1 October 2001
Theme: Sharing ideas, resources innovations, success stories and cultural heritage of all participants
Director of Ceremonies, MEC for Education, Mr Craig Padayachee, Head of Department, Dr Mashinini, Representatives of the Embassy of Japan and University of Pretoria, Departmental Officials, Parents, Principals, Educators, Learners, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude at the honour bestowed upon me to share a few words with you on this important occasion, the 3rd round of the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative Project. The importance of today's occasion lies more in the fact that the province had the fore sight to establish a project that is aimed at providing teachers of scarce subjects in its service with sorely needed additional professional training.
Improving the teaching skills of educators is a cost-effective and sustainable way of ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning in the schools is improved.
I have been informed that this is a project that is funded by the Government of Japan for the promotion of sound education practices in mathematics and science in the secondary schools in this province. The project has successfully completed the first half of its implementation programme. I also wish to commend the partners in this project which are the funders, Japan International Cupertino Agency (JICA), the University of Pretoria which provides academic support, monitoring and research and the implementers of the project, the Mpumalanga Department of Education. This project will definitely go a long way towards ensuring that our recently launched national strategy to improve learner achievements in these gateway subjects succeeds in this province. The knowledge already gained in the implementation of the MSSI project will ensure that scarce resources will be spent on enhancing and promoting the mastery of these subjects by many more learners.
I also understand that this three-year project has made a lot of progress during its 18 months of implementation. A number of district heads, curriculum developers, curriculum implementers and mathematics and science teachers have received extensive training both in teaching methods and content at Pretoria University and the participating universities in Japan.
Research is going on all the time and the project is about to be rolled out in the last two districts of the province. I would like to congratulate the partners for the job well done.
The apartheid system denied the majority of our learners the opportunity to participate in mathematics, science and information communication technology education. Science was employed to perpetuate theories of difference between the races. Today however, we have to work towards correcting this distortion. Science is a powerful intellectual tool with far-reaching and profound influences on our daily lives, our relationship with the environment, our system of values and world-view.
We all know that a nation that cannot or would not use its intelligence is no better than animals. Such people will be used as beasts of burden or steaks on the table by their own choice and consent. All activity on this planet depends on energy. Through natural science we study the sources and control of natural energy and through social sciences or economic sciences, we study the sources and control of social energy. In both cases mathematics is the primary energy science that unlocks the secrets of manipulating the natural and social energy of the world - wealth. We will be kings if our people can master the methodology of control -mathematics.
Today's world economy is totally predictable and manipulatable. The rich traders in capital (banks) and industries of commodities and services control the sway of global market forces. We live in a global village; we must therefore become street-wise.
However, notwithstanding its prominence in mainstream society, science remains but one of the knowledge systems. The world is made up of a panoply of cultures that sustain a broad spectrum of ways of life. In pursuit of the wealth of the earth we should not, however, lose the rich and diverse intellectual heritage that makes us human after all. While it is important for us to survive in today's economy, the future of our education system should be based on the core values and principles of democracy, liberty, equality, justice and peace. It is important that we also develop this sector to provide opportunities that will unleash the creative potential of all people and improve the skills profile of this country to ensure that we are ready for the demands and challenges of this century and beyond.
At the moment we have to prioritise mathematics; science and technology education as key subjects to be taught in our schools. We need to make sure that all role players understand the importance of science and its impact on their lives. This project is very significant to the Department of Education for it demystifies the notion that only a selected few can participate in mathematics, science and technology. Therefore, I want to congratulate the Education Department of this province for bringing together all the crucial players to this important undertaking.
Figures relating to the participation and attainment of our learners in mathematics are both alarming and depressing. These figures show that participation rates in mathematics at Higher Grade, as reflected in matric results in the years 1997 to 2000, is around 20%. The pass rate in this crucial subject consistently falls below 5% of the total number of students writing matric in the last four years. This means a lot of negative things for our society and our country, some of which are the following:
The first is the high failure rate in matric for our learners. Literally hundreds of thousands of our young emerge from twelve years of schooling with nothing. This has implications for their employability, trainability and successful transition into adulthood. Obviously this has a negative impact on our skills base, the health of our economy, social stability and therefore crime.
Secondly, the numbers of our young people who qualify to enter institutions of higher learning are fewer; leading to the low participation rates we have at the moment and the under-utilisation of the capacity that exists at these institutions. But more importantly, this paucity of high school graduates in maths means that our ability to train enough young people in medical sciences, engineering sciences, actuarial sciences, accountancy, economics and high calibre information technology is reduced. This in turn has serious implications for the recently announced National Plan for Higher Education that is meant to improve the health of our universities and technikons, and give our country a healthier and more balanced skills base.
Thirdly, it means that our economy will be starved of the skills necessary for growth and sustainability. Our country will be unable to make progress towards the narrowing of the economic and digital divide that we are all so concerned about.
We know there is absolutely nothing wrong with our kids, but there is a lot wrong with us - the adults - and the environment and opportunities we create for them to learn under. When we give them opportunities by providing the necessary resources, creating the right climate of discipline, love, teaching and learning, the kids excel. There are many schools in townships and rural areas that have proved this point beyond any doubt.
The mastery of mathematics by the majority of our children is crucial if we are to fulfil the requirement to develop our human capital. While I am well aware that we cannot all be Mathematicians, Engineers or Medical Scientists, the reality is that we are seriously falling far too short to meet the demand for qualified graduates in the engineering and actuarial sciences.
The National Strategy to improve learner attainment in mathematics and science is a response to the government's need to develop the country's human resources to enable us to compete favourably in the global economy.
Central to the national strategy for mathematics and science is the establishment of mathematics and science centres of excellence, the 102 Schools Project. Each these centres has been assigned a cluster of schools to which it would provide assistance and support so as to maximise the utilisation of scarce resources. I am indeed pleased that this province has already made the necessary strides in this regard.
The nine key elements of the national mathematics strategy include:
1 An institutional assessment of each of the 102 schools to determine the profile, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and gaps.
2 A national audit of mathematics and science educators and the schools in which they are operating would be undertaken. Competencies of the maths and science educators will be assessed and where necessary upgrade those concerned.
3 Each school would be provided with enough learner support materials to enhance teaching and learning of the target subjects.
4 A continuous assessment and development of the curriculum for mathematics and science would be undertaken to ensure relevance and appropriateness to the socio-economic needs of the country and the global village.
5 Where necessary the teachers would be empowered with both content and pedagogic skills. In this way we hope to enhance the confidence of the teachers and their ability to motivate learners to participate and perform in their work.
6 An advocacy campaign to promote mathematics and science within the broader community would be undertaken to ensure that every citizen not only knows about the strategy but is also informed about the role that they can play in facilitating its success.
7 The current infrastructure will be assessed to determine the shortfalls. The schools will then be provided with appropriate infrastructure, which would include science and computer laboratories to assist them to achieve their goals.
8 At national level a Project Management Team is being established to oversee the process of implementing the strategy.
9 Processes and outcomes will be monitored and evaluated to assess their impact against the baseline established during the institutional assessment phase.
The success of the National Strategy hinges upon the co-operation between government, business and communities. For this reason I am singularly encouraged and excited by this initiative that Mpumalanga has established in partnership with the government of Japan and University of Pretoria.
If we are to succeed in a rapidly changing and competitive world where science, technology and economics are becoming increasingly important, if we are to develop and prosper economically, then we must set a premium on mathematics and technology education. The production of globally competitive human resources depends upon these fields more than ever before.
Like the rest of the world, we have to look for methods of making teaching and learning in mathematical, scientific and technological subjects effective in our school system.
We would also like to see our education system produce people who are ambassadors of education in their communities. We will know that this is the case when more young people take a greater interest and excel in their education. We will know this is the case when our graduates assist their communities to protect, treasure and take part in activities of the schools in their neighbourhood. We will know this is the case when our educated children conduct research and produce solutions that will ensure a lasting development of the environment they and their families live in. Then we will know that as a country we have succeeded in harnessing all our God-given energies.
In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to invite the participation of the private and business sectors, other governments and departments, teachers unions, non-governmental organisations and community based organisations in support of this worthwhile programme. This initiative will make a huge contribution to the improvement of the skilled labour force in our country. I would like to thank all the partners in this endeavour. This is indeed part of a major start and we dare not turn back.
I thank you