MATTER - CSI Magazine June Edition (Education)

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CONTENTS

Learners need two things to succeed: sufficient challenge and support

25

Career guidance must consider the job market

28

Can South Africa keep up with a fast-changing world?

47

Framing memories of our loved ones to preserve their memories

50

Excellence is never cheap

56

Artisans join the 4th Industrial Revolution

60

Reimagining higher education

70

22

‘By making a meaningful difference in this space, we can assist in boosting the overall wellbeing and confidence of our people and enable exciting opportunities in the economies we operate in.’

- Fikile Kuhlase

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‘Talking about decolonisation and what it means can be the starting point of something new: a fresh makeover for the university that doesn’t point back to our past, but rather to our future and where UCT and our country are going.

If it weren’t for the fire, would these discussions ever have happened?’

- Mamokgethi Phakeng

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‘It is crucial that all ECD centres help to prepare learners for their school careers and there are really good NGOs assisting with this in disadvantaged communities where quality education is often lacking.’

- Kennedy Dumbetembe

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‘We have an idea where our education system needs to be in ten years’ time, but it’s not going to be easy to get there unless we address systemic issues,’ - Setlogane Manchidi

Editor’s note I am truly honoured to be writing this opening note alongside the most powerful principals in South Africa. If my English teacher knew that today I would be writing the editorial to a magazine that features leading vice-chancellors, I suspect she would be shocked.

In this edition of MATTER, we take a close look at education, and the role of companies and NGOs in shaping this all-important sector.

We’ve interviewed some truly amazing innovators, amongst whom feature the vice-chancellors of five of our top universities. These visionaries have their fingers on the pulse of global issues in education, and raise questions as diverse as decolonising the curriculum to a call for the re-opening of our teacher training colleges and trade schools. Their views should be taken seriously by anyone involved in educational planning and reform.

To keep things light and interesting, we’ve included a sprinkling of articles on health (p. 75), aesthetics (p. 48) and general matters of interest to CSI practitioners.

Enjoy! May this edition of MATTER inspire great thinking and change in our schools, programmes, corporate giving and government planning.

To Liezl Russell - the heart of our magazine, to Dawn Green, Dylan Joseph, Jane Mqamelo and Ricky Woods - you make this work.

Thank you.

Simphiwe Mtetwa Chief Editor

Why are Finland’s schools ranked the best in the world?

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ince 2000, world attention has been drawn to the amazing results shown by Finland’s 3 500 schools, which consistently produce the world’s best performers in reading, science and maths in the annual PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) tests of 15-year olds.

At times they dip to second, third or fourth place (behind Singapore, China, Japan, Canada and Ireland, depending on subject) but are held up as examples to the world because they achieve what they do in such a unique and surprising way.

Not for them the hours spent cramming, the rote learning, the almost robotic obsession with marks and achievements that we associate with other top performing countries.

Finland’s schools seem remarkably relaxed compared with schools in other countries; they value harmony, health and happiness above all, spend a large portion of the day playing, and start school as late at 9.30 am.

Why, then, the excellent results?

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Some basic facts about Finland’s schools: No tests The Finnish education system is not centred on tests and exams.

Children are assessed on overall performance through class work and projects, with one voluntary exam held when they are 16.

Starting school at an older age In Finland, children start school when they are seven. Preschool is voluntary, but most opt for it, receiving a higher level of learning than is common in preschools elsewhere.

University is not held up as the only ideal.

In Finland, the choice of whether to enter university or opt for vocational training beyond high school is not seen as a better vs lesser dichotomy.

Both are highly valued. After the first nine years, children have the option of a more academically inclined three-year course to prepare for university, or a more vocationally inclined three-year course to prepare for other careers.

Teachers highly qualified Teachers in Finland are the highest qualified in the world; a minimum of a master’s degree is required, and salaries reflect the high status they enjoy in society. They are also, almost without exception, dedicated, professional, passionate and prepared to go further in ensuring that learning takes place than is common in other countries.

Extra coaching for weaker students is a given.

Education system run by educators, not politicians In Finland, the education department is run by educators, not politicians or business people.

Co-operation and enjoyment Finland’s children actually enjoy school. A large portion of the day is spent outdoors, co-operation, not competition is emphasised, and without the pressures of exams and homework, children get on with the real business of school – learning and growing as human beings.

Setlogane Manchidi, Head of CSI, Investec

Corporate education initiatives need to focus on then and now ‘W

e have an idea where our education system needs to be in ten years’ time, but it’s not going to be easy to get there unless we address systemic issues,’ says Setlogane Manchidi, head of CSI at Investec.

‘Even if our country prioritises the systemic issues in our education sector and we work together to resolve them, it will still take 15 to 20 years before we see a difference. This is why we need to do what we can now to support learners who are going through a weak education system.’

With a strong CSI focus on education and entrepreneurship, Investec funds two programmes to support current learners in Maths and Science while also addressing a very important

systemic issue in education: a lack of adequately qualified teachers in these critical subjects.

‘One of the biggest mistakes South Africa made was to close down teacher training colleges,’ explains Manchidi. ‘As a result, we now have teachers who are not properly trained, or who may be qualified on paper, but lack the practical skills to run a classroom.

‘This has impacted the rate at which we are able to produce adequately trained teachers. To make matters worse, we have an ageing teacher population, and the wrong people often pursue a teaching career. If these issues aren’t addressed, this crisis will become critical.’

Investec partnered with the Department of Basic Education and the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) to start the Teacher Internship Programme.

Unlike universities, where teaching degrees are mostly theoretical and where schools have to wait four years before the teacher enters the system, this programme helps teachers learn on the job.

‘During this programme, we carefully select learners who are passionate about teaching. They study a fouryear degree at a distance learning institution like UNISA while placed as an intern at an ISASA school. Ideally, you want them to learn the culture of teaching and learn the content.’

Once their internship is over, these newly qualified teachers are placed in public schools for the duration of their contracts. ‘Our hope is that many of them will stay in those schools and make a difference in the lives of our learners.’

But while Investec and their partners are working to resolve this vital systemic issue, Manchidi

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acknowledges that a potentially lost generation of learners is currently moving through the educational system. ‘This is why we have to adopt a two-pronged approach: we address the systemic issues, but we also support those who are currently in the system.

This is where learner support programmes come in. ‘In addition to the Teacher Internship Programme, Investec runs the Promaths Programme that seeks to support learners in Maths and Science by offering tutoring opportunities to pupils in Grades 10 to 12. Around 8000 individuals have matriculated through this programme, and for two consecutive years, 2018 and 2019, Promaths has contributed 5% of the Maths distinctions and 6% of Science distinctions in South Africa.

‘Although this programme does not change the education system, it helps learners interact better with the current system,’ explains Manchidi.

Initiatives like Promaths are valuable and much needed at the moment, and ought to be as widespread as possible. ‘We are going to need these programmes for a number of years to support the current education system, until we have been able to deal with the systemic issues that are keeping our country on the back foot.

‘Unfortunately, Covid-19 has only increased the systemic issues. Online is where the world is going, and South Africa has major challenges in providing education in the new online format, even more than with the old format.

‘We have to find ways to bridge the gap between the old format, with its inadequacies, and the new format, while also addressing the systemic issues. If we fail to do so, we will continue to be at the bottom of the rankings, especially in Maths and Science.’

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EXCLUSIVE!

UCT and the Blaze

Out of the ashes we will build back better and stronger than before.

PROFESSOR

MAMOKGETHI PHAKENG

VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN (UCT) PAGE

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Talking about decolonisation and what it means can be the starting point of something new: a fresh makeover for the university that doesn’t point back to our past, but rather to our future and where UCT and our country are going. If it weren’t for the fire, would these discussions ever have happened?’

Should we be building the buildings like-for-like in remembrance of a time when Africa was under colonial rule, or should they be reimagined to resemble something more futuristic, perhaps with an African flair?’

‘Now is the ideal opportunity to enter those long-overdue discussions with the Rhodes Trustees as part of UCT’s decolonisation agenda,’ explains Phakeng. This agenda started after the #RhodesMustFall protests back in 2015.’

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In times of crisis there is always a silver lining ‘I

n times of crisis there is always a silver lining.’ This is the message of Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, as she reflects on the wildfire, also known as the Rhodes Memorial fire, that caused devastation on the UCT campus in April 2021.

The fire that ripped through the campus and damaged some buildings while destroying others has opened some important discussion points, one of them the decolonisation of UCT. ‘Three buildings will need to be completely rebuilt – the Jagger Library Reading Room, and the administrative buildings Cadbol House and La Grotta,’ explains Phakeng. But questions arise regarding these buildings. Should they be built like-for-like in remembrance of a time when Africa was under colonial rule, or should they be reimagined to resemble something more futuristic, perhaps with an African flair?

Reimagining these buildings has elicited another decolonisation issue.

UCT has to consult the Rhodes Trustees to get permission to change any of the

old buildings on the upper campus that have the classic university design.

‘So, now is the ideal opportunity to enter those long overdue discussions with the Rhodes Trustees as part of UCT’s decolonisation agenda,’ explains Phakeng. ‘This agenda started after the #RhodesMustFall protests back in 2015.’

Initially, the protest campaigned for the removal of the statue commemorating Cecil Rhodes, but eventually led to a wider, ongoing movement to decolonise education across South Africa – an aim with which UCT is on board.

‘Talking about decolonisation and what it means can be the starting point of something new: a fresh makeover for the university that doesn’t point back to our past, but rather to our future and where UCT and our country are going. If it weren’t for the fire, would these discussions ever have happened?’ she asks.

The reconstruction of these buildings will take about two years, and it will all depend on the insurance pay-out that UCT receives. ‘If we don’t receive sufficient funds, we will have to raise our own funds, which can take a long time.’

Fundraising is already a challenge for the university, especially during and in the aftermath of Covid-19. With a declining budget owing to reduced subsidies from government, it is becoming increasingly challenging to raise financial aid for disadvantaged students.

This year, UCT has mainly been challenged with finding funds for NSFAS students, as well as for postgraduate diploma students who do not get NSFAS funding. If students qualifying for NSFAS support are in the system, but government can’t fund them, it becomes the university’s problem to find money for them.

Phakeng says that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find donors as the Covid-19 pandemic has affected businesses worldwide.

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Reimagining these buildings has elicited another decolonisation issue It was certainly a tragedy when irreplaceable and historic scholarly collections, kept in the Jagger Library Reading Room, went up in flames.

Collections that were destroyed include the vast majority of the African Studies Published Print Collection, the entire African Studies Film Collection on DVD, and manuscripts and archives kept in the Reading Room for processing or digitisation or awaiting transfer after being digitised. Although this is a great loss to the university, Phakeng believes it has also given rise to other opportunities.

‘Instead of just focusing on what we have lost, now is an opportunity to look at what is left, but more importantly, at what we can gain. How can we grow our collections? For example, why don’t we have collections of contemporary African culture? Although the historic collections are certainly important, current collections can be just as meaningful, because it reflects the time in which we are living right now.

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We are an excellent university, but excellence without transformation has a tendency to be exclusionary.’

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I have not had the time before to go through the Bleek and Lloyd collections,’ explains Phakeng, ‘but after the fire, I felt compelled to read them.’

What Phakeng uncovered in these 150-year-old recollections of the San people she describes as prophetic.

Phakeng interprets what she read: ‘The /xam people talked about dreaming backwards, and what this dreaming backwards meant is that you can dream of a traumatic past, and then, through discussion and action, remake the present.

‘It is similar to what Western culture would call post-traumatic growth – the idea that people who endure psychological struggle following adversity, can often see positive growth afterwards. This is the message that I am taking away from the fire – that we can build back better.’

Transformation balances excellence and makes it useful to its surroundings ‘This year 41.5% of our new undergraduate students are the first in their family to attend university, and 40% of our students have registered for post-graduate qualifications. As the leading university on the continent, we cannot afford not to cater to these students.’

‘Should we change our focus to raising funds for these buildings rather than raising funds for these students, then there is a real risk that our students will get the short end of the stick, which is something that we would like to avoid.’

While UCT waits for the forensic investigation to conclude, and the insurance claims to be processed, they are turning their attention to what can be done now to ensure that the academic year is not further disrupted.

‘Our first priority is to repair two student residence buildings that

have been damaged: Fuller and Smuts Houses. These repairs will be completed by end July. The biological sciences building – the HW Pearson building – will be reopened in stages from June.’

They are also working though materials that have been salvaged, while determining which historic collections have been lost.

It was certainly a tragedy when irreplaceable and historic scholarly collections, kept in the Jagger Library Reading Room, went up in flames.

Collections that were destroyed include the vast majority of the African Studies Published Print Collection, the entire African Studies Film Collection on DVD, and manuscripts and archives kept in the Reading Room for processing or digitisation or awaiting transfer after being digitised.

Although this is a great loss to the university, Phakeng believes it has also given rise to other opportunities.

‘Instead of just focusing on what we have lost, now is an opportunity to look at what is left, but more importantly, at what we can gain.

‘How can we grow our collections? For example, why don’t we have collections of contemporary African culture?

Although the historic collections are certainly important, current collections can be just as meaningful, because they reflect the time in which we are living right now.’

Phakeng is grateful that at least all the collections kept in the basement of the Jagger Library Reading Room were saved, in particular the Bleek and Lloyd collections, which are recognised as a national treasure and a UN Memory of the World Site.

‘I have not had the time before to go through the Bleek and Lloyd collections,’ explains Phakeng, ‘but after the fire, I felt compelled to read them.’

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What Phakeng uncovered in these 150-year-old recollections of the San people she describes as prophetic.

Phakeng interprets what she read: ‘The /xam people talked about dreaming backwards, and what this dreaming backwards meant is that you can dream of a traumatic past, and then, through discussion and action, remake the present. It is similar to what Western culture would call post-traumatic growth – the idea that people who endure psychological struggle following adversity can often see positive growth afterwards. This is the message that I am taking away from the fire – that we can build back better.’

UCT’s vision fits in well with the SCI industry’s Vision 2050, which focuses on education, health and housing.

UCT’s vision is centred around three pillars: excellence, transformation and sustainability. ‘We are an excellent university, but excellence without transformation has a tendency to be exclusionary. Transformation balances excellence and makes it useful to its surroundings. It helps us to determine how we can be a university in our community that is useful to the community, and not just excellent for ourselves. We want to be the best for Africa and not just the best in Africa.

If we can achieve this, we will also have sustainability – our excellence will be sustainable, and we will be sustainable financially, socially and environmentally. If we become outstanding in that way, we will attract even more favour from around the world.’

UCT might have partly burnt down, but there is no doubt that it will rise from the ashes like a phoenix and help shape a future not just for themselves, but also for the entire country and for Africa; a fairer and more just society for all, which can only be achieved through excellence, transformation and sustainability.

CSRNEWSSA has changed the way I look at things.

Old Mutual continues to contribute to quality education S

triving to make a measurable impact on our society and environment is part of Old Mutual’s DNA. This goal has played a role in shaping its business strategy, its daily operations, its investment philosophy and its social investment arm, the Old Mutual Foundation.

It has also spurred the company on to contribute to improving the quality of education as a key focus area of its commitment to being a caring and responsible business.

of our people and enable exciting opportunities in the economies we operate in.’

Boosting Maths and Science The Old Mutual Education Flagship Programme, which disbursed R316 million over seven years between 2013 and 2019, succeeded in playing a significant role in raising the pass rates of Mathematics and Science learners from disadvantaged schools.

‘Preparing our young people to succeed in a competitive and fast-changing economy will help drive socio-economic development and help achieve inclusive prosperity and long-term stability,’ says Fikile Kuhlase, Head of Old Mutual Foundation.

‘Inspired by this,’ says Kuhlase, ‘we have decided to extend the programme for a further five years, until 2025, to again focus holistically on supporting not only the learners themselves, but also their teachers, principals, parents and education ecosystem.’

‘By making a meaningful difference in this space, we can assist in boosting the overall wellbeing and confidence

However, the focus for the next five years will be on improving literacy and numeracy skills at primary level, using

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home languages/African languages as assets which will can be used to increase these critical foundational skills.

A year of change The Old Mutual Foundation is also launching its inaugural Annual Report of 2020. The report illustrates how the volatility, turmoil and pain of 2020 challenged large corporates such as Old Mutual, causing them to rethink their priorities and reimagine their roles.

Included in the report is an overview of the Foundation’s projects during 2020.

Many of these were in direct response to the pandemic and demonstrate Old Mutual’s proactive leadership role in the Covid-19 community response relief and recovery efforts. Link to be shared soon, stay tuned!

Fikile Kuhlase, Head of Old Mutual Foundation

James Donald, Former CEO of Tomorrow Trust

Learners need two things to succeed: Sufficient challenge, and support S

outh African learners who could not keep up with online learning during lockdown lost on average 69% of teaching time in 2020. Many were promoted to the next grade without the knowledge they need to make sense of new work. As a result, such children fell and continue to fall further and further behind. Add to this to the many socioeconomic challenges that affect school failures and dropout rates – even before lockdown – and it seems almost inevitable that another generation of children may never achieve their full potential.

James Donald is the former CEO of Tomorrow Trust, an NGO that offers comprehensive educational and personal development support to vulnerable and at-risk children.

Donald is passionate about the possibilities inherent in our broken

system which, with just a little highlevel thinking and co-ordination, could be turned around in just a few years. In his view, the Gauteng Department of Education and other stakeholders really need a concrete strategy to bridge the gaps in learning that many young people experience. If government were to redirect funding to NGOs offering meaningful education support, it is possible that right across the country we could begin to see necessary gaps filled, and learners truly learning.

Donald says that we need to bring together thought leaders, educational activists and Department of Education officials to create an action-oriented task team to create meaningful change in education, rather than simply talking about it.

The total educational package offered – whether through schools only or, at first, through the

Education Department and NGOs working together – should offer a transformative experience to every learner, so that learners going out into the world do so on an equal footing.

Donald offers particular insights on how this could be achieved. ‘From a young age, children need a curriculum that is project-based, a curriculum that encourages exploration, investigation, play, discovery and real learning.

Through self-directed projects, children learn problem-solving skills, creativity, independence, collaboration and other 21st-century skills that are becoming more and more important as we move into a very different world than the one we grew up in.’

‘Schools should be about learning how to learn, learning how to try things, and building those 21st century skills.’

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First, of course, South Africa needs to get the basics right. Our schools are still grossly under resourced, and we cannot do any of that 21st-century learning if we don’t have good school infrastructure and good teaching and learning support.

Tomorrow Trust believes children need two things to succeed at school and beyond; sufficient challenge, and consistent support. The South African schooling system currently fails on both counts. Children need challenge to grow, and support to develop the confidence to try new things. Tasks should be just challenging enough to stretch the minds of young learners, and support should be all encompassing, promoting the growth of the person and not just their knowledge.

‘Tomorrow’s Trust educational programmes are so successful because we believe that any young person can succeed with the right combination of growth and support. We don’t believe it is about finding diamonds in the rough; instead, every learner has the potential to do something significant with their lives, no matter PAGE

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what their natural abilities.

‘We have various holistic educational programmes that provide academic, career and psycho-social support to orphaned and vulnerable children and youth throughout their academic journey; from playground to profession.

We also provide nutritious meal during our programmes to help with brain development and concentration.

‘If you look at learners from poor schools, less than 20% of them qualify to go to university. Only about 10% of those end up going. And of that 10%, only 30% of them successfully complete their degrees.

‘In contrast, about 80% of Tomorrow Trust learners qualify to go to university, more than 50% actually go, and more than 90% of that group graduate.

‘The success of our learners is not because we select “the best of the best”. Not at all. It is because we patiently nurture the children in our programmes, helping them to believe in themselves, giving them the support they need and guiding them when they

make mistakes. Donald also believes that their programmes are successful because their organisation is agile.

‘We’re keen to work alongside other NGOs and stakeholders – it’s important to learn from others and engage in joint projects to ensure we reach our shared goals.

‘If we really want to change our education system, we need to move away from results-driven approaches, which often rigidly follow a plan and implement a pre-conceived strategy.’

‘Instead, we need to start following “test and learn” approaches, where educators, and those that invest in education, are willing to try new things, learn from them and continually create new and better ways of doing things.

‘If we keep on doing the same things, we will continue to experience the same results.’

When we start our education engines, let us remember to have enough in our tanks to meet the South African CSI 2050 Industry Vision.

To learn more about the vision, email: vision2050@csrnewssa.co.za

Career guidance must consider the job market ‘E

very year, over 100 000 prospective students apply to study at the North-West University. We have only about 10 000 spaces for new students; thus, we unfortunately cannot accept most applications.

‘Some of our students who manage to complete their first degrees also face challenges of finding employment or business opportunities. These students end up opting to study further which we encourage. However, we would prefer that they study for postgraduate degrees for the purpose of knowledge accumulation but not as an alternative for employment or business.’

These are the words of Prof Dan Kgwadi, the Vice-Chancellor of the North-West University. He asks: ‘What is this picture going to look like ten years from now?

Will there still not be enough study opportunities for everyone? Will there be enough job opportunities?’

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Kgwadi says that universities and schools need to work together much more closely to ensure that every child receives proper career guidance – which will entail not simply steering them in a direction based on their aptitude test results alone, but also carefully considering the current and future job market and the new industries.

‘Unfortunately, it is especially the underprivileged and vulnerable students who often don’t receive the necessary support to make these important decisions that will affect the rest of their lives.’

‘They have the misguided belief that any degree, no matter which one, will be their golden ticket out of unemployability. But, who can they really turn to for advice?’

Their parents and other family members are themselves often excluded from the economy and they mostly don’t have access to resources like occupational psychologists who

can help. Many students end up making uninformed choices that don’t serve them or their end goals.

‘Studying simply to study won’t solve the unemployment crisis in South Africa. If universities really wanted to, we could offer a degree in how to kill dinosaurs. What use would it be?’ says Kgwadi.

Kgwadi reiterates that the subjects offered by universities won’t necessarily lead to a career.

‘Universities do not only cater for learners who study with the end goal of being employed; they also cater for people who want to increase their knowledge in certain subjects, whether it be for self-development or simply because it’s an interest. Not every subject is necessarily going to be career driven. It is up to students to consider their interests and goals when they choose a degree, but more than that, to research the job market and the potential business opportunities.

They need to ensure that their choice will serve their purpose.’

Dan Kgwadi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the North-West

‘Students have to think ahead when they choose a degree. How is the job market going to change ten years from now? What jobs will cease to exist? Is their study field still going to be relevant in the future?’ asks Kgwadi. ‘It is now more important than ever to have a clear road map of where your chosen career is going to lead you in the next ten years and beyond.

‘We can’t only consider the world around us anymore; we must also envision the future and try to envision ourselves and what we are going to be doing in that future.’

Kgwadi admits that universities have a lot of work ahead to ensure that students are properly trained for the future. ‘We need to look at what we are offering students and how it will serve them ten years from now.

‘Teaching entrepreneurial skills to students, for example, has been part of our curriculum for a long time, but we are also looking at things like

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coding and artificial intelligence, and how students can use these to supplement their studies.’

‘The digital age will also create more opportunities that won’t require a university degree.’

Skills like computer programming and coding will increasingly play a huge role, and these skills which can be acquired without attending a university. ‘Learners must focus on learning skills rather than just pursuing qualifications that might be useless in future.’

Although there are no clear answers to what our country is going to look like ten years from now, we can work with what we know. We need a clear path to plan the way forward and a meeting of minds, which will include input from the education, corporate and government sectors to ensure that we make the best choices now that will benefit us then.

If universities offered a degree on how to kill a dinosaur in 2021, would you enroll your child?’

Marissa Van der Merwe, founder and CEO of The Entrust Foundation

Human capacity building in the early years is the key to fighting unemployment ‘A

targeted approach is required to our country’s human capacity loss in order to build a sustainable future in South Africa: Even before Covid-19, the rate of school dropouts in poor and rural communities was alarming, with more than 80 per cent of school starters not matriculating.’

This tragedy has been hugely accelerated by Covid, says Marisa van der Merwe, co-founder and trustee of The Entrust Foundation. ‘Tests show that more than 90% of children in disadvantaged communities are not school ready when they enter Grade 1, and those who do attend school are now falling further and further behind owing to Covid-19 regulations.

Schools in SA have still not been able

to return to pre-Covid class schedules, and many learners in poor schools only attend classes once or twice a week.’

‘We are steering towards a huge economical and socio-economic crisis if we don’t do something about this human tragedy now. Learners who don’t finish school will most likely be grant dependent for life, and have grantdependent families – establishing inter-generational cycles of poverty.’

‘These learners will mostly be unemployed, untrained, and excluded from our economy – just as their parents and grandparents were.

‘At the moment, government pushes learners through to the next grade, whether or not they have passed. This is not a solution and will obviously not be sustainable in the long term.

Eventually, these learners will drop out of school because they are just not able to keep up.

‘They find the work too challenging, don’t understand it and, as a result, become discouraged and end up leaving. Solutions are complex and intricate, but all of them are more effective with early intervention.’

‘The sooner children’s developmental backlogs are addressed and corrected, the better their chance is to escape from a disempowered future.’

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The Entrust Foundation’s training programmes, MiniChess, Startsmart, and MindCo, are designed to do just that, supported by university studies and proven results. ‘Preparing a child to succeed in life, is like building a house – the walls will crack and fall apart without a solid foundation.

‘MiniChess purposefully corrects backlogs and achieves excellent academic results, while developing 21st century skills – like creativity, strategic thinking, critical thinking, resilience, problem-solving and decision-making, apart from teaching children a game that they can play for life.’

The Entrust Foundation targets disadvantaged schools in all provinces of SA, where weekly MiniChess classes are offered as part of the school curriculum, starting with children from Grade RR and continuing to age 10. The programme runs over five years within a curriculum structure and offers workbooks, teacher training and equipment.

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The MiniChess programme uses play as a non-threatening platform for holistic and integrated learning, moving beyond barriers of age, gender, culture, language and physical abilities.

The programme is also geared towards developing socio-emotional skills, or emotional intelligence (EQ). Getting children to engage socially with other learners teaches them very important skills like impulse control and resilience. Great emphasis is placed on perseverance by encouraging children not to give up, and to keep on trying. They learn that even when they make mistakes, they can recover.’

Entrust programmes are presented face to face, online, through blended learning or through tablets, which imparts useful, 21st century skills.

Proof that this approach works: Research has shown that by following this programme, neurodevelopmental backlogs can be addressed and corrected successfully in foundation phase learners.

‘In a study undertaken by the University of Pretoria in an informal settlement, it was found that all early childhood developmental backlogs were corrected in the test group of learners who followed this programme, and when they revisited these children three years later, all of them were still at school and doing either “well” or “very well”.’

‘Compared to them, none of the children in the control group had made it to Grade 3, despite attending a preschool.’

The Entrust Foundation also offers leadership development programmes for high school learners.

The MindCo programme (Mind Company Unlimited) is delivered in short courses and also uses situation simulations through play to achieve critical skills and future readiness.

‘Although the MindCo programme delivers excellent results for youth empowerment, we are dismally aware of the fact that by the time learners reach matric, most of their peers in disadvantaged communities have already dropped out of school,’ says Van der Merwe.

A closing thought Many CSI programmes are aimed at assisting and supporting high school learners, especially matriculants, and great emphasis is placed on higher education.

However, so much more can be achieved by starting at the bottom, at the foundation phase of learning, to ensure that more learners complete their school career – which will create brighter prospects for them and for our country.

Our country needs corporates to join hands with NPO implementers on the ground, such as The Entrust Foundation, to face this scourge of unemployment and grant dependency that awaits future generations.

We need to focus on early childhood development and youth leadership now – only then will we see better outcomes in our future.

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I work in the future.

VISION2050 To find out more about Vision 2050 that incorporates education, health and housing, our country’s three greatest needs, visit www.vision2050.co.za

Corporate social innovation the new CSI T

he time has come to change the way we think about CSI. Corporate social innovation offers a new way to understand the role of private companies in building a more vibrant and sustainable society.

Over the last few years, the ineffectiveness of corporate social investment has come under scrutiny and has, in fact, reached a crisis point with the Covid-19 pandemic. The Edelman Trust Barometer shows that trust in societal institutions and leadership is at an all-time low.

Why are private companies investing so much, yet able to show so little for their efforts? The world’s poor remain poor or are becoming poorer, and social and environmental problems seem to become more deeply entrenched with each passing year. In addition, civil society organisations – the many NPOs and NGOs that make up a huge portion of our economic landscape – are mostly unsustainable without

their corporate and philanthropic funding. Take away the corporates who support them and the majority would just collapse.

given the budgets private companies command and the generally firmer grip they have on economic realities than many in government.

Part of the problem is that the world’s increasingly powerful companies have not yet accepted the critical role they play in society. Private companies, and the billions they wield, have yet to see themselves as active agents of change in society, rather than profit-making entities compelled by government to do a bit of good.

Yet companies are still far behind in their acceptance of the role they could and should play.

Uprisings and citizen protests all over the world point to increasing dissatisfaction with governments. The inability to deliver basic services is a feature of governments everywhere, not only of South Africa.

Traditionally, CSI is considered something quite separate to the central activities of a business. Company CSI departments are isolated from their commercial departments, and CSI is considered a cost, not an investment.

CSI projects are usually chosen through an internal process, with government goals and programmes hardly considered at all. Opportunities for synergy are lost. Companies effect their CSR programmes through NGOs that rely on them for their existence, and generally companies expect no return on investment.

As public trust in governments wanes, people are looking to private companies for the innovative thinking that is required to solve society’s problems – at least some of them –

This creates a burdened dependency, where civil society organisations are left floundering when their funding is channelled elsewhere, as has been the case with the current pandemic.

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What then, is corporate social innovation and what hope does it offer?

Corporate social innovation is all about strategic partnerships with government, other stakeholders and affected communities to find sustainable solutions for critical social and environmental issues in a way that increases corporate profitability.

In the words of the Social Innovation Academy: ‘The company must be able to generate economic value in a way that also produces value for society by responding to its main challenges.’

Corporate social innovators do things differently, guided by some basic principles that make a huge difference to the success of CSI programmes: •

• •

•

•

Governance: With corporate social innovation, senior executives and shareholders are committed to the task.

Strategic partnerships: Companies collaborate with government and institutions on multiple scales.

Employee engagement: Employees are engaged from the design phase and included in all aspects of innovation and implementation.

Product innovation: Products are aligned, designed and geared to address the salient social and environmental issues of the day, while remaining profitable.

Community engagement: Companies know the importance of remaining connected with their communities and work together with them to ensure sustainability.

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Here’s an example: Imagine a large corporate that sells fresh food – Woolworths, for example. They are an established brand with a large market share but want to enact their role as a responsible corporate citizen while remaining highly profitable.

They identify the impact of plastic on the environment as the area where they believe they can make the biggest difference.

By talking to government, university technology departments and environmental scientists, they decide to establish a factory to produce recycled, environmentally friendly packaging for their products.

Their research and stakeholder involvement reveals that a poorer province is a suitable location for their factory, which will act as a pilot for similar factories in other provinces.

People from the local community are selected to be involved in all aspects of the project implementation, from planning and design to the construction of the factory. Employees are selected from this community to run and work in the factory, trained by employees of the company, an NGO and education institutions.

Once established, the factory will have a unique brand and selling point – that of sustainable and shared values and practices that protect the environment and, in addition, create a vibrant local economy. The new business provides opportunities to grow the brand, through encouraging small start-ups to grow and sell their fresh produce to the corporate, or for a recycling plant to be established to

provide materials for the factory.

In this way, the strengths and synergies of the corporate and its employees, government, learning institutions and local communities all combine to effect lasting social and environmental change – and the company loses nothing, only gains.

This is what social innovation does.

And now is the time. Companies really need to acknowledge their role and responsibilities as key shapers of society, and not see CSI as a mandatory requirement foisted on them by government. Their power and potential are far greater than that.

Corporate social innovation has the potential to change our world and certainly challenges the way we think about the role of business in society.

Forward-thinking companies are embracing this challenge, recognising that profits are not only measured in monetary terms, but also in their social and environmental impact.

What we need in South Africa is real partnership between companies, government, educational institutions and communities.

Any comments or queries? We would love to hear how this idea strikes you, and whether your company has initiated projects that align with the corporate social innovation approach.

Give us your thoughts, and let’s get the conversation going! More, join our partner programme to find, fund, fuel and foster ideas for the future of our planet and its people.

The world in orange podcast, where two worlds collide.

The world in orange is a series of podcasts designed to help CSI balance the ‘green’ and ‘orange’ worlds they have experienced through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through this show, we deal with the real pains of the industry, both professionally and personally.

Kennedy Dumbetembe, Head of CSI, African Bank

Joining hands with NGOs to make a difference T

here are many efficient, well-organised and impactful NGOs in South Africa that focus specifically on improving education. They fill the gaps left by our education system and assist learners, especially in disadvantaged communities who, without their support, have little chance of ever finishing school and pursuing higher education or even having a career.

These NGOs do not always receive enough support from their communities, government or corporates to make a real impact and, owing to a lack of funding, they have to shift their focus from their life-changing and crucial work to that of fundraising efforts.

One of the best ways to secure funding is to partner with corporate CSI departments that can ensure a regular flow of funding, so that the NGOs can get on with what they do best – helping others and making a difference.

Just like these life-changing NGOs in the education space, African Bank is passionate about education.

They accordingly seek partners that make a difference in the early childhood development (ECD) space, as well as organisations that support disadvantaged learners with career guidance services.

Their main aim is to fund programmes that aim to improve literacy, numeracy and social skills in ECD centres, while providing muchneeded training to ECD owners and practitioners. They also support organisations that help learners with career guidance to make the right choices for a successful future.

According to Kennedy Dembetembe, Corporate Social Investment Head at African Bank, these two areas often do not receive the attention they deserve.

‘ECD centres are often not well regulated, and there is little control over what type of education preschoolers receive. Some preschools

let children play all day and very little structured learning takes place. Their goal is not to prepare learners for school, but rather to give them a safe place to stay while their parents are working.’

He says when children start primary school, they should have a basic understanding of numeracy, literacy and social skills. Without this, their education journey is seriously at risk, and they will most likely not be able to keep up with the school curriculum.

‘It is crucial that all ECD centres help to prepare learners for their school careers and there are really good NGOs assisting with this in disadvantaged communities where quality education is often lacking.’

‘Some of the NGOs we partner with include Afrika Tikkun and the Love Trust Foundation, both of which have programmes to address the development backlogs in preschool children.’

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African Bank also supports organisations that offer mentorship and career guidance. This is conducted through workshops across the country. During these workshops, valuable information is shared with high school learners about the South African labour market, subject choices, higher education and various career paths.

‘Unfortunately not enough effort is put into making sure that learners choose subjects and careers that are relevant for our country. This is where we try and add value,’ says Dembetembe.

African Bank would like to see more programmes that expose learners to real-life career experiences. For example, a privileged school in Johannesburg makes it compulsory for learners to spend at least one week shadowing someone at their place of work.

Even with career guidance, it can be difficult for learners to make the right career choice because they often have no idea what their dream job will be like in real life. The more learners are exposed to what their lives might be like once they leave school, the more they will be able to make informed choices.

learners. ‘There is nothing more inquisitive than a young mind, and with access to a world of information the potential to learn is infinite,’ concludes Dembetembe.

Dembetembe believes the future of education worldwide will be technologically driven. ‘We need to embrace the move to digital platforms as quickly as possible and make sure that our schools are equipped with smart boards, tablets and computers to make the sharing of information easier, better and faster.’

South Africa needs to invest in the physical infrastructure of schools to ensure that all students in schools are safe and have access to an adequate learning environment. Secondly it needs to invest in technology and put learning in the hands of

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Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Vice-Chancellor of UNISA

Can South Africa keep up with a fast-changing world?

M

odern smart technology is already a part of all our lives, and will become more integrated and widespread in the near future. Does South Africa have the infrastructure and capacity to accommodate these changes? Not sufficiently, says Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Vice-Chancellor of UNISA, but there are steps we can take now to ease the transition and keep us competitive.

‘Firstly, we need energy to make technology work. Currently we’re dependent on large commercial entities like Eskom, which have proven to be costly and unreliable.

‘Secondly, we are still too dependent on countries like China and America, which own the intellectual property, systems, processes and devices that give us workable technology. They own the licenses of these technologies, which puts us on the back foot, especially if one takes into consideration the value of the rand against the dollar.

‘Unless we start utilising our own creativity and inventiveness, we’re going to have a hard time adjusting to a changing world.’ Prof. LenkaBula would like to see South Africans coming up with more of our own inventions – for example, systems that can function offline.

‘During the hard lockdown, learners in rural areas were often unable to keep up with their studies because of limitations like electricity and data challenges. If we could have given them access to devices that function offline, imagine the difference that could have made!’

She also points to other areas like alternative energy resources that can help us function more effectively. UNISA’s College of Science and Technology is working on exactly this issue.

‘We are looking at ways to commercialise biogas. Should we succeed, it will mean we don’t have to wait for Eskom or other large commercial entities to make energy available to rural areas where these services are often unavailable.’

Of course, enhancing our country’s creativity and inventiveness to the point where it makes an appreciable difference to our economy means massifying education.

‘Education, especially in STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths, to incorporate creativity and to integrate all subjects with each other), is what’s going to make these inventions possible. We need to ensure that more people participate in the learning arena and that more research outputs are available. The only way to do so is if we radically massify undergraduate studies and enhance research in post-graduate courses.’

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Prof. LenkaBula believes that Unisa is playing an important role in taking our country forward, especially in the area of digital learning. UNISA has always been an open distance education institute, and began thinking around e-learning modalities in the early 2000s.

‘When Covid-19 hit we had a competitive edge; that’s why we completed the academic year on time and also offered online examinations. Our digital pedagogies were in place.

‘The missed opportunity was that instead of UNISA helping the country to quickly adopt to an online learning environment, we were all on retreat in terms of public engagements.

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during the first moments of the lockdown, with their methods often taken as definitive of open distance e-learning (ODeL). Yet UNISA’s use of ODeL has a long history, with the methodology already well developed.

‘I think that was UNISA’s missed opportunity, and one of the key areas in which we will need to improve.

We really need to project our areas of success in open distance e-learning, and to show other institutions how we have framed our multi-model learning systems over time.’

‘We are in the aerotropolis. Pretoria is surrounded by five airports and it doesn’t make sense that UNISA is not offering further studies in these areas.’

Another area will be gender-based violence, feminism, and ‘womanism’.

‘The majority of people who study at UNISA are women, so it makes sense to cater to women and other marginalised groups like LGBTQIA+ persons, international students, and students living with disabilities.

Prof. LenkaBula foresees many other exciting areas of development during her time of leadership at UNISA. ‘We have to read the signs of the times to stay relevant. As a result, we are broadening our areas of learning and research. We have identified ten niche areas that will make us stand out from other universities.’

If we do this, we will create an inclusive model of education that enables more participation. We want to become partners in undoing patriarchally oppressive systems that sometimes derail women from succeeding in their careers or in sharing their competencies, talents and aspirations – to break the glass ceilings that keep women from reaching their potential.’

Aviation, aeronautics and logistics are key areas they plan to develop.

UNISA is also looking to develop a study field in marine studies. ‘We have

two oceans and it’s important to offer studies in the relevancy of fisheries, logistics and global trade.’

Other exciting areas they’re planning include microfinances, alternative energy systems, understanding 4IR and ‘post-humanities’, ecological studies and health system studies, which will include auxiliary studies and the practice of medicine.

Prof. LenkaBula says that UNISA has not slept on the statutory obligations of the internationalisation of South Africa’s higher education system, which is why they are broadening their fields of study.

‘We see ourselves as the science ambassador for our country, and therefore must activate agility in this regard. We want to position ourselves in the national innovation system and not just in publications. If we succeed, I believe South Africa will reap huge benefits in the years to come.’

Framing memories of our loved ones to preserve their memories A

beautiful frame can uplift a room and accentuate the beauty of your art, while also protecting your memories, achievements or valuable art.

South Art Centre has been in business since 1996; they are framing experts who ensure good quality as well as beauty.

They also sell art, art supplies, mirrors, ornaments and finished paintings, and offer art and pottery lessons for adults and children, along with a printing service. They will also do commissioned paintings too, on request.

We spoke to them to find out why a beautifully framed picture can be so meaningful.

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What is the secret to a beautifully framed picture?

We always advise our clients to choose a frame that suits their personal style, décor, architecture and most importantly the picture itself.

We try to create contrast in the picture, using colours that accentuate what is being framed and to bring out the beauty of the picture.

How do you choose the right frame for your picture?

We find a similar or complementary colour in your picture to go with the frame. For example, black and white pictures go well with black and white frames, with mount board combinations, or with grays and silver. We also look at where you will

be putting the picture and who the picture is for. For example, we would use soft, pale or neutral colours, or bright lively colours for baby pictures.

How do you choose the style of the frame?

Choose something sophisticated and modern to make your certificate or family photo stand out, or an antique style frame for your vintage oil painting. At the end of the day, the frame must be something that you like, while also bringing out the best in your picture.

Should frames match the décor of the room where the picture will be placed?

Mrs Ling, South Art Centre

We generally advise our customers to choose a frame that will be a happy medium between matching the room where the framed picture will be placed and the picture itself, as well as suiting their personal style.

Customers should also take into consideration that they might renovate or change the colours and décor in the future – in this case, matching the picture would be more advisable.

Some customers also frame pictures as a gift for someone else. We generally advise them to choose simple neutral colours for the frame and mount board, so that the person receiving the gift will be able to put their framed picture anywhere in their house or business without having to worry about it clashing with anything else.

It doesn’t always have to match your décor perfectly. Sometimes the most sophisticated houses mix modern and classic styles.

Why is framing considered an art form?

Pictures by themselves can be beautiful, but the framing makes all the difference. Framing correctly

can make something mundane look interesting and lively, and framing behind glass also protects your pictures from age-related damage.

Art is about feeling. If looking at a piece makes you feel happy or nostalgic or optimistic, then it means something to you.

Why should you choose a professional framer instead of framing pictures yourself?

Some of the equipment used in framing is dangerous, and should only be used by an expert. It takes a lot of skill and training to know how to frame correctly. It is also difficult to frame your own pictures professionally, since moulding suppliers do not supply to the public, and the machinery and equipment used in framing is expensive, so it actually works out more affordable to get your pictures framed professionally.

There is also a lot of wastage, which ends up costing a lot for individuals who frame at home. We can also frame more complicated items like school blazers/rugby jackets/awards, etc.

How can we protect our framed photos?

Try not to put them in direct sunlight or anywhere too humid like in a bathroom or outdoors. Wrap them in plastic when transporting. We also provide UV-protect museum glass on request, which is used on valuable artwork that you want to protect them from sun damage over time.

You can clean the frame gently with a damp or dry cloth. We also offer repairs and the cleaning of frames and paintings, depending on what needs to be done, and restore damaged oil paintings.

We also do delivery, collection and consulting.

Contact South Art Centre on: Email: southartcentre@gmail.com Tel: 011 433 0323 Or visit their store 37 Vorster Avenue, Glenanda, Johannesburg, 2091.

They are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturdays 9am to 1pm

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Nkarhi, Timepieces for Africa My dad repairs watches for a living, and in our house, there were always watches.’

E

lmond Khoza, CEO and founder of Nkarhi Timepieces, has a mission – to get the world appreciating the beauty of Africa through their Africa-inspired timepieces.

Khoza, an electrical engineer who owns a solar company, travelled Africa in 2016 to install solar systems, and that’s when the idea hit him to start an Africainspired brand.

‘I noticed the distinctive characteristics of African cities.

They’re alive with a heart and a soul of their own, and hold the hopes and dreams of many who left their homes to seek a better life in the city. I wanted to pay homage to African cities by introducing a brand that would embody their spirit as well as their unique design and architecture.’

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If you told Khoza a few years ago that he would own a watch brand, he would not have believed you. At one stage in his life, he wanted nothing to do with watches.

‘My dad repairs watches for a living, and in our house, there were always watches. As an African boy, the concept of “African time” didn’t exist for me, because my dad made sure that I always had a watch around my wrist, and I never had an excuse to be late. This led to a love/hate relationship with watches, and I wasn’t a willing apprentice when my dad wanted to teach me, his eldest son, his trade.’

Yet when Khoza went to university to study engineering, he met a group of friends who really loved watches. ‘One friend had to have his watch repaired but was told that he would have to go to the manufacturer directly. I told him if he bought me a tool set I could do it for him, and I did.’

That’s when Khoza realised that watches

Elmond Khoza, CEO and founder of Nkarhi Timepieces had become an integral part of his being while growing up, whether he liked it or not.

‘So, when I was thinking of starting an Africa-inspired brand, the answer came naturally. I wanted to launch a unique watch brand.’

Khoza was initially unsure whether people still wore watches. With smart devices that manage our lives and schedules constantly, was there really still a need for a new wrist watch brand with the sole purpose of telling time?

There was only one way to find out. In 2017, Khoza challenged himself to find 2000 watches to fix, and as a result, the #Fix2000Watches campaign was born. Khoza was surprised to find 2000 people through this campaign who indeed wore watches and who needed their watches repaired. While fixing these watches, he realised that there were no Africa-inspired timepieces on the market.

And so Nkarhi was born.

‘Nkarhi’ is the Xitsonga word for time, which goes with their slogan: It’s Africa’s time to shine. It took two years of evolving design ideas before the brand was launched in 2019. The main challenge was to procure quality components, which mostly come from overseas companies. ‘My ultimate dream is to manufacture most of the components on our own continent – which will emphasise our truly African brand further.’

And how does his father feel about his son’s finally following in his footsteps?

‘Words cannot describe the look on my dad’s face when Nkarhi was launched.

Today, he is the proud owner of the first Nkarhi watch ever produced.

Hopefully, my dad will be able to play a bigger role in the brand in the years to come – he is, after all, the one with whom it all began, and I have him to thank for finding my calling, firstly as a watch repairer, but now also as a watch designer with my own brand.’

Nkarhi has created a fund for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. R20 of each purchase is donated to help build their businesses. For more information go to nkarhi.africa.

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Excellence is never cheap ‘A

n investment in education is still the best investment,’ says Prof.

Wim de Villiers, the ViceChancellor of Stellenbosch University.

‘The unemployment rate among graduates from Stellenbosch University is under 5%. If you compare that to the unemployment rate of the rest of the country, which is around 60% in the 18–35-year age group, one can understand why going to a good university is such an attractive prospect.’

But owing to poor basic education outcomes, a lack of funding, or limited space at universities, the majority of school-leavers are unable to access higher education.

At the moment, South Africa has only 26 public universities with limited capacity. ‘Only 12% of learners get access to universities every year, and only about half of them will finish their studies, according to the figures from our own Faculty of Economics,’ explains Prof. de Villiers. ‘So, you

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have to ask yourself, what will happen to the majority of learners who are unable to go to universities, or who aren’t able to finish their studies?

Of course, the #FeesMustFall movement that first emerged in 2015 has maintained over the years that free education is the answer to broadening students’ access to universities and to ensuring that more learners graduate. And although this might be true to some degree, South Africa simply cannot afford it.’

De Villiers is hopeful that university degrees will become more affordable in the future.

‘One positive change brought about by online learning is that universities will be able to accommodate more students in future. You don’t have the constraints of physical space, for example, how many students you can fit into a lecture hall, when you offer online lectures.’

‘This year, we launched our new system, ARTLA (augmented remote teaching, learning and assessment), which is a step forward from the emergency programme that we launched during lockdown,’ says Prof. de Villiers.

Stellenbosch University will offer a mix of face-to-face learning and online learning, which means that students from all over the world will be able to access their studies.

Although it will be ideal to offer higher education to more students, Prof. de Villiers warns that universities must still strive for excellence. He refers to a model which he calls a ‘three-legged pot’. Each leg represents one of the following: cost, access and excellence. ‘If you change one of the legs, you disturb the balance. For example, if you decrease the cost of higher education, then you increase access, but you will also decrease excellence. If you increase the cost, you decrease access, but you will have great excellence because it is impossible to provide excellence in a mass mode.’

Prof. Wim de Villiers, Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University

It is simply not possible to offer everyone the opportunity to go to university.

‘We need to improve the employment outcomes of school-leavers, whether they pursue higher education or not.

A university degree cannot be the only answer to the unemployment issues in South Africa; we need more alternatives, especially for learners who are not academically inclined.’

De Villiers says that much more funding should be devoted to TVET colleges (technical and vocational education training colleges), and community colleges than to a privileged university system. ‘It is true that people with degrees have a far better chance of being employed, but if more funding is invested in other avenues like vocational training colleges to provide good quality training, learners who pursue these options will have a better chance of finding employment or of starting their own businesses.’

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education are able to finish their degrees, but Prof. de Villiers says that this mostly needs to be addressed during basic education. ‘Schools can play a bigger role in preparing learners for further studies.’

‘To complete a degree, you need commitment to study for long hours, a sense of responsibility, and the ability to grasp complex concepts, as well as a solid understanding of the language of study. There is a lack of preparedness when learners leave school. They are simply not ready to make the transition to the higher education experience, and as result, they don’t finish their degrees.’

However, despite the many challenges that the basic education system and higher education are currently facing, De Villiers is hopeful for a bright future.

‘Our undergraduates are very aware of the future and the skills that will be important in a few years’ time. We

founded the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking 18 months ago and there has been a huge uptake and interest in this.

‘We are also establishing a School for Climate Studies. Here you would be able to use the expertise in various faculties and disciplines to fashion courses and modules that are offered online or face to face to address global warming, climate change, food security, water shortage issues, renewable energy and fossil fuels.

‘Both these schools will play a critical role in helping to prepare our students for the future, and to tackle pressing issues like climate change, head on.

‘Universities are good at finding solutions, and although we cannot fix our current education issues alone, we can certainly contribute to finding solutions that create a system that benefits all students and offers a more hopeful future for all.’

Excellence

‘Excellence is never an accident.

It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution;

Aristotle

it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.

Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.’

Artisans join th the 4 Industrial Revolution ‘I

t’s a well-known fact that people learn best by doing.

However, if you inspect modern education, you’ll see how little learning actually happens by doing. Learners are focused on reading instructions, instead of doing by practice and becoming more skilled through practice,’ says Harald Fleischmann of Fosh Learning.

Fosh Learning develops lessons and assessments for the artisan and building industry, using virtual reality technologies. As head of Fosh Learning, Fleischmann sponsors Quilder, a non-profit company which teaches young people how to develop virtual reality and mixed reality products.

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electricians and bricklayers can now enter virtual worlds and learn how to analyse and fix complex problems in the safety of the virtual environments that Fosh Learning creates.

‘By the time these industry players go on site, they have the confidence to solve problems without causing damage to property or electricity outages, or endangering lives,’ says Fleischmann.

Virtual reality has been available in South Africa for a number years, but its use has been limited to careers that have a high exposure to danger, such as those in the mining industry.

With the innovations of Fosh Learning, virtual reality has become

more accessible to other careers where a high level of practice is needed, such as those in the artisan field.

The spike in online learning has also seen an increased demand by companies for modern, digital learning experiences. Professionals and students demand interaction and real-life scenarios. This is the kind of learning experience that Fosh Learning creates.

Fosh Learning and the young technology inventors from Quilder have successfully partnered with the Department of Higher Education to make virtual reality and mixed technology learning products available to students and lecturers at community and FET colleges from across the country.

Harald Fleischmann, FOSH Learning

Tap Into The World Of Virtual Reality.

VIRTU[E]AL LEARNING www.fosh-learning.co.za

The virtual reality and mixed reality products are supported by workbooks and learner and teacher guides. The books and guides can also be used by professionals who work in propertyrelated areas, such as building material salespeople, property caretakers and estate agents.

The inclusion of virtual reality in assessments is in line with South Africa’s National Digital and Future Skills Strategy, approved last year by the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Ms. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The Institute of Plumbing South Africa (IOPSA) has therefore also started incorporating virtual reality technologies in its trade test assessments for plumbers. IOPSA and Fosh Learning have rolled out a number of trade test assessments across the country with the inclusion of mixed reality and virtual reality

assessment tools. Nick Joubert, National Training Manager at IOPSA, says that the use of virtual reality assessments has yielded very positive results.

‘We are currently working with the Namibian Training Authority, the NTA,’ adds Fleischmann. ‘Namibia has a demand for highly skilled workers, given its mining activities for various minerals. In the process, opportunities for travel as well as skills and cultural exchange are created for some of the young innovators.

‘Most important, however, is the opportunity to manage highly technological learning exchanges between local and Namibian professionals.’

CSRNEWSSA CSI Consulting Partnering with CSRNEWSSA has helped our family foundation reach its potential.’

To learn more about how CSRNEWSSA can help you reach your potential, email us at: projects@csrnewssa.co.za

Project-based learning provides a playful learning environment W

hen 4th industrial revolution (4IR) discussions began mid2017, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) started re-evaluating the school curriculum to ensure that learners would be prepared for the future. What they found is that the content of the current curriculum is not the problem; rather it is the way it is implemented. E3, a non-profit organisation with a permanent unit seconded to the DBE, has played a critical role in helping the DBE to adapt the school curriculum to a changing world.

E3 was originally a small research group piloting and testing new pedagogies or methodologies for activating 21st century competencies in learners. Their mandate now is to deliver a blueprint for

a tested pedagogy that the Department can roll out at scale. By 2024, they want to have reached 24 000 schools.

‘Of course, our real goal is to lower youth unemployment, which is now over 60%,’ says Margaret Worthington-Smith, Executive Programme Director. ‘After 13 years of schooling, learners should be prepared for life after school and not a life of unemployment. Unfortunately this is not happening at the moment.’

‘We often hear that entrepreneurship is the solution to solve our unemployment crisis, but we also know from various reports that we are not really an entrepreneurial nation and that small businesses tend to fail.’

‘So we shifted the positioning of our mandate to a far broader outcome, which is all about the three Es in E3: Entrepreneurship, Employability and Education.

Worthington-Smith says education has to be far more about the entrepreneurial mindset; it has to develop not just skills but also the attitudes that enable young people to enjoy a challenge and to seek solutions to every problem.

As with so many forward thinkers in education, the E3 team believe in project-based learning, which is a clear departure from subject-based learning.

Rather than dividing the school day into subjects, each conveyed through rules, principles and theories, and each taught in compete isolation from the CSI MAGAZINE www.csrnewssa.co.za

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others, the project-based approach gets children working on a variety of exciting projects that ideally cross the boundaries of several disciplines.

Project work brings play into learning, and play, as any child development expert will tell you, is an essential element for learning in the young child – and not only the very young.

Play involves exploration, discovery and imagination, all qualities required when working on an interesting project. Projects connect learners in school with real-life situations and mirror the sorts of challenges that learners will encounter as they enter the world.

E3 would like to see learners working on projects that bring in ‘multiliteracies’, such as maths, geography and literacy, but for now, Worthington-Smith says that would not be practical. South African teachers have too little experience in creating these sorts of projects. The immediate goal for E3, therefore, is to see project-based learning implemented in each individual subject.

‘Project-based learning should provide a playful learning environment that involves various competencies like problem-solving and social interaction skills. By the end of 13 years of schooling, children should have developed a whole range of competencies that we have divided into three main ‘buckets’: thinking, connecting and character.

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‘We want learners to think critically, connect by communicating and collaborating, and have strong characters. Even more important, we want them to develop a sense of agency.

We don’t really live in a country that activates agency. We are very much controlled by others like teachers, parents, ministers and governors, who tell us what to do and to some extent what to think. But we really want to build a sense of agency and autonomy in young people, so they have a sense of power over their own individual lives.’

Project-based learning is not the only change to the curriculum that DBE is looking at. Over the last three years, they have been working in a very dedicated and strategic way to support learners in career pathing, based on the individual’s abilities and interests.

A one-approach-fits-all, where everyone follows an academic path, is simply not working. People are wired differently, and flourish in different settings.

This year the DBE is piloting the three streams model in selected schools and by 2024 it will be fully implemented.

The three streams are the academic stream, the occupational stream, and the vocationally orientated stream.

What will happen is by the end of Grade 9, learners will receive an exit certificate known as the General Education Certificate. This does not mean that the learner’s education stops at Grade 9, but that they have completed competencies to be able to move into one of their streams of interest and capabilities.

Formative assessment will be used to

evaluate learners’ achievements, with formative assessments having a higher weighting than summative assessments.

Project-based learning pedagogy will be used to give learners the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills.

The occupational subjects stream will offer 26 subjects that will help learners develop job skills and make them employable after school. Some of these subjects will focus on agricultural or technical careers like mechanical or civil technology. At the end of four years of study, learners taking this route should be able to enter the world of work with the skills they have acquired, or follow apprenticeship programmes to further hone their skills.

The vocational stream will include a variety of subjects like ancillary health care, beauty and nail technology, hospitality studies, plumbing and welding, and many more.

The DBE is also introducing coding and robotics from Grade 1 to Grade 9 – an essential area of knowledge that will be needed increasingly in the future.

‘At the moment, school has very little meaning for learners who cannot keep up or who don’t have the capabilities to complete an academic career. By catering to a broader range of learners who will excel in other areas, and by having all learners become expert problem finders and solution seekers, we are determined to reach our goal of eradicating unemployment by 90% by 2035.’

I often fund and partner with CSRNEWSSA - because they speak directly to the programmes that are meaningful to us.’

To learn more about how CSRNEWSSA can help you, email us at: projects@csrnewssa.co.za

Reimagining higher education C

ovid-19 has had a massive impact on society as a whole, and on how we approach teaching and learning in our schools and higher education institutions,’ says Prof.

Francis Petersen, Rector and ViceChancellor of the University of the Free State.

When Covid-19 hit our shores in March 2020, Petersen and his team immediately began the migration to remote teaching and learning, which involved the training of staff, getting the material online, briefing students, procuring laptops, and zero rating the learning portals.

Now, almost 18 months later, it has become clear that universities, along with rest of society, may never return to a pre-Covid world. ‘We’re looking at things like virtual reality classrooms, a flexible human resources model, governance & quality assurance in relation to digital teaching and learning, and a new model for internationalisation of higher education institution.’

Petersen foresees that the changes taking place in universities need to be guided by some basic principles:

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Technology must be developed with human wellbeing in mind

‘Although the world has become more digitalised, our need for social and physical interactions remains.’

The isolation of Covid-19 has taught us that we cannot function as a digital society alone. Higher education institutions will probably present a blended mode of learning in the future; a combination of online learning and face-to-face interactions, ensuring that students still get to experience campus life.

‘We have established a Centre for Digital Futures, co-directed by a scholar in humanities and a scholar in computer sciences. Technology needs to be developed that considers its impact on humans and our physical and emotional wellbeing.

This centre will combine digital tools with the tools of the humanities to either innovate better or make processes more efficient – for example, creating precision agriculture or individualised healthcare.’

How universities interact with society will change ‘For a long time, universities have been viewed as the main custodians of knowledge. Recently, we have had anti-scientific world leaders who have caused communities to become distrustful of universities and science.’

‘Universities have to work on building trust again, and are grappling with their role in society today. You can’t respond to that question if you don’t engage with society. Other sectors of society and other parts of the globe hold a lot of knowledge which higher education institutions can learn from.’

The University of the Free State has started engaging far more intentionally with various sectors of society, nationally and internationally. ‘In most academic departments or clusters thereof, we have introduced industrial or sector-specific advisory boards with members from the private sector, industry and government. They keep us informed about changes in their sectors, and as a result we’re developing

programmes together. Some of these programmes serve as additional courses to make students more employable.

‘Of course, Covid-19 has also taught us that no country is an island. We all had to work together and learn from each other to fight Covid-19. I believe this trend will continue post-Covid and that the global North will no longer dictate to the rest of the world. As we continue to learn from each other, global classrooms may soon play an important role. For example, African scholars will be able to teach classes to students in other countries.’

Increase access to higher education, but ensure it’s the right people

‘Nationally, participation in higher education is currently less than 20% of the population (18 – 24 age bracket), and needs to increase to 30% by 2030, according to the National Development Plan. But first we need a major overhaul of the system!

‘The first problem is that the wrong people are currently attending universities, so your success rate is low and leads to wastage. Not enough students attend other post-school institutions like TVET colleges. There seems to be a perception of inferiority

associated with the vocational sector, which is leading to a shortage of these very important skills. A values-driven change needs to happen in those sectors, and vocational institutions need to be properly resourced with the relevant skills.

‘The second problem is the financing of students. Before Covid-19, there was already pressure on the National Student Financial Aid System to cater for students who qualify for financial assistance. Now, even more students qualify due to the impact of Covid-19 on our economy – a scenario which is not sustainable.’

Petersen contends that the solution to the socio-economic problems students face does not lie with government alone. If Covid-19 taught us anything, it is that all sectors of society – government, corporate, NGO and institutions of higher learning – need to collaborate to find solutions to the massive inequalities still hampering the wellbeing of South African citizens.

If higher education is to continue to produce the intellectual capital of the country, we need everyone on board.

Prof. Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State

Ten health hacks for when you’re too stressed to think straight 1.

A glass of cold water Drink a glass of cold water in the mornings. It shocks the system and rejuvenates the body. One of the best things you can do for overall health.

2. Heard of oil pulling?

Swish a mouthful of olive or coconut oil around the mouth first thing in the morning on an empty stomach – kills bacteria, whitens teeth, freshens breath and is said to ‘pull’ toxins from the body – do not swallow! Swish it around for 20 minutes, then spit.

3. Jog on the spot for 30 seconds before bed

Speeds up the metabolism, reduces belly fat, prepares you for a good sleep.

4. Replace one sugary treat with a healthy (-ier) substitute. Small steps: • Change store-bought ice-cream to homemade (500ml yoghurt, 250 ml cream, 3 tablespoons sugar substitute e.g. Xylitol, one teaspoon vanilla extract).

• Change chocolate bar to a spoonful of raw honey.

• Change white flour and fake cream (e.g. in cream buns) to wholewheat flour and dried fruit (e.g. fruitloaf – basic cake recipe with the addition of dates, prunes, stewed plums or raisins).

• Change store-bought breakfast cereal to homemade muesli – oats, bran, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins and, if you can afford them, nuts.

5.

Fatty meat or carbohydrates – not both If you love your steaks and chops, ditch the pap, potatoes and rice. Have with any non-starchy veg instead.

6. Drink a glass of water ten minutes before you eat.

Water should be consumed before, not during or after, eating. Water dilutes digestive enzymes.

7.

Invest in a bottle of digestive enzymes If you have digestive issues. Its natural and effective – helps digest food so you don’t bloat.

8. Aloe ferox granules for regular bowels

Aloe ferox is a natural detoxifier and bowel cleanser. A small box costs less that R10 when last we checked.

9. Maintain good gut health

With a course of prebiotics (specialised plant fibers that feed good bacteria) and probiotics (good bacteria) at least once a year. Many experts agree that health or the lack of it starts in the gut.

10. The obvious: sleep, exercise, diet

But you knew that already, didn’t you?

These three, when done right, will take care of just about everything.

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Education from cradle to career T

he first two years are the most important years for cognitive (brain) development. A positive, relaxed yet stimulating environment is essential. Babies and toddlers need mental stimulation!

independence. Teach self-control rather than agreeing to their every wish.

Education is more than academic development. It includes social, emotional, volitional (the will) and spiritual aspects. Character formation is one of the most overlooked aspects in homes and schools today. Teach the difference between right and wrong from an early age.

This is why drawing/painting, which involves decision-making, is so important at this age.

Caring for pets teaches empathy; a quality we need more of in this world.

Babyhood (0 to 1 year) The most important social/emotional need is to learn to trust. A loving, consistent parent fosters trust.

Toddlers (1 to 3 years) The most important social/emotional need is to learn independence and self-control. Be patient with your two-year old; they are discovering their

Pre-school age (3 – 6 years) The most important social/emotional need is to learn initiative and creativity.

Read stories Experts say reading stories to your primary school child is one of the post valuable things you can do – the benefits go beyond what we see.

Discuss issues with your child.

School can be harsh. Discuss bullying, consequences of actions, thinking before speaking, kindness, importance of hard work, helping others, etc. Don’t assume your child is a model of good behaviour when out of your sight.

12-13 years old The child becomes more outward focused, interested in the world of

ideas, heroic actions, real-life stories of adventure, etc., which mirror what is going on inside. Draw their attention to stories of heroes in the news, and where possible, create opportunities for outdoor activities.

The teenage years Your child is as much in need of guidance and role modeling as ever.

Keep the lines of communication open – discuss issues often.

Encourage, build confidence, and challenge destructive beliefs – especially with regard to the opposite sex.

Buy the newspaper Expose your child to the world of unusual and interesting careers.

Discuss study and career options.

Become informed so you can offer guidance.

Be consistent and practise what you preach. What children hate most is hypocrisy. Be the person you want your child to emulate.

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‘T

echnology will have advanced, resulting in new careers and the disappearance – or great reduction in the number – of some jobs that are common today.’

Economy futurist Guy Lundy says that it is important to start preparing our learners now to be ready for a changing world and job market in 2030.

These jobs will cease to exist or be less prevalent by 2030: Manual labour ‘Today, companies are already developing automated machinery that will be able to replace manual labourers in ten years or less. A good example is a company that is currently developing an automated tree planter.

This machine will be able to plant a whole forest in a couple of days, replacing the 30 to 40 people who are needed to plant a forest today.

Guy Lundy, Economy futurist

‘The same is happening on farms.

Machinery already exists that ploughs, plants and harvests without the need for human intervention. These technologies are advancing and becoming more prevalent.’

Important careers of 2030 Mid-management or supervising roles ‘In organisations like banks, many menial tasks used to be done by hand.

Now, a lot of these tasks are being automated, which means that fewer people need to be employed, and supervision is becoming unnecessary.

‘At the same time, flattening of organisations is taking place, which means that, thanks to technology, senior management is able to push work straight through to lower-level employees, making in-between supervision redundant.’

Traditional retail roles ‘The retail sector will become an online destination, and traditional retail job opportunities will become fewer. Smartphones have made online shopping much more accessible, and Covid-19 has most certainly helped traditional shoppers adapt to an online environment.

‘A good example is the Checkers Sixty60 app that was launched at the beginning of lockdown, making Checkers one of the biggest online retailers in South Africa today. If it weren’t for lockdown, and people fearing to physically shop, it would have taken them years to grow.

Checkers achieved massive growth

in a matter of months compared to the early adopters like Pick ’n Pay and Woolworths that took about 15 to 20 years to grow their online market to comparable levels.’

These jobs will emerge or become more prevalent in the future:

Web and software developers (coding) ‘Technology companies are not the only businesses that rely on computer coding nowadays. More and more businesses, including businesses in finance, manufacturing and healthcare, are incorporating computer code to perform certain functions. As more companies rely on computer programmes to run their businesses, computer programming will become more important in the future.’

Lundy believes that South African schools that are busy implementing coding as part of the curriculum should make an effort to make technology fun.

‘Coding in particular is quite complex and complicated. It’s a little bit like maths – you lose kids quite quickly if they’re not enjoying it.

Coding should teach them how to make funky little things that they can take home and play with.’

Game developers ‘Game technology, which is used to build online games, is also increasingly being used for marketing and training purposes. For example, many international companies are using gaming technology to create fun and interactive training programmes for new employees.

‘As much as it pains parents that their children are playing games all day long, it’s important that children are exposed to gaming, as I believe it’s going to be a very important career, not only now, but also in the future.

‘Teachers can expose learners to games by incorporating them in their lessons.

My son’s English teacher uses the game Minecraft to build things and then asks the class to write a descriptive piece about what they have built. Or he asks them to build something in Minecraft and then to write about what they built and why. Not only is it fun for kids, but they’re also being familiarised with a very important technology of the future.’

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Engineering ‘If you look at all the successful countries that have grown dramatically in the past 100 years or so, like Japan, United States, Germany, France and China, it is clear that their success is driven by engineers.’

‘The reason why China is growing so much at the moment, especially in areas such as aviation and heavy machinery, is because they are producing so many engineers. Everyone is competing to get their new ideas into the market.

South Africa definitely has a lack of engineers; the more we produce, the more successful our country will be.

This of course means that schools need to sharpen their focus on maths and science, making it fun and easy for kids to understand.’

Business studies ‘It’s great if engineers develop great products, but we also need people who understand the business side of things; how to commercialise these products.

Many engineers don’t ever question whether their products will be seen as

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useful by potential customers, which means that their efforts are never commercially successful. We need to raise up a business-savvy generation that will be able to produce products that will make sense commercially and make a difference in people’s lives.’

Human services Humans need human interaction, and Lundy believes that human-related careers will become increasingly more important in the future as computers and other technologies become more prevalent.

Many futurists predict that call centres will become completely computerised in the future, but Lundy disagrees. ‘People simply do not like to talk to a computer on the other side of the line, and I do not believe that this will change in the future.

Instead of teaching people how to do manual labour, it will be a good idea to shift people into a space of working with people; training people how to deal with people and their problems in an empathetic way. ‘Careers in healthcare, care for the elderly, social work and careers in hospitality will remain important careers in 2030.’

Highly technical mechanics ‘As more highly technical machines come into play and technology keeps advancing, we will need people who will be able to understand and service those machines. Upskilling people to deal with these machines will also be an important objective in the future.’

Bearing these many changes in mind, how are we preparing our learners to earn a living?

‘There is a clear need to change the emphasis, and to recognise that many elements in our curriculum have their roots in 20th and even 19th century thinking.’

When one considers Lundy’s words, the future of jobs seems to fall into two broad categories: working with computers or working with people.

Even where a child shows a natural bent toward one or the other, all children will still need skills from both broad streams.

One thing is certain fashion will always take centre stage.

In our next issue Look out for the next issue of MATTER, where we’ll explore small businesses working in CSI. We talk to those that are doing great work, and unveil Corporate Managers that are affected by development blind spots.

Many small businesses feed into the CSI ecosystem, and deserve the attention of corporate CSI departments. These are the businesses that will help CSI South Africa to thrive and to reach the CSI industry’s Vision 2050 To participate or advertise, please email: advertise@csrnewssa.co.za

This work is sealed by the Blood of The Lord Jesus Christ - John 3:16

CSRNEWSSA Contacts WhatsApp: 067 2911868 Email: newsroom@csrnewssa.co.za Web: www.csrnewssa.co.za Publisher: Simphiwe Mtewa Email: editor@csrnewssa.co.za

CSI MAGAZINE | MAY / JUNE - EDUCATION EDITION

The views expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the authors and shall not be construed to represent those of the editor or the publisher. Accordingly, Corporate Social Responsibility News South Africa (CSRNEWSSA) accepts no responsibility for claims and statements made by advertisements and independent columnists. Further, the appearance of advertisements herein does not necessarily indicate the approval of CSRNEWSSA for product and or services advertised. Material may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher.