For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: DBE proposes single national school calendar; Academic says South Africa should not hand over G20 presidency to the US; And, US considering sanctions against Nigeria

DBE proposes single national school calendar

The Department of Basic Education today called for “national alignment” in education as it set out proposals to scrap the staggered reopening and closure of inland and coastal provinces with the establishment of a single national calendar for all provinces.

The department’s proposed amendments to the School Calendar Policy aim to modernise existing policy by removing “outdated” provisions and aligning the calendar-planning process with current operational and curriculum-delivery imperatives.

The department said a new section replaces the cluster-based chapter, outlining principles for determining term dates within a unified national framework.

The policy proposes that all schools open in the third week of January to ensure a consistent system-wide curriculum rollout.

“The requirement for the school year to start on a Wednesday is retained; educators must report two days earlier. References linked to staggering and traffic management are removed to strengthen coherence,” it explained.

The department stressed that the school calendar is a core planning instrument for the basic education sector.

Academic says South Africa should not hand over G20 presidency to the US

Columbia University Center for Sustainable Development director Jeffrey Sachs has suggested that South Africa not hand the G20 presidency over to the US.

US President Donald Trump has declined to attend the G20 in South Africa, stating that no US officials will participate in any G20 discussions.

His reasons for boycotting the event range from his disapproval of South Africa’s so-called racial policies and the expropriation without compensation law, to concerns about the inclusive globalist agenda promoted at the G20, which does not align with the Trump administration’s more nationalist “US-first” approach to policy.

Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the US had changed its position and was considering attending the event after all.

However, this was contradicted a few hours later when US press secretary Caroline Levitt stated that Ramaphosa was “running his mouth” and that the White House “did not appreciate that kind of language”.

She confirmed that the US had not altered its stance on attending the G20, but that a US Embassy official would be present solely to accept the handover of the presidency and would not participate in talks.

And, US considering sanctions against Nigeria

The United States is considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and religious freedom, a senior US State Department official said.

Nigeria is under scrutiny from US President Donald Trump, who in early November threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country. Nigeria says claims that Christians face persecution misrepresent a complex security situation and do not take into account efforts to safeguard religious freedom.

The Trump administration is developing a plan to incentivise and compel the Nigerian government to better protect Christian communities and improve religious freedom, said Jonathan Pratt, the senior official leading the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs.

He explained that this plan will consider US State and Treasury engagement on sanctions, as well as possible Department of War engagement on counterterrorism, and other efforts to protect religious communities.

He added that Washington was primarily looking at security provided to the Nigerian government and how it is deploying assets, as well as the sharing of information and intelligence.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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