‘Probe maths teachers’ qualifications’

As schools prepare for the start of the 2017 academic year, high school principals and teachers are faced with the daunting task of aggressively working towards achieving better maths and science results come December.

The province yet again failed to achieve a 50% pass rate in both of these major subjects.

In 2016, 39 564 pupils wrote the exams and only 14 826 passed – a pass rate of only 37.5%.

This was a very slight improvement, however, compared to the 2015 results where the province achieved 37.3%.

In 2014, the Eastern Cape had a 42.5% pass rate in maths.

Maths literacy increased marginally by 0.4%, going from 55.6% in 2015 to 56% last year.

Physical science increased by 3.7% compared to 2015. Last year, 27 534 pupils wrote the science exams and only 13 655 passed.

Accounting studies, however, has maintained a pass rate of above 50% constantly. In 2014, the province achieved 61.4%. In 2015 there was a drop to 52.2%, but last year the percentage climbed to 61.7%.

Education experts have recommended an investigation into maths teachers’ qualifications, stock-taking of school resources and stricter pupil admission as possible remedial actions.

East London-based education expert Dr Ken Alston said the problem could be starting from the foundation phase.

“We like to talk about matrics, but I think the problem starts much lower down, in primary school,” he said.

“You can’t get something right at the top if the foundation is not done right.

“If schools are not ensuring solid grounding in maths in the first nine years then they cannot expect the children to get it right once they get to matric.”

Alston called for an investigation into maths teachers’ qualifications as part of numerous remedial measures.

“The other issue could be poorly resourced schools,” he said.

This was echoed by another education expert, Dr Bukiwe Mbilini-Kuze, who works as a deputy chief education specialist at the Department of Education’s Fort Beaufort district.

She highlighted the frequent curriculum changes as another possible issue.

“If they [the teachers] were struggling with the subject at university, what hope is there that they can teach this to our children?

“Other teachers are not qualified to teach maths at all. So how then do we expect them to perform wonders in the classroom?” Mbilini-Kuze asked, adding that early revision could also assist.

“Most schools wait until September to start with revision and then try and cram all of this information into the pupils’ heads and that just doesn’t work.

“We cannot start panicking only when we see the year is drawing to a close.”