South Africa

JOHANNESBURG - Three education unions have proposed the establishment of a social contract with other partners in the sector to improve education. "The aim would be to establish all schools in South Africa as centres of excellence, or, at the very least, demand that schools must draft a realistic plan of action to improve the quality of education within the shortest possible time," the unions say. The National Association of Professional Teachers of South Africa (Naptosa), the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) and the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie (SAOU) represent 312 000 teachers. They are banding together in the belief that further delays in improving the state of the country's education cannot be afforded. "Only a true all-encompassing partnership between dedicated and committed roleplayers will ensure success in education," they say. The less-than-satisfactory 2009 matric results underline the necessity for urgent intervention. The unions are committing themselves to addressing teacher absenteeism, implementing timetables before the start of the school year and acting on unprofessional conduct. They are calling on the education departments nationally and provincially to commit to, besides other things, providing a curriculum, managerial infrastructure and competent education mentors; developing and presenting in-service training courses; and developing remedial steps to support underperforming schools.

PRETORIA - The safety of the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa should not be linked to the attack on Togo's soccer team in Angola, police commissioner Bheki Cele says. Speaking in Pretoria after returning from Angola, Cele gives assurances that all security measures are in place to host a safe soccer World Cup in June. "We realised, [after the terrorist attack] that the gaps that could have been noticed were closed in South Africa. We are really fine." Referring to the link made to the World Cup after the attack during the African Cup of Nations, Cele says: "The mood is a bit down but, immediately, it is about 2010. It is a little bit of Cabinda, [where the attacks took place], and a lot about 2010." Cele says the bomb blasts on commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, in 2004, and the 2005 terrorist attack on London's transport network had no bearing on the soccer World Cup in Germany, in 2006. Cele says it is unfortunate that Togo's team, which comprised some players from English teams, withdrew from the tournament. "It does give credence to terrorism for officials to say: ‘Succumb'. I would have loved them to continue. There is a history of sport and terrorism." He adds that, while some players had wanted to continue, government pressure forced them to withdraw.

Africa & the world

KHARTOUM - In what sources say is a procedural move before the first multiparty elections in 24 years, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has retired as commander-in-chief of the army, the State media says. "President Omar Hassan al-Bashir issued a decree retiring [himself as] the commander-in-chief of the armed forces," State news agency SUNA says. It mentions no replacement. "This decree and the timing of it can be read in the context of his nomination . . . for the Presidential elections," one source in the Presidency says. Another adds: "This is only because of the elections - it is just a procedure." Elections to Parliament and state governorships will be held at the same time as the Presidential vote.

TUNIS - Africa must push into Asian markets to support economic growth because the effects of financial crises in the US and Europe may drag on for two years, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says. In a speech at the African Development Bank (AfDB), in Tunis, Stiglitz says that some African governments are still incapable of managing their natural resources in order to accumulate the reserves they need to resist the global economic downturn. The AfDB forecasts that Africa's economic growth will accelerate to as much as 6% this year from around 4% in 2009 owing to a revival in investment flows and commodity exports that dried up in the global slump.