Table of contents for Issue 306 2022 in The Big Issue

Guest Editor, Professor Eric Atmore is the Director of the Centre for Early Childhood Development; has a Doctorate in Education Policy Studies with a thesis on ECD policy in South Africa; founded the National Early Childhood Development Alliance in 2005 and the Cape Town Museum of Childhood in 2015; and is currently Extraordinary Associate Professor at the University of Stellenbosch Department of Education Policy Studies. Prof. Atmore brings us his selection of contributors who discuss different aspects of education in South Africa, and their input is varied and timeous. On an education of a different type, read about tackling youth issues on the big screen. Our stunning cover girl is Zikhona Bali, lead actress in the local movie Thando. Zikhona gives insight into her approach to her role, which tackles…

Q: What is your professional background and how did it develop? A: I have for years tried to work out where my interest in the early education sector emanates from. There is no profound reason. Having a happy childhood in a secure, working-class family certainly contributed to this interest. My parents, who completed school to Grade 8 and Grade 10, drummed into us the importance of education, education and education. I did very well at primary school but struggled through high school, failing Grade 8 with a dismal report that year on which the principal wrote “Scandalous – Fails”. Subsequently I managed to scrape through Grades nine to 12. Sometime in Grade 12, I decided that I wanted to go to university, which I duly did – and failed my…

BE A MATHS STAR! Awonke tells us how How many delicious things can you count? Reading gives you power! Enjoy your free sample of the little issue magazine Buy YOUR copy of little issue at select Spar, CNA and Pick n Pay stores NATIONWIDE excluding the greater metros of Cape Town Stories • Activities • Recipes • Jokes • Riddles • Competitions ● Awonke Nqayiya. Maths star. ● 25 years old. ● From Eastern Cape. ● Went to Seku Primary School. A wonke grew up in Centane in the rural Eastern Cape. His parents worked on a farm and they never went to school. But they were very smart people and encouraged Awonke to finish school and study at university. When he was in Grade 4, Awonke had a really…

It seems that not even the spectre of a global pandemic can deter the simmering racial tensions at a number of South African schools. The proverbial gates of learning had barely opened to the new academic year, when the media reported on confrontations between black and white parents at Hoërskool Jan Viljoen in Randfontein, Gauteng; learners at Grosvenor Girls’ High School on the Bluff, Durban staging a protest against racism at the school; to a legal bid from the group ‘Trots DF Malan’ in Cape Town, seeking to prevent the school governing body (SGB) from changing the learning institution’s name to DF Akademie; and Milnerton High School’s deputy principal and the head of the school’s disciplinary committee allegedly forcing a black learner to kneel before and bow to a white…

NURAAN DAVIDS Nuraan Davids is Professor of Philosophy of Education in the Department of Education Policy Studies at Stellenbosch University. She is an NRF-rated researcher whose research interests include democratic citizenship education; Islamic philosophy of education and philosophy of higher education. She is a prolific author with numerous books and refereed articles to her name. IMAAD CARRIEM Imaad is a 17-year-old matric learner at Rylands High School. He has diverse interests ranging from aviation to archaeology, and intends to be a pilot in the future. He is also an avid photographer who enjoys spending time with his family, watching soccer and playing rugby. XOLISA GUZULA Dr Xolisa Guzula is a lecturer in Applied Language and Literacy Studies with a focus on multilingual and multiliteracies education at UCT. She specialises in…

THE HOOK The opening paragraph of your story needs to grab the reader’s attention by activating their curiosity about your character and the situation they find themselves in. This is where you introduce the main character and get the reader to wonder: Who is this character? How on earth did they get into this situation? How will they get out of it? You can also employ a mystery, or a piece of intriguing dialogue to hook the reader and get things rolling. A CHARACTER TO ROOT FOR Your main character should be someone who badly wants something; a clear goal. They could want to rescue someone, reach their dreams, or triumph against a formidable adversary, and the best way to get the reader to root for them is to put…

We have read, heard and watched many commentators bemoan the dearth of leadership today. They say, while managers are in plentiful supply, we have very few true leaders who can lead organisations, communities and even countries into the unknown and unpredictable future that stretches ahead of us. These same commentators hold up examples of presidents and prime ministers who seem to epitomise an obsession with self rather than a desire to serve those they were elected to serve. While we do not disagree with their evaluation of the current leadership crisis in the world, we do think that these commentators seem to forget that society creates leaders in its own image. Just like a child contains the genetic blueprint of her or his parents, so our leaders bear the societal…

Dear learners Looking back, my school career was good. I have a lot of fond memories that come to mind when I reflect on my 12 years of schooling. There were some stressful times but, mostly good times. What I enjoyed most about school was meeting new people and building relationships with teachers and peers. What I disliked most was the stress and pressure I felt, especially around exam time. Thankfully, my friends got me through those stressful times. I am so glad I met them; I know that these friendships will last a long time. Subjects that I enjoyed most at school were Life Science and Geography. I found Life Science extremely interesting especially when we learnt about the human body. I also enjoyed Geography, learning about the Earth…

Thando – which showcases a predominantly young female cast (the lead role is played by newcomer Zikhona Bali) – deals with issues of bullying, shaming and suicide, highlighting the real-life experiences of some South African teenagers. The character, Thando, is a school girl flattered by the attentions of an older man, who spoils her with the finer things in life. However, when she discovers she is pregnant, he demands she have an abortion. When a humiliating video of Thando (being beaten by another girl) goes viral at school, her overwhelming feelings of rejection and shame drive her to thoughts of suicide. Director and Executive Producer Kagiso Modupe says: “We deal with gender-based violence, with issues of young girls needing to fit in, bullying and how bullying is often a trigger…

V&A Waterfront, Cape Town Vendor: Aphiwe Shumi Number: 2929 Find her at: Corner of Dock Road and Buitengracht Street Lives in: Siqalo informal settlement near Mitchells Plain How long selling TBI: Started in 2010 Number of children: Aphiwe has four children of her own and she is also taking care of her niece and nephew. Her brother has passed on so the responsibility of caring for her niece and nephew now falls on her. Dream job: Social worker. Education and courses: Aphiwe completed Grade 11 and would like to finish Grade 12. She has also completed First Aid, Community Surveys, HIV and TB courses. Wish list: Aphiwe would like to be assisted in getting clothes for all the children in her care. She would also like to start making plant…

Ideology. It’s the stuff the biggest wars are made of: Arabs and Jews, Protestants and Catholics, Americans and Mexicans, Blacks and Whites, Coloureds, Indians and Chinese. South Africans know a lot about this. Pie-Pacifique’s book is a stark reminder of the realities of segregation, labelling others and war, written at a vital time in the darkness of our current days and the history of the world. He details not only the grim realities of the Rwandan war and its effects on the psyche, but also on the consequent process of his healing: “It was a safe space to share, openly and fully, what was burdening me, primarily so that I could do something about it. Instead of feeling sorry for myself and seeking sympathy – a trap I had fallen…

Jean-marc began skateboarding when he was 10 years old, competing in and winning his first pro event at the age of 11. His skateboarding career has been included in the education curriculum in various schools of the Western Cape, and featured on international platforms such as Voice of America, CNN and BBC Sport. ACHIEVEMENTS Ranked Top 10 in South Africa at age 15, Jean-marc then received his first World Series invitation in 2016. He succeeded in winning South Africa’s first international skateboarding gold and went on to compete on the international circuit, achieving silver and bronze consecutively in Indonesia and China in 2018. Since then he has won the Global Digital Series in 2020 and broken seven skateboarding World Records to achieve a lifetime induction to the World Record Academy.…

Where you place your child for their education is one of the most important decisions a parent can make. The people and places that surround a child influence their cognitive and emotional development for life. School is also likely to be the first social space that a child encounters without a parent, and the experiences at school will shape the child’s engagement with most social institutions in future, including tertiary education and the workplace. We are all overwhelmed with reports of men’s violence, but if we are to stop the vicious cycles of violence and neglect, children must be exposed to safe, caring and trustworthy men. This will reduce the likelihood of boys becoming perpetrators and girls being socialised to unconsciously accept men’s violence. But where do we find such…

In an ideal world, learning should be a fun, curious and creative process. Unfortunately, the school curriculum focuses almost exclusively on cognitive development. In the process, the lived realities of learners and their social-emotional needs are ignored, except for the lip-service being paid to Life Orientation. In a country where the majority of learners grow up in poverty, and where abuse, neglect and exposure to violence are some of the adversities faced by many children, we need to carefully consider the destructive assumption that learning happens irrespective of context. Normalisation or the ignorance of these issues have left thousands of learners vulnerable and at risk. Similarly, research is emerging that suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on learners academically and also on emotional and mental health.…

“I wanted to open up a debate about how to improve the situation in schools, and the first step is to expose that situation, which is what I hope the film achieves to some degree, ” he continues. “I’m proposing that the current approach to educating, nurturing and protecting the vast majority of our youth isn’t working. There’s a lack of will, lack of efficient resource management, lack of training, lack of civic participation, and a systemic resistance to positive change.” Ultimately, Riaz hopes that Sodium Day audiences are “entertained, moved and inspired to action” by the movie. “While the film does tackle some serious issues, there are plenty of laughs and lighter moments, which I hope capture the magic, innocence, frivolousness, rebelliousness, bravado and fragility of the high school…