2023 Education Lekgotla Concludes With Great Plans for the Year Ahead
By Tshegofatso Makola
The Education Lekgotla took place on 26-28 January 2023. The annual event was held in Sandton this year with the theme of the event being “Equipping learners with knowledge and skills for a changing world post Covid-19 pandemic”.
The three-day Lekgotla saw discussions with various stakeholders to address issues in the curriculum, technology among others.
The first day saw President Cyril saw a Ramaphosa give an address to those gathered.
Speaking on the high unemployment among young people, Ramaphosa’s expressed his concern on this adding that “it is even worse if they are also not in education or training”.
Ramaphosa further expressed that building resilience and promoting success in basic education is a firm foundation for education.
The second day of proceedings saw presentations from experts as well as additional discussions regarding entrepreneurship and skills of the 21st century.
Day three, saw the feedback from the discussions held (commissions).
The key areas of the commissions include
- The transition from School to Work: Developing and Implementing a Modernised Curriculum for the 21st Century and Beyond
- Teacher Preparation, Professionalism and standard-setting, Governance and Well-being
- Education transformation through the use of ICTs post COVID-19
- Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL)
- Foundations for Learning: Getting All Learners to Thrive
With many new technical advancements that are emerging, Professor Nicky Roberts spoke on some of these including ChatGPT and the impact it will have on the classroom.
Roberts further expressed some challenges in the advancement of our education with the use of technology.
With many studies conducted, some of the speakers at the Lekgotla indicated the digital inequalities and other systematic challenges.
There was further emphasised when speaking on the role the department has on early childhood development and education, with Nuclear Physicist and Commissioner on the Presidential fourth IR, Nomso Kana, speaking on the importance of innovation and creativity on the early stages of education.
With time frames set for each plan discussed, the year is set to be a productive one for the Department of Basic Education.
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