The View Point

We zoom into the online school environment which has remained unregulated for several years now.  However with the profusion of virtual schools shooting up in response to the Covid environment, the Department of Basic Education is now urgently taking steps to implement policy and regulations to facilitate accreditation, quality and legality of virtual schools.

We’re in conversation with Ari Katz, CEO of Boston Online High School, and he provides insights into SA’s edtech school environment, the current unregulated space, how regulations will impact on virtual education and the implications for schools in addressing systemic education challenges in SA.

Title:                          [• Mr.]

Name:                        [• Ari Katz]

Position AND org.:   [• CEO of Boston Online High School]

Siva Gengan is the CEO of LegalWise South Africa. LegalWise is a values-

based organisation whose purpose is protecting the legal rights of its Members – whoever the transgressor, through affordable and accessible access to the justice system.

IShe holds a B Proc; LLB and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance and Compliance. Siva is an Attorney, Conveyancer, Notary Public and Certified Director.

She’s an advocate for progressive private organisations that walk the talk regarding gender-based violence; and she holds a firm belief that even though story-telling is a powerful tool it will take more than talk to eliminate the scourge of GBV.  

Title:                           [• Ms.]

Name:                        [• Siva G]

Position AND org.:   [• CEO of LegalWise] 

Title:                          [• Mr.]

Name:                        [•  Patrick Shai]

Position AND org.:   [• Gender activist, actor and father]

We turn our attention to President Ramaphosa’s state visits to various African countries. Not only did the visits cover talks on bilateral trade within African countries, but President Ramaphosa and his African counterparts addressed issues surrounding covid-19, travel bans and the vaccine apartheid.

Title:                          [• Ms]

Name:                        [• Leanne De Bassompier ]

Position AND org.:   [• Journalist and news corresponded ]

As widespread misrepresentation and forgery of academic qualifications, skills and fraudulent certifications are hampering governmental and civic service delivery through fraud and under-performance, a South African venture builder is looking to solve these issues with blockchain-based certification.

Title:                          [• Mr]

Name:                        [• Lee Chana ]

Position AND org.:   [• Co-founder of Certtin]

While distance learning has for years embraced digital platforms, the take up of online learning for the schools and universities was astronomical. Parents and children have adapted to change resulting in many learning platforms aiming to renew their traditional teaching methods to deliver dynamic, relevant and practical curriculum that reflects current attributes.

Switch eDu Online has announced that the 2022 program of its online school is bringing a fresh new approach to learning. Established in April 2021 through its Switch Saturdays free maths tutoring platform, Switch Edu Online will offer a curriculum for foundation, intermediate and senior levels and will welcome its first academic cohort in January 2022 starting with Grade 1-8 followed by Grade 9 in January 2023 and Grade 10-12 in January 2024.

Title:                          [• Ms.]

Name:                        [• Nicky Blumenthal]

Position AND org.:   [• Communications Specialist at Edu Online]

Ambulance workers including paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians work very dangerous jobs. They handle combative patients, have physically-demanding responsibilities, and are exposed to harmful substances every day.  The South African Emergency Personnel’s Union (SAEPU) has raised concerns about the

government’s readiness to deal with the fourth wave of covid-19. Their concern is triggered by the number of deaths and positive cases reported per day recently, and reports that the country has crossed the 3 million mark of positive cases.

They are also worried about the shortage of Ambulances and PPEs as they have dealt with the challenge during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd waves.

Title:                          [• Mr.]

Name:                        [• Mpho Mpogeng]

Position AND org.:   [• President of the South African Emergency Personnel’s Union (SAEPU)]

Obstetric violence is violence that occurs against pregnant or birthing individuals and includes physical, emotional, psychological, and even sexual violence committed by healthcare practitioners, such as doctors, nurses and midwives. This term is by no means a new term. Literature on obstetric violence in South Africa has existed since 1997, with a Medical Research Council study of maternal health services in and around Cape Town, and yet there is very little public awareness of this phenomenon.

Julie Mentor joins us now and she’s the leader of the Embrace Mothers Movement. They advocate for the priorities of early motherhood and one such priority is ensuring that mothers have equal access to compassionate and good quality healthcare before, during and after pregnancy. Over the duration of 16 days of activism, they are centering their focus on the stories of mothers and their experiences in the maternity ward.

Title:                          [• Ms]

Name:                        [• Julie Mentor]

Position AND org.:   [• Leader of the Embrace Women Movement]

We’re talking about funding constraints for land reform in the country, especially with the current ongoing debate on the passing of the Expropriation Bill. The outbreak of Covid-19 and a challenging economic environment which has resulted in budgetary cuts and re-allocation of resources to other priority areas, has impacted negatively on the country’s land reform programme. 

We’re in conversation with Peter Setou, Chief Executive of the Vumelana Advisory Fund, a non-profit organisation that helps land reform beneficiaries to make their land profitable through the facilitation of Communal Private Partnerships (CPP) between land reform beneficiary communities and private investors. 

Title:                          [• Mr.]

Name:                        [• Peter Setou ]

Position AND org.:   [• Chief Executive of the Vumelana Advisory Fund]

We turn our attention to Snake Nation - a disruptive social media platform that aims to create employment for African millennial creators and allow them to access the $2.2-trillion Global Creative Economy.

They have also fostered strategic partnerships with the All-Africa Students Union which is an umbrella organisation representing students at all levels across 54 African countries. This partnership has founded college societies in Africa with access to over 8 million Multicultural Millennial creators across 2800 University campuses. 

Snake Nation and the All-Africa Students Union are working directly with all the student governance bodies across the continent to empower and equip students with the necessary skills for the 4th Industrial Revolution via a number of events every year including workshops, music concerts, movie nights, poetry sessions, gaming tournaments, business pitch sessions and hackathons.

Title:                          [• Mr]

Name:                        [• Tshitso Mosolodi ]

Position AND org.:   [• SA Director for Snake Nation ]

Abalobi is an innovative fishing app which exists to save South Africa's small-scale fishermen who are are fighting for survival. Big companies dominate the industry and fish stocks are in decline. Now the Abalobi app connects fishers directly with the consumers, also creating a market for local fish species.

Title:                          [• Mr]

Name:                        [• Dan Smith ]

Position AND org.:   [• Marketplace engagement manager at Abalobi ]