions that will most likely be affected by labour market transformations brought about by AI are linked with technical and vocational education and training. These changes mean that institutions must offer a changing set of skills – including digital and transversal skills – to students in order to ensure students’ continued employability. An education system which is responsive to labour market demands will incorporate AI both in its own systems and in the education and training provided to students. This report captures the outcomes of the virtual conference on the future of TVET teaching and learning that took place from 11 to 15 November 2019.

A call for proposals for a service provider to developm a platform

JET Education Services summarises some key points from President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address on 13 February 2020, Parliament South Africa.

Bulletin March 2020

Capacity of government and communities to save lives: The role of education systems in responding to COVID-19 and other threats

Research Report Theme 1: Education at Home

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic The main purpose of Theme 1 was to study the home educational experiences of families during the lockdown in South Africa precipitated by the onset of COVID-19. A subsidiary purpose was to provide young researchers with experience in conducting a qualitative investigation and to develop their skills in the relevant techniques.

Research Infographic Theme 1: Education at Home

Researchers Bootcamp Theme 1: To study the home educational experiences of families during the lockdown in South Africa precipitated by the onset of COVID-19.

Inequality remains pervasive in the South African education system. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only shown the fault lines, but is deepening them at an alarming rate, and in a manner that may take many more years to undo. In this contribution, based on findings fro our Researchers Bootcamp, we talk to the need to provide basic rights, as set out in the Freedom Charter, such as health, safety and nutrition, while we cast the net wider to consider aspects of data privacy, online learning and governance.

Jala Peo "Plant a Seed" Newsletter: Issue 3 Term 1 2020

The Jala Peo (“Plant the Seed”) Initiative is a vehicle for the promotion of nutrition education and school food and nutrition gardens active in 67 schools across three Provinces: the Free State, Limpopo and the Western Cape. The Initiative seeks to make sure every school has a thriving school food and nutrition garden and that all learners in South Africa understand how to produce and consume nutritious food. To do this, the Initiative has created Forums – multistakeholder partnerships of government departments, private sector, academia and NGOs to increase and direct investment and resources towards more effective agriculture and nutrition education.

This contribution draws on a study visit to a number of American Community Colleges in the US in September 2014 as part of JET’s aim to contribute to the national and international debate on skills development and youth unemployment.

JET Bulletin August 2015: FOCUS: Improving students’ performance in TVET colleges

Change Management in TVET Colleges: Lessons Learnt from the Field of Practice

Published by JET Education Services edited by Andre Kraak, Andrew Paterson and Kedibone Boka

Exploring a Work-Based Values Approach in South African TVET Colleges to Improve Employability of Youth: Literature Review

Paterson, A., Keevy, J. & Boka, K. Johannesburg: JET Education Services. October 2017.

Theme 7 Research Report: Putting the individual at the centre: The role of digital identity during the time of COVID-19

The purpose of this project has been to identify and understand examples of the use of self-sovereign identity (SSI) in education internationally, and to identify instances in which data ownership and control have been successfully decentralised.

Theme 6 Research Report: Ameliorating the Impact of Fake News on High School Learners during COVID-19

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The primary purpose of Theme 6 (Fake news impacting school-age children [or targeting school-age children]: impacts on behaviour, risk, anxiety, and how to ameliorate) was to investigate high school learners’ awareness of fake or false news during the COVID-19 lockdown period in South Africa. A secondary purpose was to examine the types of fake news that exist and how each of these variously impacts on society. We also look at the skills needed in order to distinguish false news from real news. This document is a work in progress, and we hope that other contributions and further research will be undertaken in this field.

Theme 6 Research Infographic: Ameliorating the Impact of Fake News on High School Learners during COVID-19

To investigate South African high school learners’ awareness of fake/false news during the COVID-19 lockdown, types of fake news, and the skills needed for distinguishing between false news and real news.

On 22 April 2020, a virtual meeting involving over 80 individuals gathered to hear first-hand from the Department of Basic Education the plans being put in place to support learners and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

New Philanthropy and the Disruption of Global Education

The fourth edition of NORRAG Special Issue (NSI), published in April 2020, is entitled “New Philanthropy and the Disruption of Global Education.” NSI 04 aims to analyse the disruptive nature of “new philanthropy” and its role in the changing landscape of global education and development. Dr Rooksana Rajab contributed to the NSI 04 publication consisting of 31 articles which aim to highlight global and national experiences, as well as diverse perspectives on the role and function of new philanthropy in education. It seeks to expand the debate and foster dialogue, bridge the gap between theory and practice, as well as stimulate new research, advocacy and policy innovation in international education development.

Research Infographic Theme 4: COVID-19 lockdowns: can they help to govern the pandemic in Africa?

The study uses two frameworks to analyse the responses of a limited number of African and non-African countries, focusing on a few themes and lessons that may assist African governments. It develops a Government Counter COVID Intervention Framework and refers to the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker.

Theme 10 Research Infographic: Lessons on How Countries Manage Schooling During and After Disasters

Lessons on How Countries Manage Schooling During and After Disasters: A Study of Four Cases

Agile Credentialing in a Post COVID-19 World

JET Education Services are delighted to announce their partnership with PrivySeal in providing Agile Credentialing Services.

Theme 10 Research Report: Lessons on How Countries Manage Schooling During and After Disasters

The study involves a review of literature on how education systems were managed during and after a disaster. Four cases were examined: natural disasters (tsunami and earthquake) in Indonesia and Haiti; civil conflicts in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Libya and the Vuwani district in Limpopo, South Africa; a health pandemic (Ebola) in West Africa; and the COVID-19 education response globally and in South Africa. All four cases offer valuable insights and lessons for the education sector in South Africa when it comes to strategy, policy, planning and programming of responses for education continuity, preparation to exit the lockdown and for curriculum recovery.

Jala Peo "Plant a Seed" Newsletter: Issue 4 Term 3 2020

The Jala Peo (“Plant the Seed”) Initiative is a vehicle for the promotion of nutrition education and school food and nutrition gardens active in 67 schools across three Provinces: the Free State, Limpopo and the Western Cape. The Initiative seeks to make sure every school has a thriving school food and nutrition garden and that all learners in South Africa understand how to produce and consume nutritious food. To do this, the Initiative has created Forums – multistakeholder partnerships of government departments, private sector, academia and NGOs to increase and direct investment and resources towards more effective agriculture and nutrition education.

Theme 7 Infographic: Putting the individual at the centre: The role of digital identity during the time of COVID-19

Identify and understand examples of the use of self-sovereign identity (SSI) in education internationally, and instances in which data ownership and control have been successfully decentralised.

IS IT FAKE NEWS? Containing the spread of COVID-19 fake news and misinformation: A guide for South African high-schoolers

Research Report Theme 4: COVID-19 lockdowns: can they help to govern the pandemic in Africa?

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The aim of analysis in this report is to develop a framework that helps to understand how governments have been responding to the COVID-19 attack on human societies. In the wake of the attack, government responses have become referred to as ‘lockdown’ strategies. A means of describing the intention of these lockdown strategies is through identifying what functions governments have been obliged to mobilise to meet the needs emerging from the COVID-19 attack on the health of citizens. The severity of the COVID-19 attack on health and government responses have impacted on almost all facets of the daily lives of citizens: in particular work, education, recreation and freedom of association.

Research Report Theme 3: The role of culture in alleviating the spread of COVID-19

In the context of this research, culture is defined as the way of life, including the customs, beliefs, and traditions, of a particular group of people at a particular time. Culture also encompasses religion, food, art, fashion, language, patterns of work and leisure and social habits all learned through socialisation. Importantly, the education system in a country is representative of the prevailing culture in a specific context and entrenches a certain culture within society. Education systems are one of the crucial venues through which individuals engage society, and schools form avenues for cultural engagement as community institutions. Given the interconnected world that we live in, culture is a fluid concept that changes as our interactions progress.

Research Infographic Theme 3: The role of culture in alleviating the spread of COVID-19

As part of this research, we are interested in understanding the following: What role has culture played in affecting responses to the crisis by both governments and the governed? How have cultural practices been adapted in response to the spread of the pandemic? What means and avenues were leveraged to initiate social responses?

Theme 5 Research Report: Unlocking the Lockdown mindset and its untapped possibilities

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. This document reports the findings of (1) a desktop review on Grade R–12 and early childhood development (ECD) teaching and learning resources available for teachers, learners and parents; and (2) an online survey researching levels of access and engagement of teachers, learners and parents. This review forms part of a larger research project which aims to contribute meaningfully to finding solutions to the pressures being placed on education systems, by investigating the best mega-, meta- and microlevel education strategies that can be used during times of crisis.