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ARTICLE: A RAY OF HOPE FOR THE RIGHT TO BASIC EDUCATION AMID THE RUBBLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Foter school kidsFor the last five weeks, the country has experienced a magnitude of violent protests at tertiary institutions in the #FeesMustFall campaign, which was reignited in September 2016 after the Minister of Higher Education and Training (the Minister) announced a cap of 8% increase in student fees for 2017. Government further proposed to subsidise students from households where the income is less than R600 000 per annum through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

At the time of writing, deadlock has been reached between the students and Government. At the end of September, the Minister stated that the destruction to property was already estimated to be around R600 million. According to a Cabinet statement made on 19 October, the subsidy alone will cost the Government an additional R2.5 billion.

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ARTICLE: THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES IN BUILDING INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES

Group Shot Rhodes EventOn Monday 25 July 2016, the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CFCR) supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), hosted a discussion at Rhodes University (RU) in conjunction with the Law Faculty as part of their running constitutional dialogue series. The aim of these discussions is to create a platform for conversation and debate about the Constitution and the values and rights contained therein. This discussion focused on the role that universities play in the building of inclusive societies, especially in the communities that they occupy.

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ARTICLE: YOUTH DAY – PAWNS IN ANOTHER’S BATTLE

Learners16 June – Youth Day – is commemorated annually in South Africa in remembrance of the schoolchildren who died at the hands of the apartheid police in 1976. The protests were in response to Bantu Education and the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. The movement spread like wildfire across the nation and this year marks the 40th anniversary of what is now referred to as the Soweto Uprising.

The Soweto Uprising serves as a reminder of the importance of education to young people. It is thus important to reflect on the significance of the day for youth and for education today. Section 29 of the Constitution enshrines the right to education and provides that “everyone has the right to basic education”. Basic education is covered in the years leading up to and including matriculation.

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CASE DISCUSSION: FEDERATION OF GOVERNING BODIES FOR SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS V MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR EDUCATION, GAUTENG AND ANOTHER

Foter school kidsOn 20 May, the Constitutional Court made a unanimous decision concerning the powers of officials in determining admission policies for schools in Gauteng in the Federation of Governing Bodies for South African Schools v Member of the Executive Council for Education, Gauteng and Another matter. The case concerned the validity of amendments to the Regulations for Admission of Learners to Public Schools in Gauteng (Regulations) which were promulgated by the Member of the Executive Council for Education, Gauteng (MEC) in 2012.

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The FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference

The FW de Klerk Foundation Annual Conference – hosted in conjunction with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung – took place on 31 January 2025. The theme of this year’s conference is: “South Africa’s Position in the World Today”.
 

 Esteemed speakers include Ambassador Andreas Peschke (Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany); Magda Wierzycka (CEO of Sygnia); Dr Harlan Cloete (Local Governance and Public Leadership – Research Fellow) and Johan “Rassie” Erasmus (Springbok Coach).