While matric pass rates have been improving, there is still a serious lack of higher-grade (HG) passes in mathematics and science in the South African education system.

The reality persists despite growing concern from the public and private sectors, and a plethora of initiatives to encourage students to pursue these subjects on the higher grade as well as to improve the pass rates.

At stake is the very longevity of the current economic boom in South Africa, which is already constrained by an acute shortage of skills, especially in the science, technology, engineering, accounting and medical careers, which are all, necessarily, undergirded by maths and science.

Many challenges have been identified as contributors towards the current inadequacies in the country’s education system, such as teachers who are not appropriately skilled to teach in key subjects; a lack of proficiency in the language of instruction; and fewer students pursuing mathematics and science on the HG in a bid to improve overall pass rates.

A recently published Centre for Development Enterprise (CDE) report, entitled ‘Doubling for Growth – addressing the maths and science challenge in South Africa’s schools’, indicates that the National Department of Education is nowhere near meeting its target, set in 2002, of doubling South Africa’s mathematics and science higher grade passes.

The report states that South Africa spends proportionately more on education than many other developing countries, yet its learners perform far worse that those of other developing countries in international tests.

The education system cannot, therefore, supply the numbers of skilled blacks required to meet the State’s employment-equity aspirations, which could also undermine black economic empowerment.

This is especially true of skills based on maths and science. According to the CDE, South Africa has reached the limits of its human capital, and it can only be replenished by appropriate and successful education and training.

The outcome raises some serious questions: Will South Africa’s economy continue to suffer as a result of a skills shortage in fields that contribute significantly to the country’s gross domestic product? What are the issues that hinder students from performing well, and in passing higher-grade levels? What solutions are required immediately and for the future to curb this ‘crisis’, and are all relevant stakeholders acting fast enough to meet this challenge, that may cause a great economic disparity in our country’s future?

MISSED TARGETS and OPPORTUNITIES

The reality is, unfortunately, fairly depressing. South Africa is nowhere near reaching its goal of doubling higher grade mathematics and science passes at the end of 2007, CDE executive director Anne Bernstein laments.

This is despite that fact that, in 2002, President Thabo Mbeki committed government to achieving just that.

In fact, the Department of Education even set out a yearly target for achieving the goal of increasing the number of senior certificate higher-grade and science passes to 50 000 learners by 2008. In reality, though, annual passes in higher-grade maths have fallen increasingly short of the Department of Education’s stated targets.

According to the CDE, in 2006, some 33% (174 413 out of 528 525) candidates failed the senior certificate examinations, and only 16% (84 564) passed with grades needed to enter university. Only 4,8% (25 633) students passed higher grade maths, and only 5,7% (30 174) students passed higher grade science.

The CDE also indicates that, from 2001 to 2006, very few secondary school students decided to study higher grade maths and science and that, despite efforts to improve the maths and science output in the education system, there are still too few students enrolling for these subjects.

Even where a special effort has been made, progress has been patchy. For instance, in 2001, 102 schools from all nine provinces were selected to receive specialised inputs in maths and science. This initiative to improve these subjects, by the Department of Education, is the Dinaledi project.

But while higher-grade passes produced in Dinaledi schools have improved, it has not been nearly enough to achieve stated goals.

THE DOUBLING-FOR-GROWTH AGENDA

For this reason, the CDE report calls for maths and science education to receive an even higher priority that it now enjoys, and for a national public–private project, called ‘Doubling for Growth’, to be created.

“Unless profound changes are made, we are not going to reach the doubling target in the foreseeable future,” Bernstein avers.

The report suggests, for instance, that the Dinaledi project be moved beyond race, to include all high-performing maths/science schools and those with potential to become such schools.

A contract should be provided by the Department of Education indicating a set of standards to be met by schools and the department. This contract would ensure that schools that do not perform within a specific period be removed from the programme.

“It is essential that the Dinaledi programme work, as this is a significant numerical contributor to the country’s future,” says Bernstein.

Another key thrust has to be the teachers. At present, teachers of mathematics and science are not suitably qualified for their subjects, and there is also an overall shortage of suitably qualified maths and science teachers.

Further, those most keen to leave the profession are also those skilled in natural science, technology and management fields, which could compound the crisis. In addition, teachers with science or maths specialisation are being attracted to wealthier countries to boost their education systems.

The report notes that using receiving country statistics to adjust official emigration data shows that between 800 and 1 000 South African teachers emigrated yearly from 1999 to 2002, rising to 1 700 in 2003.

“The foundation of good schooling is to have well-qualified maths, science and language teachers, in well-run schools. The Minister of Science and Technology has acknowledged publicly that over 56% of the country’s maths and science teachers are not qualified to teach,” says Bernstein.

Another problem is that there is no teacher database and not enough is known about them, including their qualifications, the levels at which they studied and the universities from which they graduated.

Bernstein argues that an audit of maths and science and language teachers is required to establish competence levels. Once competence levels have been established, schools will be in a better position to recruit skilled teachers. In addition, those not competent enough could be counselled or redeployed to a different level of teaching

Alternatively, the CDE is suggesting that foreign teachers, who are well versed in the English language, be recruited, with parti-cular reference made to India. Bernstein says that this needs to be done immediately and not at some time in the future, and adds, “We want them in the next school year.”

The South African authortities have responded by proposing plans to recruit 2 000 foreign teachers into the country in view of the lack of suitably qualified maths and science teachers and to improve higher-grade passes.

“We welcome the new quota of 2 000 teachers but we have to go out and actively recruit them. Are we doing that so we have a new influx of qualified experienced teachers for the beginning of the new school year in 2008?” she asks.

SHOWING APTITUDE

The CDE also recommends that the Department of Education roll out an aptitude test to identify those students with an aptitude for maths and science, especially students from ‘dysfunctional schools’, that is, schools with poor performances in maths and science, in the higher-grade passes.

Students with an aptitude for these subjects can then be moved to schools that have better passes on the higher-grade in these subjects.

“The key is to get enough people to go into higher grade maths and perform well, so that they have an opportunity to study at university, which will produce the engineers, the doctors, the information technology specialists, and the accountants that we need,” says Bernstein.

“How are we going to get black professionals to fill all these prominent roles in society, if we don’t fix the schooling system?” she asks.

Meanwhile, enhancing the capacity and resources at the national and provincial departments of education devoted to the ‘Doubling for Growth’ project should include recruitment of professional management, and acquiring communication, negotiation and monitoring skills, with the CDE proposing the South African Revenue Service model.

LOTs OF MONEY, LACK OF IMPACT

One positive to emerge is that there appears to be an appetite in the private sector for supporting maths and science initiatives, given the obvious benefits to the business community.

Commenting on the initiatives of the private sector, Bernstein says, “If you look at after-tax donations, the private sector is spending an overwhelming amount of its corporate social investment on maths and science schooling. However, the impact of all the diffuse and diverse projects is insufficient.

“They are not changing the quality of South Africa’s schooling system, and the private sector must now reassess its strategy, and align it with the practical proposals we recommend in achieving the doubling target,” she adds.

It is worth noting that one of the largest injections by the private sector was made to the Department of Education’s Dinaledi programme last month.

The Zenex Foundation announced a R10-million partnership with the Department of Education’s Dinaledi programme, aimed at increasing learner performance in maths, science and language.

Poor language skills among both teachers and learners have been identified as one of the key factors that negatively affect mathematics and science results. The Zenex Foundation is, thus, supporting the development of an English programme for Grades 10 and 11 that is similar in nature to the Dinaledi mathematics and science programmes.

The Institute for the Study of English in Africa at Rhodes University has developed the programme for English first additional language.

At the launch of this English intervention programme, the Deputy Minister of Education, Enver Surty, said that developing knowledge of vocabulary is a touchstone of knowing and doing mathematics and science, and that vocabulary is central to the process of constructing meaning, developing conceptual understanding, and communicating one’s thinking.

He added, “The languages of mathematics and science are different from the languages that learners use socially at home and with their peers, as well as in other subject areas at school. Therefore, all learners are likely to benefit from instruction that targets unfamiliar words, expressions, and syntax.”

FULLY AWARE OF MATHS AND SCIENCE CHALLENGE, SAYS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Also key to the doubling will be the response from government and the Department of Education, in particular.

It appears that the department is fully aware of the maths and science education challenge.

“There is definitely a shortage of higher-grade passes in maths and science,” deputy director-general in further education Penny Vinjevold tells Engineering News.

“Our economy is growing faster than we are able to produce the skills, so we definitely have to increase the numbers of maths and science passes at higher grade,” she adds.

Commenting on the Dinaledi project, Vinjevold says that the first phase of the project had some successes, and much was learnt. The project was then revamped and the department says that it is starting to see further successes.

“From 2001, we acknowledged that we were not producing enough passes in higher-grade maths and science and we acted on that,” says Vinjevold.

2008/9 NOW KEY FOR DEPARTMENT

“Schooling is a 12-year programme, and we believe that we will start to see an increase in higher-grade passes in 2008/9, and we hope to achieve some improvement in 2007. However, through the Dinaledi initiative, government hopes to see an increase of passes,” she adds.

Vinjevold continues, “While the number of students in higher-grade maths and science is low, there has been an increase in students pursuing maths and science on the standard grade. Students have started to then achieve A, B, and C symbols in the standard-grade passes. However, there is a challenge in encouraging schools and students to say, ‘I can actually do higher-grade maths and science’.” She acknowledges that it is “sad” that students are still opting for a distinction or a B symbol on the standard grade above a higher-grade pass. “In dealing with the universities, I am aware that higher-learning institutions would rather accept students with an E symbol on the higher-grade than a distinction on the standard grade.”

The department acknowledges that great initiatives are required to encourage students who have an aptitude for maths and science to take the subjects at the highest levels and to confront their fear of thinking they are not intelligent enough to take on such subjects.

“Last year, we set a very demanding maths paper, in an attempt to improve the quality of examination papers, and there was a slight decrease in the students passing. We are trying to achieve an additional 1 000 to 2 000 higher-grade passes every year,” she reports, adding that the CDE report is correct in stating that a greater sense of urgency is required.

All too often, learners, particularly from black schools, are simply told they can’t do maths and science on the higher grade, even when they want to. Another key challenge is that there are still schools that do not even offer maths and science, and yet others that cannot operate or maintain laboratories.

“I think that, in many instances, students are actively discouraged and told that they are not good enough. I don’t think it is only a student problem, but sometimes also a teacher problem or a resource problem,” she adds.

LESSONS ALREADY EMBEDDED

Vinjevold tells Engineering News that the department views the research conducted by the CDE as valuable and that it is engaging it properly.

“We have looked at the CDE’s recommendations. There is one or two that we might consider but, overwhelmingly, we are doing all the things they suggest we do, and if we are not implementing some recommendations, it is because we do not agree with them” she says.

For instance, all schools are already eligible for the Dinaledi project, as long as they qualify.

Further, the department has a pilot test programme in place, in which 2 400 teachers take part in a 100-hour programme. This programme was designed to assist with content knowledge and if it is successful, it will be rolled out nationally.

Vinjevold says that identifying learners’ aptitude for maths and science is a good idea; however, she says that one must be careful in one’s approach when suggesting that students must be sent to schools with better higher- grade passes, as this will deplete the quality of schools which such learners attend.

The department is also considering the possibility of signing a contract with the Dinaledi schools.

It also agrees that the enhancement of capacity in the national and provincial departments is necessary, as the department is under-resourced.

“But we are certainly not going to bring in a CEO on a senior level on the Dinaledi project. There is an outstanding individual busy running the project and all we need are a few more people to strengthen this project,” says Vinjevold.

Where the department is also less comfortable is the CDE’s suggestion that teachers be tested for competence. “Our concern is that there is a shortage of maths and science teachers and if one is tested, what support is to follow. We suggest a different route when we start testing people. We test them, provide them with support, and make them aware that ongoing support is available,” she says.

Vinevold is also optimistic about aligning the private sector’s “significant contribution” with its education-system aspirations.

“There is always room for improvement and the department will never say that it is doing enough. “We work hard and dedicate time and money to this cause. We are giving every one of our Dinaledi schools an additional two teachers next year. We are really trying.”

THE WAY FORWARD?

At the tabling of the Education Department’s budget in Parliament Minister Naledi Pandor stressed that the department aimed to affirm excellence through performance rewards for teachers, schools, universities and colleges and that the department would act more decisively against underperformance.

What is apparent is that some sophisticated thinking and action are being implemented.

But the real concern now is how soon South Africa’s education system will be in a position to begin offering a pipeline of school leavers that do not simply swell the ranks of the unemployed, but starts to respond to the very real demands of the labour market.