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Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announces the 2025 matric results. Photo: Department of Basic Education X account

KwaZulu-Natal tops 2025 matric results with 90.6% pass rate

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the notion that 30% constituted a pass mark was political sloganism

A teacher yanked her son’s hearing aid out of his ear, mistaking it for an earbud. It was a harsh lesson for one mom who learned first-hand what happens when schools fail our kids with disabilities

What one mother learned when a teacher ripped out her son’s hearing aid

The national education policy stresses the need to ensure educators have the training and skills to support kids with disabilities, such as hearing loss. But a 2024 study found…

The Free State department of education has confirmed that it had to shut schools in the Xhariep district after 100 pupils were infected with influenza B and human rhinovirus.

Successful education reform requires a bottom-up approach

As with most government initiatives, top-down reforms in the education sector tend to be slow-moving and difficult to adapt, no matter how cleverly designed and workable they…

Equal Education has criticised last week’s medium term budget policy statement for what it said was a failure to provide adequate funding to the education sector

Black learners can no longer be subjected to the colonial and apartheid mentality

Teacher training programmes need to cultivate a social consciousness to transform a system that abjects black learners

Matric students are currently writing their National Senior Certificate exams which commenced on 30 October and will run until 6 December.
 (Photo by Roger Sedres/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Pandemic leaves 1.4bn learners worldwide behind on education

Human Rights Watch warns that learners may take years to recover from the damage caused by school closures

(John McCann/M&G)

Miss Rona’s teaching the 4IR lessons

Schooling is stuck in the 1950s, but technology must be blended with the basics of education

(John McCann/M&G)

Catch-2020: Schools at risk, open or closed

Losing an academic year is untenable, but a return to class must be safe and all learners must benefit

(John McCann)

We can’t expect learners and teachers to function optimally right now

It may well be that we have warm bodies in schools, but to think their minds are highly productive is a reach

(Madelene Cronje)

Education: A state of unreadiness

Evidence shows schools are not ready as the department pushes them to reopen in 10 days

(John McCann/M&G)

Five lessons on reopening SA’s schools

COMMENT As the department of basic education struggles with when and how to reopen schools, we must remember that most of the world is equally at a loss. Almost all children in…

Free education includes not only the absence of fees but also all other costs, including free, reliable and safe transport. (Oupa Nkosi)

Summing up the legal battles fought for better schools

We summarise the legal battles fought to improve the quality of education in South Africa.

(Ryan Gray/Reuters)

Covid-19: An opportunity to reform the educational landscape

Policymakers and pundits, however, must ensure novel solutions do not exacerbate the inequalities of the South African education system

Luminous characters: Where Light Shines Through tells the story of remarkable teachers like Freddy Marubini. (Illustration: Lungile Mbelle/Artist Proof Studio)

Can-do people achieve despite the odds

Our final freedom is the choice we make in our attitude to difficult circumstances — as the stories of 16 exceptional teachers show

Graphic: John McCann

Building human capital for the fourth industrial revolution

The government, business, labour and civil society must work together to link potential employees to productive and decent jobs

Graphic: John McCann/M&G

Five changes that can fix the school system

These include improving teachers’ knowledge and pay, and teaching in the mother tongue

Life without documents: Undocumented learners can write matric, but without IDs they cannot access higher education. (Madelene Cronjé)

Education system fails undocumented learners

Despite a court order, the education system is failing learners who do not have documents, both those born here and those from other countries

(John McCann/M&G)

We need to ask awkward questions about our schools

Ignore the language used in brochures and on open days and be vigilant about the details

Citizenship can’t be taught in a module

Citizenship can’t be taught in a module

Universities have an ethical duty to cultivate safe and inclusive spaces of recognition and respect

(John McCann/M&G)

Prune curricula to promote new learning

Googling means students don’t have to memorise things, but knowledge is crucial for critical thinking

Torchbearers: Demonstrators in Argentina earlier this year. The country has been gripped by an economic crisis and has imposed capital controls to mitigate declines in its currency. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)

The ills of financial globalisation

The influx of foreign capital into emerging markets can create a boom-bust cycle