News 17:00

BULLETIN 25 September 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Provincial Education Departments face a funding crisis over the next three-years
# Schools are hiring matriculants amid teacher shortages
# And cricket: England test captain Ben Stokes is open to white ball return under coach Brendon McCullum

# The Department of Basic Education warns that provincial Education Departments face a severe funding crisis over the next three-years. The department believes with increasing learner numbers and stagnant budgets, many provinces will struggle to maintain current staffing levels and essential programmes. Briefing the media on budget cut developments, minister Siviwe Gwarube says five provinces are struggling to cover their budgets for the 2025/’26 financial year:  

Meanwhile, the Governing Body Foundation has reported that some schools facing teacher shortages in critical subjects are hiring recent matriculants to teach. CEO Anthea Cereseto highlighted this issue during a parliamentary inquiry about recruiting qualified teachers in under-served areas. While not ideal, she argued that recent matriculants with strong math skills might be better suited than unqualified teachers. The Department of Basic Education acknowledges ongoing challenges in retaining qualified educators and commits to monitoring vacancies in rural areas.

# Emergency medical services have confirmed that one body has been recovered at the Broadwalk Urban Village complex in Midrand, Johannesburg. This follows a fire that erupted last night. EMS spokesperson Xolile Khumalo reported that the victim’s body was found under a collapsed roof. It is believed that the fire started in the victim’s unit. Khumalo says investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing as authorities work to assess the damage:

# United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised the growing number of governments and groups that act without facing consequences, citing wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. He condemns how they violate international law, invade countries, and neglect their own people without repercussions. Guterres highlights how civilians bear the brunt of these actions, with rising death tolls and shattered communities. He also warns that conflicts like those in Gaza and Lebanon could escalate, while calling for unified efforts to address these crises.

# Cricket: England Test captain Ben Stokes says he would be willing to return to the white-ball setup under new coach Brendon McCullum. McCullum’s appointment as head coach across all formats came after a two-year period of having separate coaches for white and red ball formats. The New Zealander will take charge of the limited-overs sides when England tour India in January. Stokes retired from one-day internationals before returning for last year’s World Cup, and last played a T20 international in the World Cup final in November 2022.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-14-cents and the euro at 19-rand-21-cents. One British pound costs 22-rand-98-cents and Bitcoin trades at 63-thousand-516-dollars-21-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-663-dollars-83-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 74-dollars-10-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….