Hola MaHigh-School - August 2022

Volume 11, Issue 8, August 2022

Hola MaHighSchool

Contents Augus 02 School Calendar 03 Poem for June 06 Editor’s letter 08 Contributors 10 Holler at us 11 Funding an education - how?

12 AngloAmerica - Committed!

14 Bursaries, loans and more 16 Funding - a student perspective 22 Funding of art - how? why?

26 Funding models - student views

Contents t 2022 30 Working while studying? possible?

36 NSFAS and TVETs 38 American pizza in Italy!

40 Subsea cables for internet 46 The world of gaming 50 Colours - the world of impressions 54 Writing successful applications 56 It is Movie Time!

58 The Month of September 60 We need writers 62 Next Issue

Funding It is time to look at funding of further education.

We all know the big one - NSFAS - but there are also other funders out there.

One thing to always remember is that the funders are there to disperse money. They are not there to just say ‘NO’.

This time we have several articles on this subject.

TVETs can also be funded by NSFAS and we have personal views on what funding is or should be.

Of course we also have the lighter things. One article I had great joy writing was ‘Pizza - Italian or American?’ That sounds trivial, but read on and have a giggle.

Science is many things and this time we look at the latest in ‘connectivity’. The new sub-sea cable tying Africa into the rest of the world with cheap internet coinnections.

These things are funded by Facebook and Google!

Do we like to play video-games? I think we all have a few games on the cell. It is a massive huge market and we dive into the world of online gaming.

Plenty of things as usual Good read!

Sybil Otterstrom Editor and CEO

Want to be a contributor?

Wanting to write like a pro?

WE

You CAN! look firther and see how you can become one.

are the

Contributors

... and it is a good feeling to entertain and inform.

Masiziba Hadebe is doing her Master’s Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS). She is driven to make a change and is a passionate volunteer for community projects. She loves reading and writing about science, agriculture and anything in between.

She believes you can wear a smile whatever the weather!

I am Marcia Ramodike from Limpopo Tzaneen at lenyenye. I am an author when not studying. I am passionate about writing and i live to give hope and wish to change the world. I love reading and in most of my time i write. My favourite book is ‘Her Mothers Hope by Francine Rivers.

And we are honoured to also have industry-views from: Edith Wynne-Trollip: Curriculum Support and advise, Overberg District Ashalia Maharajh: Founder & Director, Sivuka Consulting (Pty) Ltd Thozamile Mvumvu: CFE Programme Manager, False Bay TVET

Artvilla Dakamela, 22, another wizard from the literature world, he is an Accounting student at the University of the Free State. He has written for the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) amongst others. He currently resides in Durban KZN - and is a very enthusiastic reader and writer.

My name is Molatelo Kate Kgatla, I’m 24 years old.

I was born and raised in Lenyenye. I’m a grade 2 teacher at Vunza Teddy Bear Learning Academy, an author of a book titled her jouney as a young mother. I became a mother at 17. It influenced me to write about my personal journey to try and help someone that could be going through the same. I love writing and I love my 7 year old daughter and life.

Lesly Malose Mahapa is a singer/writer/poet. He started writing at the age of 14 and has since been on a journey to pursue his music and writing career. Lesly is currently working with an indie group ‘MozSouth’ based in Ivory park, Midrand. Lesly is also a brand ambassador for a local clothing line “Boi Boi apparel”

HOLLER AT US

Hola MaHighSchool

Editor & Publisher Sybil Otterstrom sybil@romele.co.za Advertising sales Next level Management services cc 011 614 5046 076 360 1792 sybil@next-level.co.za Publishing Romele Publications cc 32 Eleanor street Troyeville 2094 011 614 5046/076 360 1792

facebook. com/ holamahigh

Enquiries Romele Publications cc 32 Eleanor Street Troyeville 2094 Production and Art Direction Ivan Otterstrom ivan@romele.co.za

Twitter.com/ high_hola

Funding, bursaries and so on It is time to start looking at what next after high-school. No way out of that.

It also means that unless you are getting employed but choosing to get an education in a specific field, funding might be of essence.

Doing an education (whichever one it might be) might not lean itself into having a part-time job and thereby earning an income that enables a life while studying.

It is also hard to rely on mom and dad, who may not have the means as well.

This issue is looking at real issues in funding an education. We have industry-views, comments from university students and much more.

There is one thing we can recommend: do your research! Look at what you want to do and then look at the bursaries and funding options available within that industry. It might be a surprise to see how many options are out there.

And rest assured: the one who can spot the options can be the lucky recipient.

Always remember: the funders are there to fund things, not to say no to things and keep the money in a box!

AngloAmerican – committed to education We attended a presentation

by AngloAmerican, where they presented their commitment to education support in South Africa.

AngloAmerican is one of the biggest mining houses and they are investing in education in the areas where they have mining activities.

We are talking real commitments and when we look at the results and targets, we believe that this is something that we should all know about; hence this article.

The information is from the accompanying press release from the presentation.

The AngloAmerican support falls in two phases, where phase 1 has now been completed. The presentation was about the commitments and targets for ohase 2.

However, let us just look at the phase 1 achievements: • R500 million invested through 109 schools and 110 Early Childhood Development Cetres (ECDs) • 220,000 students supported • 3,000 teachers supported • All 109 schools connected The results speak for themselves:

• • •

8 out of the 32 schools performed in the top 30% Average math pass rate went from 47% to 60% in 2021 80+ local suppliers supported, creating 120 direct jobs.

What is amazing in this regard is the commitment to the community in which AngloAmerican is working. It is not enough to just build a school. The running costs and the stationary and all things must also be supplied on a continuous basis. This is where the local community comes into play via creating local suppliers and working with these.

Phase 2 is just as impressive: • R510 million investment • 84 schools and 80 ECDs to be supported • 2,500 teachers and 180,000 students to be supported • All schools to be connected But what will it boil down to? The goals are: • 90% of learners aged five meet the requirements for school readiness • 90% of grade 3 learners passing with at least 50% in numeracy and literacy • 75% of grade passing with at least 50% in math and English • 90% matric pass rate with 50% university entrance marks • 65% of grade 12 passing with at least 50% in mathematics It does not stop there as the non-curriculum things like school gardening, sports, career guidance and parent involvement is a part of it.

The time frame is to have it implemented by 2027.

AngloAmerican: take a bow!

Bursaries, scholarships … and loans It is time again (as always) to look at how to fund the dream education. There are many different ways of ensuring that financial hardship is not stopping prospective students in achieving an education.

The newest is that NSFAS now also funds TVETs. NSFAS is probably the first major funder which will cross anyone’s mind. Surely NSFAS is the biggest but there are also strings attached. NSFAS is supposed to be paid back (though not for loans after 2018) and that might pose problems for students.

Bursaries and scholarships will typically not have any pay-back clause, except….if they are there.

Loans are very straightforward. Apply, get accepted, study and pay it back (with lower interests).

It is all good and dandy if there are no deviations in the mainstream study. However, changing tack in the middle of things might pose a problem. Try to go

from studying law to astronomy and see what will happen.

There may be academic expectations attached.

Courses must be passed, failures may have sanctions.

Some bursaries may also have a clause where it is expected of a student to work in the company providing the funding for a shorter time.

All in all. It is not so easy to figure out. But remember: the funders interest is to assist students. Their job is to disperse money. They want to help you!

On the (very) bright side should be mentioned that a bursary should enable a student to focus on the education and not having to also work (many) hours to keep body and soul together.

The added pressure of work during studies can get many students to give up. Many good reasons, but the lure of ready-money is a factor.

It is possible to quote many deficiencies in any funding model and it is hard to find the optimal one.

The good advise is therefore to investigate funding structures and to ensure that any application is backed by a desire to get on with it.

It is late to start in grade 12 with this. Start looking from grade 10/11 and also to go to open-day’s at institutions.

The axiom of ‘a plan is better than no plan’ probably holds true.

Get on with it!

Funding: Importance and Challenges Becoming an adult, and becoming independent in life, takes a lot of responsibility. It takes getting out of our comfort zone and beginning to work towards pursuing our dreams. Our dreams, however, may require us to be in possession of a higher educational qualification, and these qualifications are so costly they paralyze us.

It is often much easier to pursue dreams that are without charge, or when we receive financial aid that will lift the financial burden from our shoulders.

Funding is one of the factors that require immediate attention when considering going to university or college, it is the fuel we need in order to start our journey because, without fuel, we will not reach our destination.

It may be offered by the college or university we are applying to, corporations, foundations, and some other organizations. The total amount of funding, expenses funded and whether the funding has to be reimbursed after studies, varies from organization to organization.

It is crucial to go through, alternatively, ask the donor to explain, the terms and conditions of a bursary funding so you will understand the obligations linked to the funding. The common obligations connected to bursaries are: •

• •

Some bursaries require reimbursement after studies (i.e., student loans). This can be in the form of cash repayments, or you will simply need to work (i.e., Internships) for the donor for a specific number of years.

Maintaining a good academic record. You can lose your monetary support if you flounder in academics, hence why you need to get out of your comfort zone and be academically committed.

Some financial aids cover a certain portion of your studies, and the remaining costs are your responsibility.

Although it may seem apt to avoid applying for such bursaries, limiting your options may lead to not being accepted by any bursary, whilst not being able to reach your destination.

My advice to you: Apply for as many bursaries as you can and write a list of all these bursaries in descending order (from most preferred to least preferred), the outcome from the top of the list determines whether you should remove the bottom list from consideration. Remember that it takes responsibility to be successful.

Bursaries, partial or full funding, are essential because they lighten the financial burden of acquiring a higher educational qualification, giving you the chance to participate fully in university life and the taste of independence.

Artvilla Dakamela

In 1999, The Freedom Park Patron- in-Chief, Dr Nelson Mandela said: “the day should not be far off, when we shall have a people’s shrine, a Freedom Park, where we shall honour with all the dignity they deserve, those who endured pain so we should experience the joy of freedom.”

Freedom Park was launched officially on 1 June 2000 to drive the conceptualization and construction of the nation’s Freedom Park. This project would belong to the nation entirely

It would be a place where the nation could come to heal, to debate and to come to new understandings. Moreover, it would be a place of reconciliation and nation building, a place where the nation would learn to focus on that which unites us, instead of being blinded by that which separated in the past.

It would be a place where stereotypes would be exposed and obliterated. It would launch the nation on a route of healing, of acceptance and forgiveness. It would be instrumental in reconciliation and nation building, in opening up and exploring new avenues of social cohesion. It would be the heartbeat of all that is South African.

Last year we celebrated 20 years of our existence and indeed it is a phenomenal milestone as we become a major visitor attraction capable of securing substantial numbers of visitors locally, nationally, continentally and internationally.

As we celebrate 20 years of our existence, Freedom Park to the many who may not have experienced a visit here will understand that this monument is issuing a call to all South Africans to embrace, respect, promote and develop those human rights enshrined in our Constitution to build a true non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.

The vision of Freedom Park simply but clearly stated is to be a leading national and international icon for humanity and freedom. This, by its very essence, indicates an undertaking that Freedom Park was established to mark, celebrate and symbolise the world’s struggle – past, present and future for humanity, equality and freedom.

The Park adds to the critical mass of internationally known attractions in Gauteng and brand Tshwane as a cultural tourist destination.

Underpinning the objectives of Freedom Park is the articulation of an inclusive, multifaceted heritage that will represent, in a visible, experiential and interactive manner, South Africa’s national consciousness, thus substantiating its culture and deepening its identity.

Freedom Park proudly houses award-winning structures that enthrall national, continental and international visitors with their splendor, originality, matchless design and a wealth of information on African history, culture, heritage and spirituality.

The key elements include: Isivivane, the sacred, misty space where the spirits of our fallen heroes and heroines have been symbolically laid to rest; S’khumbuto, the memorial, with the aware-inspiring 697metre-long Wall of Names inscribed, to date, with approximately 143 000 names of those who made the greatest sacrifice so that we could have the freedom that we enjoy today; Eternal Flame, ensconced within the shimmering waterfalls, represents the unknown and unsung heroes and heroines; Gallery of Leaders, the 700m² indoor space that displays extra-ordinary national, continental and international leaders who brought about qualitative leaps in the struggles for freedom and humanity.

To date 44 such exemplary leaders are honoured in this space; Uitspanplek, the picnic area with its breathtaking view of the capital Pretoria / Tshwane skyline; and //hapo, our museum where the story of Southern

Africa dating back 3.6 billion years unfolds in a narrative and interactive manner. //hapo also features the Pan African Archives and the Library, which serve both as the storage bases of accessible materials and books on the Pan African and diasporic struggles for freedom and humanity.

Freedom Park was thus called upon to contribute to healing the land and its people. But the Park would also do more than that. It would be a place of national and continental pride. For more than five centuries the history, culture and spirituality of this continent has been suppressed, distorted and silenced.

Freedom Park addresses these silences and distortions, not to seek a ‘glorified’ past, but to ensure that South Africa and the continent is placed on par and recognized as a contributor to the global history, culture and spirituality. From the outset, it was understood that this could be achieved only if we as Africans tell our story in our own voice and develop the means of knowledge production that takes into account African knowledge systems.

In terms of reaching out to the nation the critical factors that have attributed to social cohesion and nation building is the optimal awareness of the Park. We have our very own in-house Radio Station Veteran Voice Radio Station which broadcasts world-wide. We also have Radio Freedom equipment which is housed here at Freedom Park.

Ms. Rogini Govender

Chartered Public Relations Practioner (CPRP) Marketing and Communications Officer

Funding of art ... but what is art anyway?

Funding of art is always a very sensitive issue to debate. There are so many opinions abut this, but let us try to look at a few myths and facts and concerns.

This article is then much more of raising questions than providing some answers. Maybe there are no ‘right’ answers after all.

Art funding is always loaded with subjectivity. Anybody can have an opinion about what art is. It is vastly different from funding science and technology research. Nobody can argue with facts about science because it is ‘factual’.

The perception is as well that science is ‘good’ and can immediately advance humanity. Exploring Mars is ‘good’ because we can see and touch and it is there – factual.

It is hard to forward to same argument for say ‘graffiti art on a wall’. Is it advancing humanity?

Let us pursue this a bit further.

Research into pure math. Math for the sake of math. Here is an example: “The Banach–Tarski paradox states: Given a solid ball in three-dimensional space, there exists a decomposition of the ball into a finite number of

disjoint subsets, which can then be put back together in a different way to yield two identical copies of the original ball”.

Doesn’t make sense? It is proven mathematical. There is no known practical usage for this. Is it worth funding? Is it good? Does it advance humanity?

Let us now turn to art. Who defines what ‘art’ is?

Wiki says: “Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.

There is no generally agreed definition of what constitutes art, and its interpretation has varied greatly throughout history and across cultures.

The three classical branches of visual art are painting, sculpture, and architecture. Theatre, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature, music, film and other media such as interactive media, are included in a broader definition of the arts.

Is some art better than others? Is a van Gogh better than a mural by banksy or Sipho around the corner? Is graffiti art?

Just because I don’t like a painting style does it then not qualify as ‘art’? It becomes very emotional and that is where the bigger problem will rise: Who do we fund? And why?

Here is an example: Denmark had a poet who got a (biggish) income from the state because he was well liked by the ‘art council’. Was it fair? Not all people liked his poetry. So, he composed a couple of lines a year and had a good living, better than most. Was it ‘art’?

If we now look at music, it becomes even more ‘loaded’. The classical symphonic orchestra is surely art, but is it also ‘consumed’ by ordinary people or just the elite? Is the street musician doing ‘art’ or ‘noise?

So, let us get in on funding now.

Of course we have several companies and corporates (Nedbank being one of them) who is funding art.

They commission murals at head-offices and big paintings and all kind of things.

Their prerogative is to select what they will support. It is their money after all.

Not so with government money. Government cannot be selective as any selection is based on personal preferences rather than objective goals (science!).

Should we then support everybody?

There would not be enough money for that, would there?

National School of Arts (NSA) after all provides an education in terms of ‘art’. That means there can be a reference point.

We can turn to the government department (Department of Arts and Culture) who after all provides some funding.

National Arts Council has the following (from their website): “Who is eligible for funding?

To enable our vision of vibrant, sustainable arts community that enriches lives through the free and creative expression of South Africa’s cultures / through strengthening artistic and cultural creation, groups or individuals can apply for funding.

The major funder of arts in the broadest sense in all countries is the lottery boards (National Lottery Commission – NLC).

These funds are typically exclusively for the things that cannot otherwise be funded.

From their website: “The NLC acts a catalyst for eradicating poverty and reducing inequality in South Africa, channeling 47% of its annual budget for distribution of funds to a range of good causes.

The Charities Sector receives the largest share of funds and covers a wide range of organisations in the social welfare, community health, literacy, and social development fields”.

It comes down to: What are we prepared to pay for an emotional experience?

Funding tertiary studies?

What can be changed?

South African universities can only accept 18% of matriculants. Within the 18%, almost half (47%) are expected to drop out. This figure rises to about 70% when Distance learning is accounted for. The first year of study becoming the year of fragility.

Additionally, access to adequate funding seems to be the problem facing many students across South Africa. To illustrate, every year, there are students who still owe higher institutions thousands of rands and will not be able to register before they repay their debt.

The funding situation also escalates during postgraduate studies when donors wish to pull funding from the institutions due to governance concerns.

Therefore, what can be done to help students fund their tertiary studies?

Student Salaries can be one solution. There can be a general student

salary. This general student salary can be funded like the Skills Development Levy (SDL), which is a levy imposed to encourage learning and development in South Africa.

The funds are used to develop and improve skills of employees.

However, this funding should not be restricted to being only funded by the levy but is open (and encouraged) to donors or relevant external support.

The funds, once collected, can be used to allocate funds to higher education institutions (HEIs) under performance outputs. For instance, it could be an “education performance component” which can be based on the number of credits, number of graduates and number of international exchange students; and a “research performance component” which can be partly a result-based allocation based on the number of publications.

Then there should be a general component funding which can be intended to support stability and selected priorities, such as the student salary, special needs for a variety of disciplines and subjects, special needs for different regions, and operating expenses (including tuition fees) and maintenance costs for buildings.

When it comes to the student salary, the salary can then be graded according to parent’s income (or brackets) but remaining market competitive (for instance, it can cover average rent, average cost of food, transport etc).

In conclusion, by introducing a student salary through a levy that is like a SDL, students can be paid salaries to cover their daily expenses while their tuition fees are covered as soon as they fall within the 18% of the students who are accommodated in the higher institutions.

However, there is more research that needs to be done, for instance, what a competitive student salary would be like and how costly it would be to roll out such a financing model.

Additionally, what governance structures along with regulations, monitoring and evaluation programmes are needed to make such a financing model successful along with any other challenges/negatives.

Masiziba Hadebe Did you know?

The NSFAS budget is some R49 billion.

SA has one million university students and some 700,00 TVET students.

Total university budgets are R88 billion.

Denmark offers free education also at university level. There are no tuition fees and a ‘student stipend’ ensures that students can get an education and start life without any student debts and has no clause of paying it back. It is funded from taxation.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREER Knowing yourself and your capabilities

Choo se Subj your ects

Care Plan er ning

eer Car ice o ch

For you to pursue your career choice.

You need to pass your Nationa l Senior Certi ficate!

The Eastern Ca pe Department of Education enco urages learners to choose suitable career path, by collecting inform ation that will he lp them pursue their career / field of study.

“it is in your hands “ - Nelson Rolihl

ahla Mandela

Sondlo & Knopp Advertising

This is a question we often hear: is it an idea to also have a part-time job while studying? Is it even possible to balance it?

There are many views on this, so let us start on the positive side: Having a job while studying will of course put extra money in the pocket.

That is also important as funding can be a problem. It can provide that little bit extra that makes it all worth it.

Sometimes it is a necessity. It may not be possible to stay at home while being at university. It can be due to geography or economic reasons. Then there is no way out of it: there must be some income coming in. That means a job.

What a job cand do is to prepare one for the ‘realities after education’. Get used to being an employee will make the transition from study to job so much easier.

It looks good on the CV. Job experience is a major factor in being selected to the jobs available.

I found some insights here Time management is essential. I quote: “Full-Time students usually only learn how to manage their time when they start to have to balance work with family; On the other hand, mothers who work while taking care of their children have mentioned that they are masters of time management; since they have limited hours at both work and home, they learn how to increase their productivity and maximise the amount of work they can get done” Working will be on the time work tends to and shift work, and to changes”. That your life.

Be aware of one also social individuthings like family work out time bemaintaining your healthy also:

employers terms: “Partrely on scheduling this can be subject can play havoc with thing: humans are als: “do not sacrifice and friends time or cause that is critical to work-life balance” and

“Ensure that you have a way to handle your stress in a positive way. Find a hobby that calms you down. Exercising has been proven to be effective in relieving stress. Find at least 30 minutes of your day to doing something you enjoy as a way to reduce the pressure of learning to work and study.

Good luck!

New Exhibitions

We added two new exhibitions to our collection on the floor.

The 4IR and Mirror Maze exhibitions

4IR Exhibition The 4IR exhibition currently hosts the Humanoids (two small ones and the big one called Pepper), Virtual reality Station, Augmented Reality and the interactive displays integrated with of a number of TV screens.

This concept is through the touch screen located at the entrance to the center. Interactive display section has been created where visitors are encouraged to use traditional touch screens to immerse themselves in games and content around Science Technology Engineering and Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

Children are provided with the opportunity to play games to train their analytical ability, improve their ability to solve puzzles and chal-

lenges. They are also challenged to explore more traditional content style, such as exploration of subjects including how Artificial Intelligence works, Machine Learning, how data transfers over networks etc.

Science Exploration While traditional science teaching has complex challenges around logistics, safety and costs. VR has none of these limitations. Experiments are done as often as needed with no physical costs of materials or safety concerns. Students can learn about physics and chemistry, life science etc. in a safe environment. Within VR learning occurs without any distract but with full immersion. Learning and understanding mathematics becomes easier and more fun inside of VR due to the nature of games and how they are designed.

This is designed to make learning and exploration real fun especially for little ones. Wide learning opportunities exist through this exhibition, children have many prospects to learn on, e.g. google earth exploration experience.

With Google Earth VR, children can travel to almost any place in the world. They can fly all over the world and explore any city, any monument and landmark anywhere in the world.The exhibition has two different types of humanoids the small one (called Sanbot Max and the Bigger one called Pepper).

The Sanbot Max robot was designed to be implemented into numerous kinds of business scenarios, providing customers and staff members with intelligent and efficient services.

Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot, which means that a human has to control it. It is designed with the ability to read emotions. Pepper recognizes faces and basic human emotion.

Drones and Mirror Maze Drones Pilots at the Clubhouse Did you know that the Clubhouse has three certified drone pilots?

They also have 10 DJI Tell drones that they will used for their drone course.

They are currently putting together content for the said course.

In addition, the Clubhouse offers programmes such as Teach Fundamentals of drones, real-life applications of drones: namely surveillance using object identification and tracking to videography for commercials and other media use.

This includes python programming that covers drone automation.

Mirror Maze Exhibit A mirror is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera.

Mirrors reverse the direction of the image in an equal yet opposite angle from which the light shines upon it. This allows the viewer to see themselves or objects behind them, or even objects that are at an angle from them but out of their field of view, such as around a corner.

Natural mirrors prehistoric times, water, but people turing mirrors out rials for thousands metals, and glass. metals like silver often used due to applied as a thin cause of its natuhard surface.

have existed since such as the surface of have been manufacof a variety of mateof years, like stone, In modern mirrors, or aluminum are their high reflectivity, coating on glass berally smooth and very

A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching patterns that lead unambiguously through a convoluted layout to a goal. The pathways and walls in a maze are typically fixed, but puzzles in which the walls and paths can change during the game are also categorised as mazes or tour puzzles Mirror Maze The mirror maze itself is a pattern, combining several characteristics of geometric patterns: repetition, symmetry and tessellation using repeated equilateral triangles. These triangles fit together without any gaps or overlaps, creating a tessellation. Mirrored surfaces all around reflect the pattern so that it repeats and appears infinite.

NSFAS and TVETs What is funded and where?

The big question is always: Does NSFAS fund education not at universities? It is correct that NSFAS is by far the biggest and most regulated of the bursary options.

And the answer is YES. TVET courses are funded, but not all courses at TVETs. This is important as TVETs may offer a variety of courses, so look out.

The information below is from www. careersportal.co.za/news/how-nsfasworks-for-tvet-college-students Which TVET programmes does NSFAS fund?

• Engineering Studies National Certificate -Vocational NQF levels 2-4 Report 191 N1-N6 • Engineering and Related Design; Electrical Infrastructure; Civil Engineering Construction; Information Technology & Computer Science • Business & Utility Studies National Certificate – Vocational NQF levels 2-4 Report 191 N1-N6 • Management; Marketing; Finance; Office Administration; Economics & Accounting; Education & Development; Hospitality; Tourism; Safety in Society and Transport & Logistics • Pre-Learning Programme (PLP) funding through NSFAS

What is included in the NSFAS bursary?

• Registration fees • Tuition fees • Personal Care Allowance of R2900 per year • Transport Allowance of R7000 per year • Accommodation Allowance; Accommodation in an urban area R24,000 per annum Accommodation in an peri-urban area R18,900 per annum Accommodation in an rural area R15,750 per annum If we look at the amounts, it does enable a student to focus on studying without the absolute need for a job in parallel. That is one of the major risks: we all like to have that extra and a ‘little’ job can take away from studying. Be aware!

And the other big question: Does NSFAS fund education at private colleges? The answer is NO. NSFAS is focused on public TVETs. The list of public TVETs was published in the last issue of Hola MaHigh-School.

Here is the link anyway. https://issuu.com/romele/docs/hola_mahigh-school_-_july_2021

About NSFAS The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is the government student bursary and loan scheme that receives its funding budget from, and reports to the Department of Higher Education and Training.

The scheme was established in terms of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act 56 of 1999. We provide financial assistance in the form of bursaries and loans to eligible students at public universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in South Africa.

We administer such bursaries and loans, and recover the loans from students once they have graduated and are employed. NSFAS also raises funds in order to increase the funding pool for student bursaries and loans.

Is pizza Italian or American?

It is not a simple question, really. Of course pizza is coming from Italy, but let us turn to the modern pizza – the one with tomatoes and cheese and so on.

We need only go back to 1890s in Italy to find the pizza we know today.

Next step was the first ‘pizzeria’ in USA and that was 1905.

First World War saw a lot of American soldiers in Europe and surely in Italy. They took their like of pizza back home.

Wiki says that the pizza market in 2017 was $128bn with $44bn in US alone. That is a US market share of some 34% of the total pizza market.

If we rank countries in pizza consumption per capita, we see something surprising. The ranking is Norway, USA, UK, Germany and then Italy (source: https://pequodspizza.com/blog/what-country-eats-the-mostpizza/ I got inspired by an article here Of course, in absolute numbers, US is far ahead of anybody. So it begs the question: is pizza Italian or American?

US is also the fast-food country of

note. So a big US player – Dominos Pizza – thought it would be simple to introduce US-developed pizza into Italy. Take-away, delivery, fast, tasty and variety. Should be simple.

That was 2015.

Reality is that Italians have an affinity towards freshly-made pizza and that means something from the local pizzeria. That should be overcome by delivery which has never been big in Italy. … and now comes Covid!

With lockdowns and restrictions, the little pizzeria at the corner had to do something. So they started delivering themselves and also signed up with the likes of Mr. D etc. Suddenly the major parts of the Dominos business model fell apart: Delivery and going beyond the traditional pizza.

But Italians still favoured the ‘home-made’ pizza from the little shop next door. And that they could now get, despite covid.

As much as Burger King and MacD are significant in any country, it would be logical to assume that pizza (here the biggest of them all, Dominos) should get a decent market share.

Dominos pizza is now out of Italy. Their partner is gone. No more American pizza in Italy.

Subsea internet cable I found an article here How do we connect? Even better: are we connected?

We might think that internet is just there, but it has to be connected to the wider world, somehow. The latest development is Equiano.

Equiano is the latest in internet cable technology. It is a massive undersea cable running from Portugal and ending in Swakopmund in Namibia. It has off-sets into Nigeria, Togo, St. Helena and will ultimately end in South Africa.

Each branch will connect to other local countries. The Namibian end will connect to Angola, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“The speed of the cable itself is 144 terabits per second, 20 times that of the previous cable serving the region and could increase internet speeds more than fivefold in some countries”.

What does it mean?

As parts of Africa has only a 25% penetration of internet in some countries but with rates comparable high, the cable can mean that we can close the ‘digital divide’. Rates can be reduced dramatically and with a higher percentage of people using the internet, meaningful skills can be taught. That alone can reduce unemployment.

Paratus Group (a stakeholder in this project).

Quote: “Some of the beneficiaries of that expansion are students. Paratus says it has installed internet connections in educational facilities collectively teaching over 10,000 students in Namibia as part of the EduVision program, which provides smartboards and e-learning technology to schools, particularly in rural areas” Who is the initial funder: Google. Google is investing $1 billion in Africa’s infra-structure.

Not only in connectivity but also in start-up companies.

Of course Google is interested in seeing the usage going up. Is it one-sided? I think it is a win-win situation. Who else can bring meaningful investments to Africa to these amounts.

Oh yes, there is more: Facebook is financing a 45,000 km subsea cable connecting Africa, Europe and Asia.

“Alan Mauldin, research director at telecoms market research firm TeleGeography, says demand for international bandwidth in Africa tripled between 2018 and 2021, and that by 2028, demand will be 16 times greater than it was last year”.

Africa can be a part of the world!

When did it start?

The first subsea cable connected UK and USA and that was in 1866.

Loads of problems and cable faults, so let us fast-forward to the 1880s and 1890s. Now the subsea cables are connecting USA, UK, Germany, Italy and France in a complex network.

In essence: the world economy as we know it was created and is still based on rapid communication between continents.

Let us turn to the modern-day subsea cables. Wiki: “Modern cables use optical fibre technology to carry digital data, which includes telephone, Internet and private data traffic.

Modern cables are typically about 25 mm in diameter and weigh around 1,4 tonnes per kilometre for the deep-sea sections which comprise the majority of the run, although larger and heavier cables are used for shallow-water sections near shore.

We may ask: why cable and not satellites? Wiki: “As of 2012, operators had “successfully demonstrated long-term, error-free transmission at 100 Gbps across Atlantic Ocean”

routes of up to 6,000 km (3,700 mi), meaning a typical cable can move tens of terabits per second overseas” That is hard to compete with.

Although a cable is expensive and the ships laying cables are specialized and also costly, it beats launcing a satellite. And remember: if a satellite malfunctions, there is no way of ‘repairs’. It is possible to fix a subsea cable after all.

“Currently 99% of the data traffic that is crossing oceans is carried by undersea cables. The reliability of submarine cables is high, especially when (as noted above) multiple paths are available in the event of a cable break. Also, the total carrying capacity of submarine cables is in the terabits per second, while satellites typically offer only 1,000 megabits per second and display higher latency.

The new cables are plenty: “In June 2021, Google announced it was building the longest undersea cable in existence that would run from the east coast of the United States to Las Toninas, Argentina, with additional connections in Praia Grande, Brazil, and Punta del Este, Uruguay. The cable would ensure users fast, low-latency access to Google products, such as Search, Gmail and YouTube, as well as Google Cloud services.”

“In August 2021, Google and Facebook announced that they would develop a subsea cable system, dubbed “Apricot”, for 2024 in order to improve internet connectivity, and serve growing demand for broadband access and 5G wireless connectivity across the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Indonesia” And there we have the ROI!

What is NSFAS?

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is a government entity under the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

What does NSFAS do?

Supports access to and success in, higher education and training for students from poor and working-class families who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost of studies at a public university or Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college.

• Provides financial aid to eligible students who are studying or plan to study at any of the 50 TVET colleges or the 26 public universities in South Africa • Identifies students who qualify for the bursary • Provides bursaries to students

Who qualifies for NSFAS funding?

• All South African citizens • All SASSA grant recipients • Applicants whose combined household income is not more than R350 000 per annum • Persons with disabilities with a combined household income of not more than R600 000 per annum • Students who started studying at a university before 2018 and whose household income is not more than R122 000 per annum

What does the NSFAS bursary cover?

• Registration • Tuition • Book allowance • Accommodation allowance • Transport allowance • Food allowance • Personal care allowance

Does the NSFAS bursary offer any additional support for students with disabilities?

Yes, NSFAS further supports funded students with disabilities through an additional allowance that covers: • Medical assessments • Assistive devices • Human support to cover for the cost of a caregiver, guide dog, scribe or tutor.

How, where and when can one apply for NSFAS? The 2021 application season will be communicated through media, social media and the NSFAS website www.nsfas.org.za.

Applications are submitted online through the NSFAS website: www.nsfas.org.za

To apply for NSFAS funding students must have a registered myNSFAS account.

If you plan to study in 2021 and require support from NSFAS, you may open your myNSFAS account now to keep updated with the latest funding information.

Connect with us using the following channels: National Student Financial Aid Scheme

myNSFAS

myNSFAS

NSFAS Connect: www.nsfas.org.za and log into your myNSFAS account NSFAS Connect gives you access to quick facts and frequently asked questions. Applicants and students can also submit and track a query for further assistance.

The Gaming Market - Massive Do we like to play video games? Have we got a game or two on the cell?

What do we prefer?

Gaming is a massive market, and it is growing rapidly. There are many good reasons of course, but let us look at a few of these. I have gleaned some info from many sources, like here and here.

First of all, where do we play the game? Do we hook up a device to the plasma and so on? Or … do we use the cell.

Let us look at a few numbers first.

The total gaming market is (2022 estimate) $222 bn. I think it only covers software downloads. What is remarkable is that the mobile (our cell) accounts for $136 bn of that. That is a staggering 61%. We may then ask ourselves, what happened to the X-box and so on? Still there, but not the preferred device. On the other hand, these devices were still selling at $40 bn.

Covid has had an impact on this. We have an entire world that moved across to relying on the cell. That moved into the gaming market and that is one single factor that triggered the growth.

Geographically it was China and the greater Asia that had the highest growth in spending in first quarter 2022.

What type of games are then popular?

Of course the ones with real-time feature and player-vs-player games. The typical game is PUBG mobile.

Open-world RPG saw the biggest growth in consumer spend and market share.

It may be surprising but female gamers took first prize in terms of spend.

What will surely happen is that mobile games will get more interactive and there will be many more preferences in terms of type of game.

If we look at the device, it is now clear that the cell is much more of an entertainment centre than anything else.

The demand for more features and more raw power (speed and memory) on the cell will drive the next revolution. The cell simply put has to be much more powerful without getting much bigger. It still needs to be hand-held.

What also drives this revolution is the advent of eSports. This is the more star-studded event, but the mobile gaming can be played anytime, anywhere and does not require more than a cell phone.

The top companies in the gaming world.

These are all from Wiki.

Tencent Games is the video game publishing division of Tencent Interactive Entertainment, itself a division of Tencent Holdings. The revenue in 2021 for the entire group was some $87 bn. Tencent head office is in Shenzhen, China.

In 2015, Tencent Games published a multiplayer online battle arena game Honor of Kings exclusively for the Mainland China markets developed by the L1 division of TiMi Studio Group, and by 2017 was both the world’s most popular and highest-grossing game of all time as well as the most downloaded app globally.

Krafton Inc. is a South Korean video game holding company based in Bundang-gu, Seongnam. It was created in November 2018 to serve as the parent company for Bluehole, founded by Chang Byung-gyu in Seoul in March 2007, and its subsidiaries. Notable games include TERA, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and New State Mobile. Turnover is $405 million.

VNG Corporation is a technology company, founded in 2004, specializing in digital content and online entertainment, social networking, and e-commerce. VNG focuses on four main businesses, including online games, platforms, digital payments and cloud services. Many key products developed by VNG have attracted hundreds of millions of users such as Zalo, ZaloPay, Zing MP3, and 123phim. The company is “Vietnam’s first ever unicorn start-up” according to The ASEAN Post. Revenue is some $263 million Mixi is an online Japanese social networking service. It was founded in 1999 and is owned by Mixi, Inc.. As of September 2012, Mixi had about 14 million monthly active users, with about 8.6 million of those on smartphones.

GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. They are primarily known for hosting the Japanese server of Ragnarok Online, as well as their development of Ragnarok DS for the Nintendo DS. More recently, the company has reported huge financial success thanks to its mobile game Puzzle & Dragons, which, in 2013, was reportedly responsible for 91% of the company’s $1.6 billion revenues for the year.

Roblox Corporation is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. Founded in 2004 by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel, the company is the developer of Roblox, which was released in 2006. As of December 31, 2021, Roblox Corporation employs approximately 1,600 people. Revenue is some $2 bn.

The best part is from Asia with China and Japan the biggest of them all.

Colours: How lucky we are as humans. We can see colour. But is it science?

Wiki (of course) would have something on it. Yes. Colour is science and it is not trivial.

“In the visual arts, colour theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. There are also definitions (or categories) of colors based on the color wheel: primary color, secondary color and tertiary color. Although color theory principles first appeared in the writings of Leone Battista Alberti (c. 1435) and the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (c. 1490), a tradition of “colory theory” began in the 18th century, initially within a partisan controversy over Isaac Newton’s theory of color (Opticks, 1704) and the nature of primary colors. From there it developed as an independent artistic tradition with only superficial reference to colorimetry and vision science.

OK, so colours are important, but we know that.

The most important problem has been a confusion between the behavior of light mixtures, called additive color, and the behavior of paint, ink, dye, or pigment mixtures, called subtractive color. This problem arises because the absorption of light by material substances follows different rules from the perception of light by the eye.

Most color effects are due to contrasts on three relative attributes that define all colors:

: indeed 1. Value, (light vs. dark, or white vs. black), 2. Chroma,[saturation, purity, strength, intensity] 3. Hue (e.g. the name of the color family:red, yellow, green, cyan, blue and magenta).

So we have warm colours, cold colours, tints, hues and monochrome, and much more.

But colours could also be in harmony?

“Color harmony is a complex notion because human responses to color are both affective and cognitive, involving emotional response and judgment.

The following conceptual model illustrates this 21st century approach to color harmony: Color harmony = f ( Col 1 , 2 , 3 , … , n ) & ( I D + C E + C X + P + T) Wherein color harmony is a function (f) of the interaction between color/s (Col 1, 2, 3, …, n) and the factors that influence positive aesthetic response to color: individual differences (ID) such as age, gender, personality and affective state; cultural experiences (CE), the prevailing context (CX) which includes setting and ambient lighting; intervening perceptual effects (P) and the effects of time (T) in terms of prevailing social trends.

And you thought colour was simple? It is SCIENCE!

Hola MaHi We just created our whatsapp group!

Why not join?

The group name is Hola MaHigh-School and you can chuck me a whatsapp on 076 503 1282 and you will get added pronto.

igh-School What will you receive?

We will have the monthly digizine in your hands via the link to Issuu. That is a quick way of making sure you can enjoy it in your own time. ` Info and more info We promise not to burden you with too much info, but if and when something great is happening (an article perhaps?) we will push it out to you.

Can I post as well?

Limited for now, but please feel free to whatsapp me on my office cell: 076 503 1282.

If it is relevant, we wil ensure it gets out there.

Writing successful applications Applying for a bursary or funding in general for your education after high school can be daunting task.

There are some common good advise, but it also depends on the funders requirements.

The first step is to look up the potential funder.

Who are they? What do they do? What have the funded in the past? Will the funding be suitable for you? Do your homework as you might otherwise waste your time.

Very often there will be a form to fill in. The more static information (name, ID, etc.) just needs to be compiled. And here is the first ‘hint’: do it properly. It might look ‘boring’ and repetition of what you have already done, but make sure it is there – all of it.

If there are pieces missing, it might be a show-stopper right there. In essence: if you cannot even complete a form, don’t talk to me about funding. That is reality!.

Then we turn to all the ‘creative’ stuff. The funders must know YOU.

Be honest in everything.

Some things might be less flattering than others, but it is what it is.

Honesty will always win the day.

I found some tips here I quote: The motivational letter should explain why you are in need of financial and how the opportunity will help you both financially and professionally.

A motivational application letter is very similar to a Curriculum Vitae cover letter as it states your goals, accomplishments as well as a brief description of your credentials.

• • • • • • • • • •

Be genuine when describing your financial need Be sure to include both the institution and course you are in Describe the goals you have (educational and future career prospects) Make the letter personal and not generic Ensure the recipient that you will meet all the requirements of the programme Use language that is professional and polite Be sure to include your necessary academic results and documents Enclose both the application form and its supporting documents Keep a formal tone with all your content Be precise One of the main things: whatever language you use, make sure that grammar is perfect and no spelling mistakes. Word has a spell checker and that is it!

Good luck!

It’s mov

All courtesy

Back at the bi of all kind of th few. Otherwise Three thousand years of longing Dr Alithea Binnie is an academic content with life and a creature of reason. While in Istanbul attending a conference, she happens to encounter a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.

This presents two problems. She doubts that he is real and, because she’s a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. Eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.

Screening: 2 September 2022

vie time!

y of NuMetro

ig screen. And it is a new line-up hings, but -- we can only mention a e look at the website. Good viewing.

Mrs. Harris goes to Paris The story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. After she works, starves, and gambles to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own outlook, but the very future of the house of Dior.

Screening: 30 September 2022

September is spring! Finally, winter is over and it is time to ‘smell the coffee’.

Just to put a smile on your faced, we found some strange thing about ‘September’, all from Wiki Eternal September is Usenet slang for a period beginning around 1993 when Internet service providers began offering Usenet access to many new users. The flood of new users overwhelmed the existing culture for online forums and the ability to enforce existing norms; hence, from the early Usenet point of view, the influx of new users in September 1993 never ended.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, Usenet and the internet were generally the domain of dedicated computer professionals and hobbyists; new users joined slowly, in small numbers, and observed and learned the social conventions of online interaction.

The only exception to this was September of every year, when large numbers of first-year college students gained access to the internet and Usenet through their universities.

These large groups of new users who had not yet learned online etiquette created a nuisance for the experienced users, who came to dread September every year, making it feel like it is always “September” to the more experienced users.

A tongue-in-cheek program called sdate outputs the current date, formatted using the Eternal September calendar (September X, 1993, where X is an unbounded counter for days since that epoch). This is not the identically named sdate, one of the sixty commands that comes with the First Edition of Unix, that is used to set the system clock. Named with similar humour is one of the few remaining free public Usenet servers: Eternal-September.org The Day of the Programmer is an international professional day that is celebrated on the 256th (hexadecimal 100th, or the 28th) day of each year (September 13 during common years and on September 12 in leap years).

The number 256 (28) was chosen because it is the number of distinct values that can be represented with a byte, a value well known to programmers. 256 is also the highest power of two that is less than 365, the number of days in a common year.

We will leave it at that.

We need writers!

Hola MaHigh-School is YOUR magazine. That is why we would love to see students writing for students about student life and everything of importance to a student in any grade10-12 across the country.

What is required? That is easy: You have to be in grade 10-12 somewhere Impeccable in your preferred language-and that might not be English. We try to be more than just English.

Passionate about your topic of choice - no dull articles here.

Do you get anything out of it?

Well, not money, sorrry. BUT if we publish your articles you will have: Your bio in a commercial magazine A photo of yourself You can put it all on your CV you can use us as a reference

Is it important?

YES it is.

Look what Rofhiwa said: My name is Rofhiwa and I love to write. I have used my skills to express my thoughts on international dealings of the world which have been published in Hola MaHigh-School.

It has paid off, not only is my work printed for young people in the country to read, but it also contributed to me gettng a bursary from CNBC-Africa to do my post-graduate studies.

Would be a lot harder to get by if I didn’t have a platform like Hola MaHigh-School.

Email

What me on

to do?

ivan@ ro name mele.co.za : Cell n u m b e E-ma r i ... and l address we wi ll talk !

Next Time...

We continue with our great advise - this time we will look at applications.

It is a recurring thing, really. However, there is a need to apply for something after high-school, be it a job, university, TVET or any other thing.

The trick is: what to apply for? and how?

Despite all of this serious stuff, it is spring. Summer is coming and with summer, year end is near.

We will look at the brigther side of it: What to do? and most importantly: can i travel somewhere, to a galaxy far, far away perhaps?

Music and films might take us there, and that is what we will look at. ... and a conspiracy if I can find one!

Until next time!

Coronavirus

Protect yourself

Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds How long is 20 seconds?

Hum the first verse of our national anthem: Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika

thebreadcrumbs.co.za

More info: www.health.gov.za

CLEAN HANDS SAFER LANDS