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JET Annual Meeting 2022 Programme

Celebrating 30 years of thought leadership and quality services in the education sector in South Africa and on the continent. The JET 2022 Annual Meeting will showcase JET’s unique contribution to education research, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation over the past 30 years. Cheryl Carolus, a one-time JET Board member, will deliver the keynote address. Programme for the 6th October 2022 JET Annual meeting.

Research Report Theme 4: COVID-19 lockdowns: can they help to govern the pandemic in Africa? Research Report Theme 4: COVID-19 lockdowns: can they help to govern the pandemic in Africa?

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The aim of analysis in this report is to develop a framework that helps to understand how governments have been responding to the COVID-19 attack on human societies. In the wake of the attack, government responses have become referred to as ‘lockdown’ strategies. A means of describing the intention of these lockdown strategies is through identifying what functions governments have been obliged to mobilise to meet the needs emerging from the COVID-19 attack on the health of citizens. The severity of the COVID-19 attack on health and government responses have impacted on almost all facets of the daily lives of citizens: in particular work, education, recreation and freedom of association.

Researchers in Pursuit Compendium report: South Africa report on COVID-19’s impact on education offers key lessons Researchers in Pursuit Compendium report: South Africa report on COVID-19’s impact on education offers key lessons

South Africa report on COVID-19’s impact on education offers key lessons. The Commonwealth Secretariat partnered with JET Education Services on the Commonwealth #ResearchersinPursuit Bootcamp. Findings and recommendations from the study have been published in a compendium report highlighting challenges such as gaps in early childhood development services, and disparities in digital literacy and access to internet and internet-enabled devices, which are key considerations in lockdown learning.

SONA 2020: Education Highlights

JET Education Services summarises some key points from President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address on 13 February 2020, Parliament South Africa.

Teacher Quality: The Preparation, and Utilization of Teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa

This book chapter outlines the preparation and utilization of teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs against the background of two related developments in schooling. First, regarding progress toward universal primary schooling, the United Nations has reported that the net enrolment rate in the developing regions of the world had reached 91% in 2015. In parallel with the expansion of access, there is a general disappointment in learning attainment. The argument that follows starts from the position that in order to optimize teacher capacity – a key determinant of school performance – the entire life cycle of the teacher should be considered, and the specificities of key nodes in the cycle elucidated in order to customize appropriate policies for each domain.

Understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on skills development Understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on skills development

Artificial intelligence has produced new teaching and learning solutions that are now undergoing testing in different contexts. In addition to its impact on the education sector, AI is substantially altering labour markets, industrial services, agriculture processes, value chains and the organization of workplaces in particular. Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) contributes to sustainable development by fostering employment, decent work and lifelong learning. However, the effectiveness of a TVET system depends on its links and relevance to the labour market. As one of the major drivers of change, there is a need to better understand the impact of AI on labour markets, and consequently on TVET systems. In certain middle- and higher-income societies, artificial intelligence is already deeply immersed in legislation and governance, policy, state expenditure, the private sector and national economies. In these cases, TVET institutions are presiding over the ‘hollowing out’ of intermediate level skills and the direct integration of AI into education and training. Contrastingly, many TVET institutions have yet to form meaningful or robust responses to technological shifts. Regardless of context, all TVET institutions should develop an understanding of the current and future importance of AI and begin to incorporate its use into their planning. Forward thinking and, where possible, pre-emptive action, will put TVET institutions and their graduates in a position to thrive in the era of AI and contribute positively to economic, social, and individual development.

Research Report Theme 1: Education at Home Research Report Theme 1: Education at Home

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic The main purpose of Theme 1 was to study the home educational experiences of families during the lockdown in South Africa precipitated by the onset of COVID-19. A subsidiary purpose was to provide young researchers with experience in conducting a qualitative investigation and to develop their skills in the relevant techniques.

Researchers Challenge: Theme 1 Infographic Researchers Challenge: Theme 1 Infographic

Education for Sustainable Development and COVID-19 in Southern Africa. Intersecting perspectives on why water, food and livelihoods matter in transforming education for sustainable futures.

Research Report Theme 11: Building Back Better- Teacher choices in action: An enriching supplementary module for ‘Teaching Practice’ in 2020 and beyond Research Report Theme 11: Building Back Better- Teacher choices in action: An enriching supplementary module for ‘Teaching Practice’ in 2020 and beyond

A group of teacher educators, drawn from a range of HEIs, have formulated a practice-focused module that can be used towards a partial fulfilment of Teaching Practice requirements. The module, called “Teacher Choices in Action” draws attention to an essential but often ignored dimension of student learning during their school-based placements. The module presents to students sets of choices that teachers need to make in every lesson they design and teach. These choices revolve around how teachers conceptualise and work with knowledge, how teachers work inclusively with learners and how teachers support learner engagement with the content.

Theme 2 Research Report: A comparative study on the response of NPOs in education to the COVID-19 pandemic Theme 2 Research Report: A comparative study on the response of NPOs in education to the COVID-19 pandemic

Education Researchers Respond to The COVID-19 Pandemic. The main purpose of the research was to investigate how NPOs in education, as a valuable stakeholder group in the education ecosystem, were responding to the worldwide COVID-19 crisis, with an emphasis on those operating in South Africa. A secondary purpose was to make recommendations for long term changes essential for the future sustainability of NPOs.