Hi Salimata
Thanks for the introduction
to your school. I note with interest that Your class size average
is about 50 learners per class. This is becoming the norm in South Africa
as well and educators are complaining about these 'huge' classes affecting
the quality of education. How do educators at your school cope with 50
learners in a class? Maybe the rest of the Youth Voices group could share
an introduction to their school, including class sizes. I teach at Alexander
Sinton High School (www.wcape.school.za/sinton) in CapeTown, South Africa.
It is a historically disadvantages school with most of our learners coming
from working class families with high unemployment. We have 1200 learners
and 36 educators, including the principal. Our subjects for grades 10-12
include: English, Afrikaans, History, Geography, Mathematics, Art, Ballet,
Economics, Business Economics and Accounting. Learners can select 6 subjects,
including English and Afrikaans. In Grades 8 and 9, all schools in South
Africa offer the following Learning Areas: Languages (English & Afrikaans
at our school), Economic Management Science, Social Sciences, Art and Culture,
Technology, and Mathematics. All our grade 8 and 9 learners are involved
in Outcomes Based Education, a new education philosophy introduced into
South African education in the past 4 years.
ICT has a rich history
at Alexander Sinton High School in that we have piloted 3 new technologies,
specifically a Microsoft and a Linux Thin network as well as Wireless Internet
Connectivity. All our learners participate in ICT, which is integrated
into their subjects and learning areas.The focus and outcomes of this project
is encourage learners to familiarise themselves with the legislative process:
how laws are made, to participate in this process through discussing an
issue related to youth in
particularand then
find an opportunity to present their views to a legislative body.
In South Africa, we
have a Public Participation Committee which encourages public participation
in the legislative process. Is it possible for the public in your country
to address the legislature (at a local,
provincial or national
level) and comment upon a Bill before it is signed into law?
Could you briefly
describe how laws are made in your country. Is there a websitefor parliament
in your country?
How does the public
know which laws are being discussed in parliament at any point in time?
Although this project
starts at the end of September, it would be useful for the co-ordinating
educators to introduce themselves, their school environment, their countries
as well as the legislative process in yourrespective countries. When all
learners return from vacation, we can encourage them to send a group introduction
to each other and have them explore the legislative process in their respective
countries.
The World Summit on
Sustainable Development (www.josummit.com) is taking place in Johannesburg
at this point in time. It would be useful for our learners to look at this
website, if possible and explore what they perceive to be important issues
which they would like to discuss, address and formulate a position on.
Later this position will be presented to the other participating groups,
then to a legislative body within your country. Later we will try to get
these views presented to an international body like
The United Nations.
It would have been wonderful to present these youth voices to the
World Summit but our timing will not allow this to happen, unfortunately.
The focus at this summit is really about 'How can we live in harmony with
the environment, other human beings and animals so that there is a future
for the next generation?'
Each group will
be required to look at this issue from your own perspective within your
own part of the world. As far as possible, learners could be encouraged
to communicate in their mother tongue / lingua franke and the co-ordinating
educators will be required to translate this into the mother tongue of
the various participating groups, using a translation tool like Babblefish
in www.Altavista.com.
I look forward to your responses.
Thanks
Reza Bardien
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