The ISASA Polcy Department has published the Policy Bulletin for August 2010. The Bulletin is an overview of recent government policy and its implications for independent schools.

The August Policy Bulletin contains updates on protection of personal information, safety at sports and recreation events, the Competition Act, the Companies Act and several other pieces of legislation.

The Bulletin has been emailed to all members and is also available for download.

Over the past two years, the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) has conducted ground-breaking research into a highly significant development in South African education, namely the growth of low-fee private schools catering for poorer sectors of the population. 

Private schooling for the poor is a global phenomenon which is gaining momentum in developing societies such as India, Pakistan, Chile, Ghana, and Colombia but its emergence in South Africa has been insufficiently recognised.

While still on a smaller scale than in other developing societies, this is an important development, with far-reaching implications. How big is this sector? Can it help to relieve the challenges facing the public schooling system? And should the public do more to recognise this sector and encourage its growth?

The full report and executive summary are available on the CDE website.

The ISASA Maths and English (M&E) Programme will admit its 5th cohort of pupils into Grade 10 in 2011. Almost 500 pupils have been admitted to the Programme over the last four years.

ISASA is currently tracking the first programme group who wrote the National Senior Certificate in 2009 and is pleased to report real success stories. Many are enrolled for exciting tertiary studies such as Medicine, Actuarial science and B Sc.  

Applications are now invited for the 2011 cohort. The Application Form is available for download.

Eligible applicants must be black learners in Grade 9 this year, have good marks for English, mathematics and physical science and meet the means test requirements of the Programme. They should also currently be in a school where their chance of achieving might not be realised. 

The closing date for applications to reach the ISASA office is 27 August 2010.