HIGHER EDUCATION COVID RESPONSE: CONNECTION KEY TO POSITIVE OUTCOMES - SURVEY

ADvTECH & The IIE stand ready to support Educor students

SECURING YOUR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY: UNMASKING FLY-BY-NIGHT SCHOOLS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Time is running out for parents and guardians of senior primary school students to find and enrol at a high school that will best prepare and position the child for a successful future. It can be very confusing to make a call on which school is best suited for this most important task, as there are countless variables at play. However, if parents are prepared with a checklist of questions they need to ask (as well as examples of good responses), this task can be made a little easier – particularly when attending a school’s open day, an education expert says.  “Good schools will host open days throughout the year, allowing parents and prospective students the opportunity to view and get a feel of a campus, ask questions, and decide whether a particular school is the right fit for them,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider. “These open days are geared to provide opportunities for sharing the best aspects of a school, and excitement can quickly let important questions that need to be considered fall off the agenda. Whether prospective parents attend an open day, or just pay a school a regular visit to guide decision making, it is good practice to go with a plan in hand so that one can objectively compare schools on the various key elements required from an excellent institution,” Hugo says. The first factor – and a non-negotiable one at that – is the question of academic excellence and future-focused curricula, she says. “There can be no compromising on ensuring that the school you choose for your child will provide the absolute best on the academic front. An easy gauge of a school’s ability to deliver, is to have a look at end-of-year IEB Matric results to evaluate the performance of various schools against each other. Another way to judge this factor, is to look at benchmarking. “ Hugo advises that academically excellent schools will ensure they utilise international benchmarking assessments to confirm that the school remains locally and globally relevant with rigorous academic programmes and that academic data supports and engages all students in a personalised learning journey. “Also look out for clear visibility of student-centred practices as an important part of the academic model, intended to build confidence in an environment that values every student,” says Hugo. “Furthermore, parents should enquire whether the voices of the students are considered valuable in their learning journey towards academic excellence and student success, and whether they are they included in academic conversations with their parents about their plans for progress.” It is also a non-negotiable to enquire about the curriculum. A school must be able to provide evidence that their curriculum choice is implemented with integrity and is future-focused, and geared towards equipping students holistically across a broad range of technologies and global skills. Ask for evidence of what they do, how they do it, and outcomes, Hugo says. With the above basics satisfactorily answered, parents can move on to broader questions, such as: FACILITIES & AMENITIES The question that needs to be answered here, is how the offering supports the overall learning experience of students. Many schools select a focus for their offering, aligned to their fees, and may not offer all the bells and whistles, but rather ensure that the academic model and subsidiary activities are of an excellent standard instead of offering a wide bouquet. Check that classrooms are neat, well maintained and that they cater to a wide range of interests and offer flexible seating possibilities. For instance, do classrooms have useful educational technology, is Wi-Fi available, are equipped laboratories accessible, if promised, and are spaces for art, design and innovation utilised for future focused learning? On the sport side, do they cater to a variety of sport codes aligned to their model and offering, well-kept fields and facilities for those particular sporting opportunities on offer? Even if a child is not particularly sporty, well-maintained grounds are a good sign to take into consideration. STUDENT SUPPORT If a student requires additional academic support, whether it be emotionally or academically, what support structures does the school have in place, and how are they accessed? What disciplinary processes are in place to address bullying and other issues that may impact on the wellbeing and success of students? Does the school support the values of respect, diversity and inclusion – and is this evident in the classrooms and across the culture of the school? TEACHERS & CAMPUS STAFF What is the ratio of teacher to students in classes? And does the school highlight the academic practices to ensure all students are mentored and supported – no matter the class size? Are all teachers SACE accredited and can the school ensure police clearance is completed on all who work closely on the campus with children? Are the teachers offered professional learning opportunities to ensure curriculum and pedagogy are foregrounded to support student success? HOLISTIC ACADEMIC AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT In addition to regular subjects that can be expected at most schools, which additional subjects may students access? What is the school’s approach to 21 st Century Skills, such as communication, collaboration, analytical thinking, creative thinking, digital literacy, and problem-solving? How are these skills embedded in the curriculum and the everyday learning experience of students? Is there evidence of cross curricular teaching and learning, and are the students granted regular opportunities to share their thinking and co-construct their learning collaboratively?

The important role that Private Higher Education can play in partnership with public universities - to increase the access to, and the quality and development of legal education in South Africa - has been confirmed by the recent election as President to the Society for Law Teachers of Southern Africa (SLTSA), of the first incumbent hailing from a Private Higher Education Institution.  Fiona Kaplan, Head of School: Law, at The IIE’s Varsity College, was elected this month to serve as the President of SLTSA. She will be working alongside the newly elected members of the Executive Council - Vice President Prof Howard Chitimira (North-West University), Treasurer Adv Renee Koraan (NWU), and Secretary Glancina Mokone (NMU) – as well as representatives of the society in various committees tasked with issues related to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), the Legal Practice Council (LPC), and the Magistrate’s Commission. “This is another significant development for Private Higher Education in South Africa and underscores the strides that can be made if various institutional types work together for the common good,” says Shevon Lurie, Director of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE), the leading Private Higher Education provider in South Africa. Lurie notes that the appointment follows a landmark court ruling in favour of The IIE’s LLB Degree, that affirmed that IIE graduates who studied Law at the IIE VC brand are as qualified to enter the legal profession after graduation as students from public universities. “We are very proud of the selection of Kaplan to this important role, and wish her success in her work on behalf of the SLTSA,” she says. SLTSA’s mandate is to act as the mouthpiece for all legal academics in the Southern African region through the advancement of research and teaching, and forging relationships with legal practice both within the borders of South Africa and beyond. “I am excited at the opportunity to forge deeper relations between law teachers and the profession; with the judiciary and with law schools in neighbouring SADC countries. I also hope to ensure greater inclusivity between public and private Higher Education Institutions offering law programmes, and to provide increased support to emerging law teachers in legal academia to becoming published,” says Kaplan. Degrees offered at public and private institutions are accredited and registered in the same way against the same criteria by the same regulatory authorities, notes Lurie. “It is only artificial barriers that remain in the path of private institutions and public universities being able to compete and collaborate on a level playing field, as is the case internationally,” she says.

There can be no doubt that the early years in education are the most important ones, as they lay the foundation for all future learning. Therefore, it is encouraging that the Department of Basic Education has taken over the crucial Early Childhood Development portfolio from the Department of Social Development, an education expert says, while calling for a greater focus on and investment in these life-shaping years both in public and private institutions. “Research is clear that early childhood development drives success in school and life,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider. “Raising the profile of this stage of learning in all schools must – where it is not yet the case - become a priority alongside the effective management of the transition between the home environment to a school environment.” According to Professor James J. Heckman*, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago, a Nobel Laureate in Economics, and an expert in the economics of human development, early childhood represents a critical time to shape productivity, when the brain develops rapidly to build the foundation of cognitive and character skills necessary for success in school, health, career and life. Early childhood education fosters cognitive skills along with attentiveness, motivation, self-control and sociability—the character skills that turn knowledge into know-how and people into productive citizens. “As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. This is equally true where ECD is concerned. You don’t get an opportunity to go back and change the outcomes arising from these formative years,” says Hugo. “This is why for us in South Africa, we must endeavour to ensure that the early years learning environments our children experience are nurturing, supportive and inclusive. And the pedagogy must be reflected in the richness of the learning environment by offering aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically designed learning spaces.” Hugo says an effective learning environment can be compared to an ecosystem where many elements – spaces (indoors and outdoors), resources, routines, teachers, and families – are intertwined and support the student’s incremental growth and personal learning journey. “The pedagogical focus in the early y ears must be on building academic confidence so that students develop a love of learning, and are prepared to enter future learning opportunities and ultimately the world of work with the skillset and knowledge that will ensure that they are adaptive and can successfully respond and contribute to their immediate and extended communities in a positive manner.” When students feel safe, they will be open to learning. Therefore, the environment becomes incredibly important as the third teacher – it creates that safe space – building strong relationships and making important connections with the essential learning elements. “Students in the early years also learn best when the learning is presented through play and where they are given the opportunity to explore, discover and make necessary connections – where they can discover that there are many ways, possibilities, and perspectives and that mistakes are necessary and accepted as part of the learning process – thus building resilience. “In such circumstances, the environment must be responsive to their needs. Here the educator, through careful observations and interactions, is required to monitor each student’s growth and tailor experiences accordingly, thus ensuring that the students remain engaged and inspired.” With changing times in all industries comes the need to reflect and reassess, and education is not exempt from this. “As forward thinking, innovative organisations; whether our schools are situated in the private sector or public sector, we need to constantly reflect and take a good look at what we are doing, how we are doing it, and how we need to change. We need to listen carefully to our learning community and reimagine our spaces. “We will be best positioned to serve the next generation by ensuring their early years learning is based on well researched philosophy, international connections, intentional use of resources and materials and its adaptiveness, with teaching and learning taking place in both a guided and incidental manner and that the student takes priority.” * ABOUT ADvTECH The ADvTECH Group, a JSE-listed company, is Africa’s largest private education provider and a continental leader in quality education, training, skills development, and placement services. The Group reports its performance in a segmental structure reflecting the Schools and Tertiary as two separate education divisions, and Resourcing as the third division. ADvTECH’s Schools division comprises 9 brands with more than 108 schools across South Africa and the rest of Africa, including Gaborone International School in Botswana, and The Makini Group of Schools and Crawford International in Kenya. It owns 9 tertiary brands, across 32 campuses across South Africa and the rest of Africa. ADvTECH’s 8 resourcing brands places thousands of candidates annually, assisting graduates to make the transition from the world of study to the world of work.

Engineering has long been a popular field of study for school leavers, because of the high demand for qualified and experienced professionals in this field, the diversity of options within the field, and the interesting and varied nature of life as an engineer.  However, contrary to the road to career success for prospective engineers of the past, study options have increased dramatically from the historically limited public university offering, and those who are interested in this field should ensure they consider all their options so as to align their chosen branch of engineering with their personal goals, as well as their ability to make an immediate an positive contribution in the workplace, beyond mere academic and theoretical knowledge, an education expert says. “The specifics of admission requirements for various institutions vary, but it’s safe to say that if you are great at maths, physics and chemistry and have a good command of English or the language of instruction of the institution, engineering is an excellent and sustainable choice of study,” says Neil Manson, Head of School: Engineering, Science and Health at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider. Manson notes that perceptions of a career in engineering can be quite limited, but that it is worth noting that the day-to-day life of an engineer – whether in public or private sector - incorporates many different facets depending on specialisation, which can include: Designing materials, components, systems or processes, Planning the capacity and location of infrastructure, Investigating, advising and reporting on engineering problems, Improvement of materials, components, systems or processes, Managing or operating plants and processes, Managing implementation or construction projects, Implementing designs or solutions, Research, development and commercialisation of products, Education, training and development of engineering personnel, Postgraduate studies, research and teaching. “Furthermore, students who graduate with an Engineering degree have valuable and sought-after knowledge, skills and attributes that enable them to work and excel in multi-disciplinary projects and easily expand into other industries, such as banking, insurance, ICT and many others,” Manson says. Manson says the non-negotiable boxes that need to be checked when investigating which engineering degree to pursue and where, is to ensure that accreditation with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is in place and that the institution is accredited with the Council for Higher Education (CHE). “It is also then important, after those matters have been dealt with, to find an institution that has a close link with industry and that the curriculum is contemporary and updated. While engineers are in high demand, companies are also careful to scrutinise the quality of qualifications, an institution’s reputation for producing work-ready graduates, and the likely ability of a graduate to consistently perform at the highest level. “Engineering is a complex field and engineers carry a lot of responsibility – sometimes life and death responsibilities - on their shoulders. So it is important not only for satisfying employer demands, but also for developing and empowering yourself to be able to fulfil your duties with confidence, that you find an institution and qualification where the classes are small and you can receive individual attention that goes beyond just covering the theory. “Ask prospective higher education institutions for a tour of their campus facilities, and look out for up-to-date facilities and laboratories, inspiring campus grounds, and modern programme design.” Prospective students should also enquire about a faculty’s focus on sustainability, its level of industry engagement, its focus on real-life communities in its curriculum, its focus on entrepreneurial development and the extent to which it provides its students with collaborative research opportunities and industry interaction. “Engineering is a tremendously rewarding career and opportunities will continue to grow locally and globally even during tough economic times. Matriculants with the academic ability to be successful, and a keen interest in the field, would do well to investigate their opportunities and find the perfect fit within the field for them, as well as the right institution to develop them holistically and help them get ready to contribute upon graduation.”

When considering the quality of a child’s education, one of the chief motivating factors when choosing schools remains the likelihood that a specific school will allow a child to perform at the highest possible level. One of the best measures to adjudicate this is to see how many As and distinctions the school produces annually in Matric exams.  This metric is a vital and objectively verifiable insight into the performance of students at a specific school, and the degree to which a school is committed to academic excellence, helping to tirelessly support students to progress to their best achievement. However, when choosing a school, parents should not only evaluate the school’s academic track record, but also its commitment to instilling and developing those crucial skills which will help students to become empowered and self-actualised in future, an education expert says. “If it wasn’t clear before, it should be abundantly so now: in the knowledge economy, success in education and life requires substantially more than just academic performance,” says Desiree Hugo, Academic Head: Schools Division at ADvTECH, Africa’s leading private education provider. “Schools must also strategically be focused on students’ holistic development, their personal growth, and the degree to which they are able to harness their personal strengths and unique talents – on top of ensuring they perform optimally in their exams.” Hugo says it is imperative that schools focus not only on academic development, but also on global competencies, mastery of which is non-negotiable for future success. These skills can be divided into five categories: Thinking Skills, Research Skills, Communication Skills, Social Skills, and Self-Management Skills. Each of these key areas are broken down into specific focus areas and age-appropriate outcomes, which are continually revisited from Grade 000 to Matric, thereby progressively developing students’ abilities and enabling them throughout their educational journey. “These skills should not be viewed as an addition to the academic curriculum, but instead as presenting a fundamental change in approach to teaching and learning,” says Hugo. She says under the traditional approach, many students’ potential was not allowed to come to the fore, as too many schools amounted to little more than educational factory operations. However, by focusing on core global competencies and the development of transferrable skills, young people are being empowered to live up to their unique potential and enter adult life armed with the abilities they will need to conquer life’s challenges. “Consider what the world looked like 12 years ago. We can all agree it does not look like that anymore. Now consider what the world will look like in 12 years’ time when today’s Grade Ones leave school. We simply cannot know. What we do know however, is which skills will equip them to the greatest degree possible, regardless of what that world might look like. “Considering an uncertain future, skills like resilience, empathy, critical thinking, and problem solving are clearly crucial components of a holistic education.” Hugo says it is therefore imperative for all role-players in a child’s education – schools, teachers, parents, and communities – to embrace the need to move forward in the way education is viewed, rather than remain fixed in the old-fashioned paradigm of assessment and reporting as the only measure of a student’s success. “Performing well academically clearly remains essential, in terms of accessing scarce study and employment opportunities locally and globally. However academic success on its own is no longer sufficient to position one successfully for an uncertain future. A holistic education today requires much more than excellent test and exam performances, it also requires preparing children for the future demands, and therefore we need to embrace additional new measurements of excellence in education.”

As Matric mid-year exams kick into high gear this week, it is important for students to get an eagle’s eye view of the significance and importance of these exams – to provide them with perspective regarding the assessment’s role in the greater scheme of their final year, as well as their prospects post-Matric, an education expert says. “Matric students often tend to look at final NSC exams and think that is the big one on which all attention should be focused, but that is only part of the story,” says Nola Payne, Senior Head of Programme at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider. “In fact, Matric mid-year exams have a unique significance in the big picture and should not be viewed as merely a trial run for final exams, because it plays its own medium to long term role – in various ways - in the outcomes and prospects for Grade 12,” Payne says. She says the mid-year exams will be more demanding than any exams written before in one’s school career, and provide a good indication of what will be expected from students in their finals, while also providing valuable insights into how they should approach the rest of the year. “The mid-year exams allow students to hone their skills as well as identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding,” says Payne. She adds that in addition to serving as a dry-run for finals, students writing mid-year exams should also keep the following in mind: 1) YOUR MID-YEAR PERFORMANCE IS IMPORTANT Mid-year marks are important primarily for two reasons: firstly, because they contribute to a student’s year mark and secondly, because they can use these marks to get provisional acceptance when they apply to a university. This means learners must do as well as they possibly can in these exams, to hedge their bets should they face unexpected challenges later in the year. Learners who did well in Grade 11 can already use those marks to apply for higher education, but ultimately an institution will only give final admission based on final marks, and Matric mid-year exam marks contribute to these. Performing well in your mid-years also gives you a confidence boost as you move into the final stretch of the year, because you can focus your effort where it is really needed, rather than having to keep working on parts of the curricula that you should already have mastered. 2) BUT… YOUR MID-YEAR PERFORMANCE IS NOT THE FINAL WORD ON YOUR PROSPECTS Although a good mid-year performance is undoubtedly tremendously beneficial, not doing as well as you hoped does not signal the end of the road. It should be kept in mind that after the mid-years, you still have several months to throw everything at your studies and that with focus and a concerted effort, you can substantially improve your performance towards the end of the year. In this respect, your mid-years will provide valuable insights for you to use when strategising the rest of the year. With the help of your teachers, tutors and school support systems, you can use your performance to develop a framework for the rest of the year to ensure that you address those areas you found challenging and which impacted negatively on your performance. It might also be that your mid-years show definitively that your plans for next year might need some additional consideration. If, for instance, you wanted to do a qualification at an institution for which you are most definitely not going to qualify no matter how much time and effort you put in, you are now able to objectively consider your plans and devise a new strategy by researching your options and speaking to student support services at higher education institutions. This will allow you to take the pressure off yourself if your vision was not aligned with reality, and help you to find a path better suited to your unique skills and strengths. 3) YOUR MID-YEAR EXAM SIGNALS THAT YOUR STUDY APPLICATION DEADLINE IS TICKING With the increased competition for tertiary study space, particularly for popular and respected institutions and qualifications, it is important that learners apply for higher education opportunities as soon as possible. This might not seem like a priority when studying for your exams, but if you are serious about pursuing studies after school it must not be left for much longer. Thousands of Matrics have already applied for higher education, and if you have not yet joined their ranks, you need to do so sooner rather than later. As the year progresses and the final exams start to loom, you will be even less inclined to spend time and energy on investigating your study options. It is therefore ideal for those who have not yet done so, to use their June holidays to go visit higher education institutions – whether online or in person by appointment – to discuss various offerings and their related career paths. When doing so, remember that it is also important to ask institutions about their post-graduate support and work-integrated learning components in their curricula. “This is a really exciting time in the educational journeys of students. Yes, it is challenging and the cause of much nervous excitement at times, but you are truly now putting the finishing touches on your school career as you prepare for the next part of your life and entering adulthood,” says Payne.  “As the saying goes, we need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, and this holds true for Matrics right now. You need to do your absolute best and focus right to the end during your mid-year exams, but at the same time you need to constantly review your strategy and adjust your path as necessary. You also need to consider how you are now walking towards your future, and put in place the building blocks to get there.”

The transition from Grade Nine to Grade Ten marks an important and eventful time in a student’s educational trajectory. One of the critical aspects of this transition is characterised by the selection of subject streams – coming up for all Grade Nines in the next few weeks - that essentially determine future study and career options, as well as a student’s performance in Matric.  But unlike previous years, factors that influence this decision have evolved post-pandemic, says education expert Philip Hlatshwayo, Head of Programme at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider. THINK LIKE A PROJECT MANAGER “Self-management is the one attribute or skill that has always been critical in a student’s academic journey. However, the need for this attribute intensified during the Covid19 pandemic, sparked by the sudden need for increased independence in academic work. The skills you gained during that time can now be harnessed when choosing subjects,” Hlatshwayo says. Similar to a company project, subject choice selection needs to be treated as a project, he notes. “A project generally requires a project management plan to be drawn up in order to ensure the success of the project. The critical aspects considered in any project are skills required, the knowledge required and strategies/techniques. “Subjects are no different and work in a similar model. That is, for each subject, a student needs to ask themself what skills am I required to have for this subject? The skills required for studying Physical Sciences will be different from the skills required for studying History. Self-introspection will therefore help you understand the skills you possess and can potentially develop.” What prior knowledge is critical for this subject? “There have been instances where students choose a subject such as Mathematics for which they lack basic knowledge and understanding that were supposed to be developed in the earlier phases. This leads to frustrations because of the requirements cast on the students once they get to Grade 10. “A critical reflection of the past grades and how you have handled the demands of a subject similar to the one you are choosing will save you a lot of time and stressful moments. But it should also be remembered that there is still time to develop competency in a core subject – with focus and hard work – if you are determined.” What studying strategies and techniques are necessary for this subject and do these strategies complement my learning capabilities? Hlatshwayo says students must consider the strategies and techniques needed to be successful in studying a particular subject. “For one student, thinking about various algebraic strategies in a Mathematics subject may come easy, for another, reading large quantities of History material may be preferred. There are areas in which we can excel and unleash our full potential if we think carefully about it.” Answering the questions above will be the first step towards understanding your starting point in this project of choosing the right subjects to support your future dreams. ACADEMIC SUPPORT Academic support involves various stakeholders such as your teacher, peers, family members, mentors and student support services at higher education institutions, who can help you in your journey. “As much as your teacher may help you with critical subject-related issues, you may at times need your mentor to help you establish the value of pursuing certain things in your academic journey and seeing the big picture,” says Hlatshwayo. “Student advisors at higher education institutions can further help you match your prospective subject choices to fields of study and career prospects. They are also able to guide you in terms of how the world of work has changed, and which skills will be in high demand by the time you finish your qualification. Using that information, you can work your way back to see which subjects you have to select now.” HIGH PERFORMANCE STRATEGY Armed with the information and approach as above, students should choose subjects that will both 1) leave them with a wide range of options and 2) allow them to perform to the best of their ability in their Matric exams. “Your subject choice should allow for gateway subjects such as core Maths and Science which will help you to keep your options open,” says Hlatshwayo. “If you struggle in these subjects, at least retain one of them and focus your efforts. Even if you are not yet confident, remember that you have three years to work hard and get a solid grounding – it’s not too late to rise to the challenge.” Students should also consider what makes them happy, he says. “Select one or two subjects which interest you and throw yourself into the pursuit of mastery. If you ‘are able to find your feet and enjoyment in a particular area, that bodes well for your future career and self-actualisation.” And finally, students should choose some subjects that will help them boost their final results. “Admission to higher education is performance-based, so having some subjects in the bag where you know you can shoot the lights out if you work hard, will very likely improve your chances of success when applying for further study after Matric.”