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In the World Economic Forum (WEF) Financial Development report released this week, South Africa was placed last for the quality of our maths and science education. We ranked 62nd out of the 62 countries surveyed.

I will today be writing to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Hope Malgas, to request that the Basic Education Portfolio Committee (i) prioritise debating different models and interventions to address the quality of maths and science in South Africa, (ii) call for representations by education experts on how maths and science education can be improved, (iii) call for input from schools with a high success rate in maths and science teaching on their best practice, and (iv) make recommendations to the Department of Basic Education on an alternative model for teaching these critical subjects.

The WEF ranking does not reflect the ability of our children, but an education system that needs urgent intervention if our children are to reach their potential.

With the right interventions, we can turn the situation around.

The Western Cape’s bachelor pass rate in mathematics is 54.2% against a national average of 30.1%. A similar pattern occurs in science. The Western Cape’s bachelor pass rate for physical sciences in 2011 was 50.8% compared to a national average of 33.8%.

The Western Cape has had great success with targeted interventions to address the quality of maths and science education.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) Centre of Science and Technology (COSAT) in Khayelitsha is a specialist maths and science school that was ranked 9th out of the top ten schools in the province in the 2011 matric results and achieved a 100% maths pass rate.  An important reason for the success of this school is its emphasis on the selection of outstanding teachers.

The Western Cape runs three STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) facilities in the province that handpick students from disadvantaged areas to provide them with additional support in order to develop their aptitude for maths and science.

Further interventions utilised by the WCED include intensive management support from district offices, subject-specific support for schools with historically low pass rates, and the delivery of additional textbooks in critical subject areas such as maths and science.

In terms of the new WCED maths and science strategy announced in May 2012, additional resources and interventions such as maths and science kits and computer software are being provided to Dinaledi and top-performing schools.

We must do all we can to find models and interventions that work to address the quality of maths and science education in South Africa. This will equip our children with the necessary skills and knowledge to compete in a modern economy and lift themselves up in life.