Monthly Archives: May 2010
Benchmarking analysis shows SA’s National Senior Certificate compares favourably with international standards
25 May 2010
The standards and rigour of the syllabi and examinations of the new National Senior Certificate (NSC) are favourable in overall comparability to the UK GCE AS (Advanced Subsidiary) Levels. This is according to a benchmarking study of the NSC commissioned by the IEB (Independent Examinations Board) and undertaken by UK NARIC, the United Kingdom’s National Agency responsible for providing information and advice about vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications from all over the world. The previous school-leaving qualification in South Africa, the Senior Certificate, enjoyed similar recognition.
" alt="Infrastructure investment means more than buildings" />Infrastructure investment means more than buildings
Part of improving the levels of quality in education and health is providing infrastructure that responds to global needs in terms of skills, technology and sports.
Victor Modibais capital projects consultant to Tshikululu Social Investments
One of the critical success factors to the growth of the South African economy is infrastructure investment. Key areas of government expenditure, which account for more than half of the total public sector infrastructure investment and incorporate all spheres, are: provincial and local roads, bulk water infrastructure and water supply networks, energy distribution, housing, schools and clinics, business centres, sports facilities, and multi-purpose government service centres, including police stations, courts and correctional facilities.
This is still, to a large extent, catering to the basic needs of previously disadvantaged communities in rural areas and townships, which represents the majority of the population in South Africa.
Mpumalanga boosts jobless youth
The Mpumalanga department of health and social development has budgeted R11,065 million to fund 21 youth centres and 13 economic empowerment projects.
The programme will target unemployed youth through skills development and linking them to sustainable opportunities. Participants will be exposed to a skills development programme that will give them an opportunity to acquire an accredited qualification at the end of 18 months.
Read more about the skills development plan at the Sowetan.
Microbicides progressing well in fight against HIV
The development of new microbicides to protect against HIV infection is progressing steadily with promising options in the pipeline, researchers have reported at the M2010 Microbicides conference in the US.
Microbicides are substances, like gels or creams, designed to stop HIV or other sexually-transmitted infections.
" alt="A model for South African education" />A model for South African education
The decay and neglect of the African education system is probably the most insidious legacy of apartheid. The restoration of a culture of teaching and learning within predominantly African schools is a matter that government must tackle with haste.
Guest contributor Marius Roodt is a Parliamentary Outreach Officer at the South African Institute of Race Relations.
Recently the Eastern Cape Education Department stated that it would be auditing former Model C schools because these had “œtoo many luxuries”, and were allegedly refusing to comply with the provincial department’s policies. In a meeting at the provincial legislature in Bhisho in April, the portfolio chairman on education in the province, Mzoleli Mrara, said Model C schools were “œracist” and used the country’s courts to win battles against the provincial Education Department. However, analysing the 2009 matric results in Model C schools around South Africa would seem to indicate that they are one of the few centres of excellence in our public education system.
Anglo American receives prestigious CommunityMark award
19 May 2010
Anglo American is the first mining company to be awarded the prestigious CommunityMark award by the UK organisation Business in the Community, whose members recognise the relationship between responsible business practice and social and environmental needs.
Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll said, “œThis recognition is a great honour for Anglo American and we are very proud to be the first mining company to win the CommunityMark Award. It is a tribute to the remarkable work performed by all our employees on projects, sites, mines, and in communities throughout the world and the partnerships formed with various non-governmental organizations (NGOs).”
The CommunityMark Awards recognise companies that have demonstrated excellence in their approach across five community investment principles. In these principles, companies identify the social issues that are most pressing to the communities in which they work, and work in partnership with them, leveraging combined expertise for mutual benefit. These companies also plan and manage community investment, inspire and engage employees, customers and suppliers to support community programmes, and measure and evaluate the difference that the investment has in the community and on business. There are a total of 34 CommunityMark companies, ranging from leading banks and retailers, to energy providers, professional services firms and small businesses.
Read more about Anglo American’s award on their website.
TB can no longer be the neglected sister of HIV and malaria
More than nine out of ten cases of tuberculosis, which kills 1.8 million people each year, could be averted by 2050 with better testing, drugs and vaccines, according to a major review published in the British medical journal The Lancet.
TB remains a deadly scourge that fails to attract as many health dollars, euros and yen as other diseases claiming as many or fewer victims, the journal said.
Detection rates have improved over the last 15 years, but nearly 40% of active infections in those nations still go untreated.
Even worse, only a quarter of the estimated 1.4 million people infected with both tuberculosis and HIV/Aids have been identified, the study reported. HIV increases the risk of TB 20 fold.
Another looming threat are so-called “œmultidrug-resistant” (MDR) forms of TB.
There remains a “œdesperate need” for a more accurate, cheaper test for detection, and for so-called “œbiomarkers” that predict whether an individual is more likely to be cured by treatment or to relapse, and whether vaccines will work.
“œTuberculosis can no longer be the neglected sister of HIV and malaria,” the authors say, pointing out that the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) spend about 7% as much on TB research as for HIV, even though both diseases kill roughly the same number of people worldwide.
Read more about Lancet’s tuberculosis review at Times Live.
South Africa’s disabled live in poverty
17 May 2010
Many disabled South Africans are living in poverty without access to the government’s disability grant, a University of Johannesburg study has found.
“Contrary to popular beliefs that the disabled live on social grants, the study found that 61% of the respondents interviewed in eight of the poorest wards in Johannesburg are not accessing the disability grant,” said researcher Lauren Graham.
Graham said people with disabilities were still experiencing discrimination and were being “pushed to the margins of society”.
Read more at News24.com.
Anglo American increases social investment commitments to zinc communities
13 May 2010
Anglo American confirms its commitment to continued social development investment in the host communities around its zinc operations. This follows the announcement of the sale of Anglo American Zinc, which consists of Skorpion Zinc in Namibia, Lisheen mine in Ireland and Black Mountain mine and the Gamsberg project in South Africa.
The company has committed US$3 million to the Anglo American Namibia Foundation which will continue to invest in sustainability projects in communities around the Skorpion mine and across Namibia. This will build on the substantive investments in education and teacher training already made by the Anglo Skorpion Foundation.
In addition, Anglo American will make a US$2 million grant to fund a series of multi-year education and development projects in the Northern Cape in South Africa, close to the Black Mountain operation and the Gamsberg project. These social development programmes in the Northern Cape will be managed by the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund which supports projects in education, health, HIV / AIDS and social development.
Read more at Anglo American.
Shortage of social workers hits KwaZulu-Natal hard
KwaZulu-Natal presently employs only 724 social workers directly involved in the implementation of the Children’s Act, which went into effect on April 1.
This was said in response to an IFP parliamentary question to MEC for social development Meshack Hadebe.
The IFP’s Roman Liptak said the number is part of about 5600 social workers currently employed by South Africa’s nine provinces and a fraction of the approximately 66300 social workers needed to fully implement the Children’s Act according to nongovernmental organisations.
“œThis figure is a third of the provincial government’s own target and falls dismally short of the numbers required for full implementation of the Children’s Act as estimated by child welfare organisations,” Liptak said.
Read more at The Sowetan.
