@jamesodonoghue
Active 1 year ago-
James O'Donoghue commented on the post, Is peer review a suitable evaluation method for accreditation purposes? 3 years, 10 months ago
Dear Hannes.
I totally agree with you. I have also investigated some of the American Accreditation Bodies – specifically for my fields – and I was shocked to see how draconian our system is in comparison.
Also interesting is that these Accreditation Bodies are not part of the Federal Structure but not-for-profit associations. There t…[Read more] -
James O'Donoghue replied to the topic The Strategic Objectives for Skills Development are Wrong in the forum Post-school Education & Training – including TVET 5 years, 3 months ago
Hannes, I cannot agree with you more. The absurdities that we experience on a daily basis at one of our public universities would be laughable – if it was not so absolutely heart-breaking. In the end, we do not move forward at all. We only go by checklists with no understanding and comprehension of the underlying foundation of education. I have a…[Read more]
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James O'Donoghue replied to the topic Extracts on RPL from Parliamentary Portfolio Committee deliberations on HE Amendment Bill in the forum Post-school Education & Training – including TVET 6 years, 3 months ago
Thank you, Sylvia for alerting us to this.
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James O'Donoghue replied to the topic The basic education Afrikaans text book is wrong. What to tell the children? in the forum
Basic and Higher Education 6 years, 8 months agoIt is an excellent solution for the simplex questions. For poems and literature interpretations the teachers complained that they did not have the time to teach both the correct version as well as the rubbish. The other problem is also that certain subjects have more than one incorrect textbook. So theoretically you could end up with more than…[Read more]
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James O'Donoghue replied to the topic The basic education Afrikaans text book is wrong. What to tell the children? in the forum
Basic and Higher Education 6 years, 8 months agoI had some inside information about the procedure of selecting potential textbooks for schools. It was a most horrifying and sickening “process”.
Three of my close friends that were excellent teachers, left the profession for exactly this reason. They said that they were tired of fighting the department about mistakes in textbooks and especially…[Read more] -
James O'Donoghue replied to the topic The burning issue of South African higher education in the forum Basic and Higher Education 6 years, 8 months ago
We were chased off campus this morning at TUT too. For several years these riots are happening around examination time. A coincidence?
When I discussed the issues of strikes and the almost inevitable vandalism lately, my management students were vociferously against such actions. What I could gleam from the conversations with them; they are just…[Read more] -
James O'Donoghue replied to the topic The difference between the legacy qualifications curriculum and the QCTO curriculum format in the forum Occupationally Directed Education, Training and Development Practices 6 years, 9 months ago
Dear Hannes.
As always very informative. Thank you.
Presently I am not directly involved with the QCTO qualifications but Karen’s response reminded me about something else.
Some years ago, although we (middle management) were willing and able to assist students with WIL opportunities, the issue of insurance in the workplace became an obstacle f…[Read more] -
James O'Donoghue replied to the topic Company Name – advice needed in the forum Learning Material Development 6 years, 9 months ago
Dear Louise.
Please complain to the DTI. I do not know whether Mr. Victor Makau is still the Corporate Specialist Investigator there, but his contact details are /were T.+27 (0) 12 394 1307 | F. +27 (0) 12 394 2307 | E.vmakau@thedti.gov.za -
James O'Donoghue replied to the topic How to end Poverty – Do not Confuse Education, Internships, and Entrepreneurship in the forum Post-school Education & Training – including TVET 8 years, 3 months ago
Sylvia, I am glad that you highlighted this “confusion”.
I also have a serious concern about the total absence of a relationship between the bragging about increased number of “enrolments” (sold, no less, to the public as a measure of educational success) and the fact that in spite of these increases, so many more jobs were lost.
An increas…[Read more] -
James O'Donoghue replied to the topic What causes the low level of health graduates from previously disadvantaged groups? in the forum Basic and Higher Education 9 years, 8 months ago
Dear Sylvia and Jacqui
I cannot agree with you more. Years ago, when I was teaching in the Eastern Cape, one of my colleagues, an excellent biology teacher, was quite renowned for his preparation of pupils for athletic field numbers. Someone asked him about his secret to his success. He answered, “I simply enter athletes, not cows.”
If our pupils…[Read more]