Our week ahead 19 – 23 June 2017

Monday 19^th:  This week, Field Researcher Solanga Milambo is visiting various schools in Limpopo, as part of the #TextbooksMatter Campaign. Despite countless court appearances the Department of Education in Limpopo, has still failed to deliver textbooks to schools. Solly is set to investigate reports from various schools about textbook shortages. Solly will also use the week to gather new information on the state of sanitation in various schools in the province, to see what progress has been made, particularly for those schools who were on the Departments Sanitation plan, to ensure better sanitation for learners.

Tuesday 20^th:  Field Researcher Patrick Mdletshe and NSP review officer Vuyokazi Matiso are attending the 3^rd regional Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) learning and sharing conference, which will be held in Matsapha, Swaziland from June 20^th to June 22^nd. The theme of the conference is: “Why is a focus on SRHR critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals?”

Field Researcher Sifiso Nkala will embark on roadshow throughout the Msukaligwa district in Mpumalanga alongside Mpumalanga Treatment action campaign. Sifiso will be visiting various TAC branches across the district to for various audits as the TAC prepares for its upcoming congress.

Executive Director Mark Heywood will attend the “Leadership Engage: In conversation with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa” event at GIBS. Mark will be part of an audience that will engage with the Deputy President regarding critical issues affecting business, the economy and our country. The event starts at 3pm.

Wednesday 21^st: Eastern Cape Field Researcher, Fikile Boyce will be moving across various districts in the Eastern Cape to collect stories on the lack of Emergency Medical Services and Planned Patient Transport. This is part of our ongoing research into the state of emergency health care services across the province. Fikile will be in Sundays River valley municipality, Patterson and the communities in and around sea view farms.

Executive Director Mark Heywood is attending the Tekano Thematic Consultation discussion on issues of Health and Health care. Heywood will participate in a thematic discussion focused on Health and Health Care, curated jointly by Professors Laetitia Rispel and Steve Reid. The discussion will be hosted at the Wits School of Public Health, from 09:30 until 16:00

Thursday 22^nd: SECTION27 will be representing the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC) who will be intervening as amicus curiae in a matter in the Pretoria High Court.  The matter has been initiated by Sollidariteit Helpende Hand NPC (Solidarity”). Solidarity argues that the selection criteria for the Fundza Lushaka bursary scheme, which am to recruit aspirant teachers from rural areas who speak one or more African languages and agree to teach at any school at which they are placed on completion of their studies, constitutes unfair discrimination against white students.

The Minister for Basic Education and the Director-General for the Department of Basic Education as respondents have defended the bursary scheme as one that is fair and aimed at redressing past inequalities, as well as being consistent with its policies that emphasise the importance of mother tongue education and the acquisition of African languages for all learners.

The CASAC will support the position of the state in the justification of the scheme as a progressive measure justified not only by policy but moreover its obligations in line with the right to basic education enshrined in the Constitution. They argue that the state is obliged to ensure that there are sufficient teachers who are appropriately qualified to teach African languages in the foundation phase, and that the bursary scheme is an important measure in achieving this objective. The CASAC will also argue that any differentiation arising from the scheme does not constitute unfair discrimination.

Friday 23^rd: Catch Mark Heywood on Morning live, doing an interview on his recently launched book ‘Get up, Stand up’ The book explores Heywood’s various experiences in the fight for social Justice over the years. The book is available at all good book stores, online as well as from the SECTION27 Offices in Braamfontein.