Wisdom for matrics
I AM a maths tutor for high school students with an interest in the language subjects. I would like to gather together here two or three comments on the state of education and the recently completed matric exams.
In this age of social media and reality TV, our students are increasingly exposed to slang-type phraseology like: “Is not” and “I guess”, instead of standard English construction such as: “It is not” and “I guess so”.
They treat these slang expressions as complete sentences. This type of slang influence has a negative impact on their development in the language subjects. Standard English sentence construction must be encouraged as this is a positive skill that will earn them good marks in any language exam.
As far as grammar is concerned, the use of apostrophes, hyphens, periods and so on, is not well understood. This poor understanding of punctuation’s vital role is a negative consequence of not reading enough. Students should first know all the rules of grammar. This doesn’t take too long. The application – writing good essays – takes a while longer.
There is a debate around the correctness or otherwise of American versus British spelling, for example, “honor” versus “honour”. I am positively attracted to the American spelling convention, but our students should stick to the UK/SA spelling of such words to avoid being negatively marked in their tests and exams.
It is a common phenomenon that one student is positively drawn to the written word and yet that same one experiences negative results with the number subjects and vice versa. It is a strange phenomenon that might be attributed to the right brain controlling the left-side of the body and vice versa. My advice to students is to work on their weaknesses rather than their strengths since this is wisdom.
A good calculator such as the Casio FX-82 is essential for all maths students. Inferior calculators don’t have the necessary buttons and functions to cope with the calculations involved in a typical matric exam paper. Finally, I say that these above tips, especially tips 2 and 3 together, are the factors that lead to success. May the powers that be also read this and take note of these suggestions. The year 2015 was not a good year for education, but I am sure 2016 will be a good year. Let us recapture the spirit of another good year, 2010, our World Cup year, and make next year a year of new beginnings. Peter John Small At the same time, the department disempowers SGBs by limiting their ability to collect fees, disciplining kids, choosing the principal and teachers, and soon the department will decide who can attend what school.
According to the SGB Foundation, total or partial exemption from paying school fees is provided for in law. The SGB in truth has little option but to grant exemptions to those who apply. In truth, any person can apply at any school and later demand free education, and the school is required to inform the parent of “right to apply” for exemption and assist in completing the forms.
As a result, governing bodies have little choice but to increase fees on paying parents to provide for nonpayers, and when the fiscal tipping point is reached, the SGB will increase the pupil-teacher ratio.
With free university studies on the table, department will struggle to sustain its fiscal duty and will in due course ruin fee-paying government schools through contradictory legislation. The latest from Pretoria submits that those who mislead schools with addresses will be imprisoned.
In due time, only free government and private schools will endure as the education prospects of the struggling middle class will be restricted. Those who can afford a better education for their kids are punished by sheer jealousy and communist-driven drivel.
In the words of the wise, nothing can stop the person with the correct attitude from achieving their goals, and little can stop the person with a questionable agenda from sowing discord.
Those liable for generating education policies must think carefully before forsaking workable systems without understanding the long-term impact in tangible terms. Have we learnt nothing from the OBE debacle? Cllr Yagyah Adams exempt) A bus inspector and I chew the cud on the road, he switching to English to accommodate my lack
(our usual topic is music, he into Liberace, Queen and Jimi Hendrix too)
He had been listening to HIV/Aidsrelated programmes and the like and wondered about
After all, has our deputy not made the point (what is our youth coming to where are they going to)?
(love traded for instant material and other delights)
We talk education learning challenges I point him to local community newspapers for assistance and support (one’s hamlet is abundant)
(I tell him often what you are looking for is right under your nose in one’s own little village or shall we say Group Area)
They must be cross in more than one language
Jitsvinger’s “Cannot separate language from the people who produced it” (Cape Times, November 30, 2015) strikes a chord, in my oft cross-linguistic conversations! David Kapp international liberation icon. Malema flippantly referred to Madiba as a sellout without evaluating the context of the situation in which South Africa was in. South Africa was in a volatile, highly explosive and emotionally charged transition period. Madiba, being a trusted leader, made bold decisions based on his love for the country.
Is South Africa moving in a different trajectory from what Madiba wanted to achieve? Social cohesion, which was Madiba’s mantra, came under threat with the recent xenophobic attacks. The Mazibuye African Forum has openly advocated violence against the Indian community.
To add insult to injury, on Madiba’s second death anniversary South Africa has been ranked Africa’s most corrupt nation, according to Transparency International. Corruption is severely impacting on service delivery to the poor which Madiba vehemently propagated against.
The moral compass needs to be recalibrated to rein in corruption. Vijay Surujpal evident is that this is not regarded as a priority issue in many countries.
Participants at the conference spoke about the need to engage men and boys, to teach them that violence against women is dishonourable. They identified shelters as places where women can go to escape intimate partner violence; places of political engagement and legal instruments; and identified economic empowerment and financial independence as crucial factors in ending gender-based violence.
What was so inspiring is that there are so many women all over the world who actively participate in sheltering work. They demonstrate such compassion – sometimes at huge risk to themselves. Onward we go to bring an end to suffering! One woman at a time. Joy Lange