Heinrich Böll Stiftung

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.

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.

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.

Crisis Coalition in conjunction with Restoration of Human Rights (ROHR) Zimbabwe held a constitutional meeting this week at Mamina growth point in Mhondoro Ngezi, Mashonaland West province. More than 80 villagers attended the meeting, including councilors from various wards. The meeting is part of the ongoing meetings being held by Crisis coalition to stimulate debate around the envisaged constitution making process.

Windows to change - Over the past five years, Luhlaza Senior Secondary School in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, accumulated more than 500 broken windows. Pupils and teachers accepted this as an unpleasant reality. They shivered through winter, complained to one another and stuck pieces of cardboard over the holes.