For the past two years the country’s education system has had to recover and adapt to new methods of learning. Educators and thought leaders had to go back to the drawing board and find innovative solutions to meet the curriculum requirements while focusing on the safety of learners. The unequal learning loss reared its ugly head and systems had to be put in place to address the socioeconomic inequalities that are so prevalent in our society.
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The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) together with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) is implementing a catch-up and recovery plan to assist matric learners across the country, through the 2-year-old Remote and Digital Learning (RDL) support programme.
In January 2020 Chinese scientists confirmed a cluster of pneumonia cases identified in the city of Wuhan, China which were associated with a novel coronavirus. The virus was named SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes has been named coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.
Novel diseases such as COVID-19, are met fear which drives stigma about the disease. By virtue of being unknown, coupled with worldwide hysteria and panic, COVID-19 has instilled fear and misunderstanding among communities.
The role of education, in addition to its core mandate to ensure a South Africa in which all our child will have access to lifelong learning, education and training opportunities, is already expanded to include the delivery of non-core services, such as nutrition, safety and protection, socialization and psychosocial support.
COVID-19 casts a light on the burden of untreated trauma and socio-economic distress that South Africa has carried for many generations. The pandemic has exacerbated an already fragile psychosocial, health and economic situation, impacting the fabric of life and disrupting the daily routines that underpin the relations between families, friends and the wider community.
During the unprecedented highs and lows of the 2020 academic year due to COVID-19, the normality for children to attend school to home based learning has changed our basic academic landscape. Suddenly the parents and caregivers had to help wherever possible the keep the children on their academic track.
Facing a global health crisis like COVID-19 has brought many academic and social challenges as well as frustrations for both parents and children. As online schoolworklessons and socialising with friends and family became the new norm. Children became at greater risk of harm online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The Minister of Basic Education Mrs Angie Motshekga has today launched Woza Matrics, a free-to-air television initiative that is aimed at supporting the matric learners of 2020 following the disruptions caused by COVID-19.
At the consultative meeting of the Minister of Basic Education organised by the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), over 130 members of civil society raised questions and made submissions regarding schooling during swelling COVID-19 numbers across the country.
As part of the response the NECT is working with the DBE and the key partners to keep the over 440 000 teachers engaged with the current aspects of the disaster and to take advantage of the time to reflect on the teaching career.
Minister Angie Motshekga and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) thanks everyone - individuals, companies and NGOs – who have answered the call to be part of the comprehensive COVID-19 Learners’ Support Package.
Now is the opportune time to gather the best efforts to improve reading, this was the clarion call from National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) CEO Godwin Khosa during the official launch of the National Reading Coalition (NRC).
In an effort to provide a national response to the reading challenges faced in South Africa, the NECT together with the Department of Education’s Read to Lead campaign has established the National Reading Coalition (NRC) - a self-sustaining, agile ecosystem of reading initiatives across the country.
Enoch Rabotapi's opening speech at the PSRIP on 30 November 2017 at St George's Hotel.
The NECT and DBE with funding from the ETDP SETA are embarking on an intensive programme to develop and improve the teaching of reading in the Foundation Phase in 1670 schools across the country.
In a demonstration of the practical implementation of the National Development (NDP), local community leaders are heeding the call for “active citizenry” by volunteering their time and energy towards education improvement.
Since the last update issued on 16 July on the status of funding for Vuwani, pledges of assistance for the restoration of learning and teaching in the area have increased from R10 000 000 to R10 829 928.
Africa’s leading education conference and exhibition you won’t want to miss
The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) has dispatched eight teams comprising its Monitoring and Quality Assurance team, an NECT district team representative, a district official, an NECT trustee and a funding partner representative to conduct rapid appraisals in all eight districts supported by the NECT.
The Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga has welcomed with relief the agreement in Vuwani that will lift the shutdown and allow schools to reopen. The agreement between the Government and Traditional Leadership in Vuwani sees the restoration of education services in the area from August 4.
The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), in collaboration with SECTION 27, Basic Education For All (BEFA), the Helen Suzman Foundation and Kagiso Trust, calls on South Africans to support endeavours to get schooling in Vuwani back on track. Within a few hours of making the call, the partners have been able to secure financial and in-kind contributions worth R1,4 million.
Louis Trichardt 8th May 2016 – The Vhembe Pastors Forum took a decision to preach a common sermon this Sunday, denouncing the destruction and looting of school property and the disruption of schooling in Vuwani.
A Life Orientation reader providing curriculum support to Grade Nine learners and their teachers on vital issues, The All Stars: Every Step Counts, is the latest addition to SAICA’s proactive engagement in support of government’s NDP goals.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) are working together to improve learning outcomes in the Bohlabela district of the Mpumalanga province through focused school monitoring visits, teaching tools and ongoing support for teachers. The aim is to improve learning outcomes by ensuring a full curriculum coverage in the 2016 academic year.
Throughout 2015 and into 2016, the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and other education stakeholders continued its work in the Vhembe and Waterberg districts schools, for improved education outcomes.
The North West province exceeded the national average matriculation pass rate of 70.7%, with 27 118 of 33 286 North West matriculants (81.5%) passing the 2015 end of year national examinations. This places the province in 4th place in the 2015 matric pass rates results.
In partnership with Department of Basic Education (DBE), the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) is implementing a number of intervention programmes in the Libode and Mt Frere districts of the Eastern Cape province, the programmes are specifically designed to address challenges faced by poor performing schools, including curriculum coverage and learner welfare.
The Amaphuthu High School, one of the schools in the National Education Collaboration Trust’s (NECT) Fresh Start Schools (FSS) initiative in the uThungulu district, in the Nkandla region of the KwaZulu-Natal province, managed to improve its pass rate from 18% in 2014 to 34% in 2015.
The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) seeks to appoint an appropriate service provider to conduct an output to purpose review of its strategic direction and programmatic activities since its inception.