Perspectives #02/2011: The Power to Participate: Building Feminist Influence in Africa Inequality remains a lived reality for many women across Africa. The articles brought together in this edition of Perspectives reflect on the strengths and shortcomings of strategies for fostering gender-responsive political governance. pdf
Equal Education March for Minimum Norms and Standards for School Infrastructure On March 21 about 15,000 to 20,000 learners, parents, community members and activists marched to Parliament to remind Minister Angie Motshekga about her promise of adopting minimum norms and standards for school infrastructure by 01 April 2011.
EE recommendations make big impact on Amendment Bill In February 2010 Equal Education (EE) made a written submission on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill in response to a call for public comments on the Bill. EE made eight specific comments and recommendations on the Bill. The amended Bill, now titled "Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill 2010" incorporated seven out of EE's eight recommendations.
Equal Education turns three Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the founding of Equal Education (EE). In three short years EE has grown from a small organisation of a handful of committed members to an organistion with full-time staff, several thousand youth members and countless other South Africans who support and associate with it. See a message from their coordinator, Doron Isaacs on this auspicious occasion.
The Commission for Gender Equality and Civil Society: Reconceptualising Partnership and Accountability On September 23 2010 the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS) and the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) hosted a dialogue on the state of the CGE. The seminar aimed to provide a forum for the Commission to liaise with civil society on the challenges the organisation has confronted, and moreover, to encourage reflection on what kind of partnerships between the Commission and the sector would in the future assist each to achieve their goals.
Equal Education participates in public hearings on delivery of quality education and access to education On the 25th of May Equal Education (EE) participated in public hearings on delivery of quality education and access to education hosted by the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education in Parliament. 60 learners from EE were in attendance as EE raised critical issues with regards to the improvement of access to basic education such as infrastructure, and functioning school libraries.
Double Jeopardy: Foreign and Female (May 2010) Against the backdrop of the pervasive culture of violence in South Africa, ‘it is ironic that xenophobia has been represented as something abnormal or pathological. Xenophobia is a form of violence and violence is the norm in South Africa. By Romi Sigsworth
Submission to Portfolio Committee on Basic Education – Comments on How to Improve Basic Education This paper deals with the broad basic infrastructural needs and backlogs faced by many South African schools, which include the supply of water; sanitation; electricity; libraries; laboratories and computer centres. There still exists major inequality in access to basic resources in our schools. This is reflected in the disparate results between poor and privileged schools, with the latter performing better across the board.
We can't afford not to - Costing the provision of functional school This paper pursues three closely related objectives: to review the field of international and local research which, particularly over the past two decades, has pointed to the positive causal relationship between functional school libraries and improved learner outcomes; to contextualize the current state of affairs in South African schools; and lastly, to provide detailed cost estimates which can be used as the basis for a comprehensive implementation plan.
SA’s ‘incomes-based’ education system perpetuates inequality IN LONG Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela places enormous hope in education. “Education is the great engine of personal development,” he writes. “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm- workers can become the president.” Many people know this quote.
