What's making noise in the sector this month?
Interested in education and children's learning and development?
You're not the only one!
Check out the articles, news and blog posts being discussed in the sector this month.
🔍 Ghost Teacher Investigation Underway
The Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC) has launched a comprehensive verification process to identify "ghost teachers" across the education system, with completion expected by the end of October 2025. KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Education is leading efforts to verify legitimate employees through the PERSAL system. This initiative aims to clean up payroll irregularities and ensure public funds reach actual educators in classrooms.
💰 Teacher Salary Adjustments Take Effect
The Department of Basic Education has gazetted official changes to teacher salary tables, which kicked in retroactively from 1 April 2025. This represents a significant development for educator compensation across the country, though the ongoing teacher shortage remains a pressing concern.
📊 2025: A Critical Year for Education Reform
South Africa ranks 107 out of 141 in global skills readiness, with 81% of children unable to read for meaning by age 10. Political party BOSA has gained significant momentum with their public petition demanding the abolition of the controversial 30% pass mark, now gathering over 20,000 signatures. This has reignited debates about academic standards and what constitutes meaningful achievement in South African schools.
📅 School Calendar Adjustments Under Review
The Basic Education Department is considering a review of the school calendar for 2025, potentially extending the August break for South African schools. While no final decision has been made, discussions are ongoing about calendar adjustments that could impact term planning nationwide.
🌟 Matric Success Story Continues
Eighty-seven percent of learners who sat for their matric exams passed, with nearly half achieving a Bachelor's pass for the first time in the country's history. This milestone achievement represents significant progress, though critics argue it doesn't address underlying literacy challenges in foundation phases.
🎯 Government's Foundation Phase Focus
The government has committed to ensuring every child can read for meaning in the Foundation Phase. This represents a strategic shift toward early intervention, recognizing that reading competency by age 10 is crucial for all future learning.
🤝 World Bank Recommendations for Education Transformation
The World Bank has suggested adopting Teacher Professional Standards to guide training, scaling up effective interventions, and revising the Norms and Standards for School Funding to address inequities. These recommendations come as part of broader efforts to transform South Africa's basic education sector to drive inclusive economic growth.
👥 Addressing Critical Teacher Shortages
The Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme continues to provide bursaries to prospective teachers in priority subject areas including inclusive education, mathematics, coding, robotics, and science and technology. The scheme has increased funding for postgraduate qualifications to address the persistent educator shortage crisis.
🏫 Independent Schools Alignment
The Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) has recommended that member schools adopt the revised 2025 dates to ensure alignment in national assessments and matric exam logistics. This coordination effort aims to maintain consistency across public and private education sectors.
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