Responsible education MECS offer solutions and don’t play the blame game
The pandemic has forced a digital migration in education. We must capitalise on that opportunity
Politicians say the most outrageous and cringe-making things. I sometimes wonder whether some of these leaders think before they talk or, as we say in my home language of isixhosa, bakhamisa batyhale.
Just last week, in this column, I wrote about the premier of the Northern Cape, Zamani Saul, who said he was “angry” about the matric results in his province. The Northern Cape had the lowest results out of the nine provinces.
I wrote that it was unfortunate that Saul used expressions such as “anger” and “disappointment” about the results when it is a fact that learners and teachers were not operating under normal circumstances because of Covid-19.
I am in no way saying we should celebrate mediocrity, but the truth is that 2020 was a tough year for many of us, let alone the class of 2020.
It is not only the Northern Cape that did not have impressive matric results. Limpopo ranked sixth with 68.2% and of the 18 schools that had a 0% pass rate, seven are from Limpopo.
These results prompted Polly Boshielo, the MEC of education in Limpopo, to say some of the most absurd things about the poor performance of these schools.
Speaking to the Pretoria News last week, Boshielo blamed inefficient school governing bodies, taverns next to schools, apartheid’s legacy, the low enrolment at these schools and “lazy teachers”. She dished out blame to everyone and did not take responsibility for anything.
Where I agree with Boshielo is that schools with low enrolment are not viable. Because of the small number of learners, these schools get a low educator allocation.
This does not assist greatly in the teaching and learning project, because, for example, one teacher is responsible for three classes and that robs each learner of adequate attention from the teacher.
In her blame game, Boshielo spoke of “lazy teachers” who “refuse to go [and] teach on Saturdays, saying they don’t get paid and they have other things to do like going to church”.
This is ludicrous. And for the MEC to have boldly said this is an insult to the thousands of teachers who, during a pandemic, threw themselves at their work and did everything humanly possible to ensure that they assisted learners with their schoolwork.
Even before the pandemic, teachers in this country — especially those from rural and township schools — have been sacrificing their time with their own children and holding extra learning lessons and weekend classes, even though they are not obliged to do so.
Teachers do not get paid to work on weekends or to offer extra classes, even though many of them do it anyway.
But for Boshielo to accuse teachers of being lazy if they do decline to volunteer their time on weekends because they need to attend to their personal affairs is laughable.
Before the MEC accuses teachers of “being lazy” she must first point out in their contracts where it requires them to work on Saturdays. If there is something to that effect in their contracts, then, yes, they must be brought to book. But if not, as we suspect the case to be, Boshielo had no right to say what she did.
It is no secret that Limpopo is one of the provinces with huge problems regarding school infrastructure. Schoolchildren are attending lessons in dilapidated classes, they use pit toilets and walk for long distances to schools because transport for scholars is not available.
Just on Sunday, news channel Newzroom Afrika had a story about Magoletsa Secondary School in Limpopo, which is literally falling apart.
The school was built in 1979 and, according to residents, it has seen little improvement since then even though the school has made numerous requests to the Limpopo department of education for a new school to be built
This is not a unique situation in that province. Yet learners from schools like Magoletsa Secondary are expected to produce quality passes when they are having lessons in classrooms with cracks in the walls and no roofs.
Yet Boshielo would prefer to cast unwarranted aspersions on others instead of acknowledging her own failings as the MEC of education in Limpopo.
Someone must have whispered in Boshielo’s ear that her statements were reckless and irresponsible: this week, in a change of tone, Boshielo said there would be “accountability sessions” with the districts, circuits and schools that underperformed in an effort to understand their problems.
There are schools in Gauteng that also had a 0% pass rate. The message of the MEC of education in that province has been that these schools will get the necessary support and interventions to improve their results.
This is the correct approach and one Boshielo should have adopted earlier on. Dishing out criticism without accounting for anything herself or offering solutions will never improve the lot of these schools.
As the MEC for education in Limpopo, Boshielo is where this particular buck stops.
The coronavirus pandemichas highlighted the important role of science and scientific professions in our lives. Nurses, doctors, epidemiologists and vaccineresearchers have been at the forefront of the pandemic response.
In some under-resourced countries in sub-saharan Africa, the shortages in key professions are being strongly felt, driven in part by the lack of diversity and opportunity in Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths). In 2019, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) regional African directorate reported that less than 25% of African students enrolled in higher education are pursuing Stem qualifications and, of those students, only 30% are female.
The 2020 African Development Bank’s Economic Outlook report also finds that, although a number of countries in sub-saharan Africa have significantly improved access to basic education (Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Uganda and
Zimbabwe), there is a mismatch between African youth skill sets and education compared to labour market needs. The report emphasised the rising need for graduates in technologyrelated qualifications.
To be fair, there has been a big “switch-on” to science and technology during lockdowns across the continent, bringing into sharp focus Stem as a key area for education. Starting young is crucial. The first eight years of a child’s life are critical for their emotional and cognitive development. If children are encouraged to engage with Stem subjects from an early age, they develop problem-solving skills and competencies that encourage them to pursue science, technology and maths as they get older. Studies show an early foundation in maths and science benefits other areas of learning as well. Despite the benefits, in Africa Stem teaching resources are not always available, especially to under-resourced schools with large class sizes and relatively few Stem teachers.
The early learning sector in Africa faces several challenges. Across 54 countries in Africa, the World Bank reports that only an estimated 20% of children aged between three and six are able to access adequate early learning facilities, while globally the average is 50%. Only 2% of national budgets are allocated to early childhood education.
Covid-19 has been a serious blow to Stem and early learning progress. According to Unesco, in an effort to halt the rapid rate of infection, most African countries closed all schools. This has caused huge disruption to all children’s education but represents an even more significant learning gap for young children, when the precious window for rapid learning is so short.
Other challenges affecting Stem education include language barriers, and a lack of diverse representation in learning material. A South African study has highlighted the lack of Stem learning material available in local African languages, affecting children’s performance.
In response to the pandemic, many countries have stepped up television and radio programming so that children of all ages can continue to learn at home. Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar and South Africa have repurposed television and radio learning, including for young children. For example, Ubongo Kids in
Kenya and Tanzania uses cartoon characters to present different learning activities, including maths and science, and this educational content can now be accessed in Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Malawi and other countries.
In South Africa, educational programming on both radio and TV changed so that children could tune into virtual classrooms for many subjects, including maths and science, while the department of basic education has provided digital learning resources to support teachers during the pandemic.
The availability of this content outside the classroom is a big step forward, but it is also important to say that digital learning for young children needs to be mediated by a parent, caregiver or ideally a trained teacher and studies generally caution against more than one to 2.5 hours of screen time per day for preschool children. Technology can provide a portal to learning resources, but Stem learning activities still need to be based on skills-based learning and interaction.
To foster curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and to build a strong foundation for future learning, young children undoubtedly benefit from Stem education. As some African countries look towards later easing out of the pandemic and seek ways for education to return to a more normal footing, it is clear that we must invest in teachers’ science, maths and technology skills, not only for those teaching older students. Prioritisation of technology infrastructure also needs to be a focus for African countries.
Stem education, especially in early learning, will require investments in physical school resources, learning materials and teacher training. The initial cost will be more than repaid as children foster problemsolving and innovation skills and build a foundation for further learning as they grow. And Africa as a whole will benefit as generations of Stemeducated young people come into the labour market, with multiple positive impacts on our economies and societies in future. We must not squander the big “switch-on” to online learning. We must make the most of the fact that Covid-19 has forced us to speed up digital learning and appreciate the importance of Stem education, including in the early years of children’s development.
The name of Krugersdorp High School is synonymous with excellence, and our greatest vision is to ensure that all learners are provided with an equal opportunity for holistic growth. The school is of the firm belief that a child not only learns in the classroom, but on field trips, on the sports field and on stage. With state-of-the art technology and innovation, Krugersdorp High School has ensured that no learner has been left behind during the Covid-19 pandemic. The school has been identified as a leader in the government education system, with infrastructure and online systems that were introduced in 2020 to provide all learners with equal opportunities to continue to learn.
Few schools can boast of the fact that they have five laboratories, two computer labs, a well-used media centre and more than 50 classrooms for learning to take place in. What transpires in the great facilities is more important, as it is there where we provide the grounding for our learners to flourish and later enter into tertiary educational institutions. Over the years, the school has celebrated multiple accolades for its excellence within the classroom — the school is known for its mathematics, science, art and economics departments that constantly achieve top accolades from grades eight through to 12.
With 17 hectares of land and pristine sporting facilities, it is no surprise that the school was identified as a Sports Focus School by the Department of Sports and Recreation, Cricket South Africa and the Central Gauteng Lions. The Cricket Programme at the school is in its fourth year and has achieved phenomenal results in this short space of time. The U/14 boys are the current winners of the league and the U/15 boys were runners up. There is great anticipation as the school enters the Boys’ School league in 2021. The school offers 17 sporting codes including girls cricket, girls rugby and girls soccer — our diversity is our strength. Over and above this, the school continues to have learners who make provincial sides in netball, rugby and hockey. 2021 is a first in the history of the school as our head boy, Tebogo Maseko, has national colours for hockey, and one of the deputy head boys, Darian Pretorius, has achieved national colours for baseball.
As we navigate our way through 2021, we look forward to the new challenges for the school and know that our educators are always prepared to go the extra mile for our learners. We know that we will continue to strive for excellence, whether it is in the classroom, on the stage or on the sports field. Should you wish to experience the K.H.S. Excellence, families are welcome to set up an appointment to view the school while the educators are in action with their children in the classroom.
Write to info@krugersdorphigh.co.za or phone 011 954 1009.
general Open Day takes place on 13 March 2021.