educationlatest news & developments
Suspended University of Fort Hare vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu. Photo: Supplied

Fort Hare council split deepens after VC’s suspension

The University of Fort Hare faces a governance crisis after vice-chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu was placed on precautionary suspension. Councillors warn of contested authority, procedural strain and risks to institutional integrity in the Eastern Cape university

Suspended University of Fort Hare vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu. Photo: Supplied

‘Mr President, you failed me’ – University of Fort Hare corruption fallout reaches Ramaphosa

Vice-chancellor professor Sakhela Buhlungu has been suspended and now faces disciplinary action, despite a report that allegedly found no wrongdoing. The move has reignited scrutiny over corruption, violence and power struggles at one of South Africa’s most storied universities

University of Fort Hare insiders said the “knives have been out” for Professor Sakhela Buhlungu
 since his efforts to
clean up the university have led to several investigations by the Special Investigating Unit.

University of Fort Hare vice-chancellor placed on precautionary suspension pending disciplinary process

The council cites seriousness of allegations and risks to institutional governance after forensic investigation. The VC had alerted the council to the ‘misstep’ and sought to rectify it

“While Africa watches war, the real disruption is unfolding in supply chains, finance, labour and education — dividing the digitally prepared from the rest of the world”. Photo: Supplied

While Africa watches war, the real divide is digital

While global tensions play out in real time, their lasting effect will not be measured only in territory or political outcomes. It will be measured in how economies are reshaped, how systems evolve and how people are positioned within this reality

“While Africa watches war, the real disruption is unfolding in supply chains, finance, labour and education — dividing the digitally prepared from the rest of the world”. Photo: Supplied

While Africa watches war, the real divide is digital

While global tensions play out in real time, their lasting effect will not be measured only in territory or political outcomes. It will be measured in how economies are reshaped, how systems evolve and how people are positioned within this reality

A total of 537 young people graduated as certified real estate practitioners at the Durban International Convention Centre, a ceremony that marked the completion of the KwaZulu-Natal Real Estate Training and Placement Programme

Services SETA’s real estate transformation drive graduates 537 youth

A total of 537 young people graduated as certified real estate practitioners at the Durban International Convention Centre, a ceremony that marked the completion of the KwaZulu-Natal Real Estate Training and Placement Programme

Whizz kids: The 2025 cohort of the National Science and Technology Forum’s Brilliants Programme. Photos: National Science and Technology Forum

Top pupils get wings to help SA soar

Through the NSTF Brilliants Programme, a group of top maths and science learners are becoming tomorrow’s problem-solvers, innovators and leaders

EARNING ROBOTICS: :Xoliswa Mahlangu, head of digital learning and technology at Sifiso EdTech (left) and Shoprite Foundation director Maude Modise, watching pupils at Siyifunile Secondary School in Mpumalanga learning robotics. Picture: Supplied

Robotics lab launched in Mpumalanga school to boost digital skills in rural classrooms

The Shoprite Foundation and the Development Bank of Southern Africa have jointly funded a robotics laboratory in Dullstroom to expand access to coding and digital education for learners in under-resourced schools

Roedean  school

Forensic probe finds leadership failures at Roedean School as board chair resigns

Concerns raised by a number of students prior to a tennis match were not managed through appropriate leadership processes

The Services Sector Education and Training Authority and the University of Cape Town have launched a one-of-a-kind facility aimed at strengthening African-led scientific capacity in skin health.

Service SETA, UCT launch skin care hub

The Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have launched a one-of-a-kind facility aimed at strengthening African-led scientific capacity in skin health. The Africa Research Institute for Skin Health (ARISE) Building is a pioneering African-led, multidisciplinary hub for research, training, and skills development within UCT’s Division of Dermatology. […]

Roedean  school

Roedean school principal quits over sports row with King David

The school said it acknowledged that the school’s cancellation of a tennis match against King David earlier this month ‘were deeply hurtful to the Jewish community’

Legislative reform: Minister Buti Manamela has his eye on modernising higher education law, which he says
has barely shifted since the late 1990s. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Engineering the next 50 years

Inside Minister Manamela’s high-stakes plan to rewrite the rules of higher education

ESTEAM building on campus

Beyond matric results: what meaningful education looks like in a changing world

Each January, matric results dominate headlines across South Africa, offering a snapshot of academic performance at the end of a long schooling journey. For many families, these numbers matter deeply, symbolising years of commitment, sacrifice and hope. Yet, as the world young people are entering becomes increasingly complex, the national conversation around education is slowly […]

Concerned: As top students celebrated their matric results this week, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, below, highlighted structural
challenges facing the system. Photo: Department of Basic Education

Stagnating matric maths pass rate a sobering reality

The declining rate reflects deep-rooted challenges that begin in the early school grades

Excellence: Durban Star College’s top-performing Class of 2025 matriculants celebrate their academic success after an exceptional results season. Photos: Supplied

Top learners reveal drivers of success in NPO-run schools

Excellence less about last-minute cramming and more about consistency, discipline, emotional resilience and strong support systems, they say

Star pupil: Imani Ravhulani. Photo: Midstream College Ekurhuleni

Top achievers buck national trend

Among them was Imani Ravhulani, who attained 10 distinctions

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announces the 2025 matric results. Photo: Department of Basic Education X account

KwaZulu-Natal tops 2025 matric results with 90.6% pass rate

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the notion that 30% constituted a pass mark was political sloganism

A record 98.31% of Grade 12 learners passed the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations administered by the Independent Examinations Board

IEB records 98.31% pass rate in 2025 matric exams

Nearly nine in 10 of Grade 12 learners who wrote examinations administered by the Independent Examinations Board qualified to study for a university degree

Read right: Archie Mbolekwa Primary School teacher, Hlakanipha
Archie Mbolekwa Primary School teacher, Hlakanipha Gxekwa, received support from Funda Wande to implement daily phonics lessons, guided reading, and writing routines.

Mother-tongue education is failing

The numbers tell a politically uncomfortable truth. A survey of all Grade 4 children in Makhanda’s no-fee public schools this year found that 51% of isiXhosa learners taught in English can read for meaning.  However, for those taught in isiXhosa — despite it being their mother tongue and despite decades of policy emphasising the value […]

Success story: Children in Sobral participate in reading time. Sobral has undergone a transformation from one of the poorest places in Northeast
Brazil to a municipality that regularly hosts visits to schools regarded as among the best in Brazil. Photo: Centre for Reinventing Public Education

The politics of literacy

In November 2025, the R50 million Funda Uphumelele National Survey (FUNS) delivered the first comprehensive measurement of early-grade reading in all official languages. The findings confirmed what researchers suspected: only 31% of Grade 1 learners can identify 40 letter-sounds per minute — the minimum threshold for reading readiness. By Grade 3, 15% cannot read a […]