‘Spend more to maintain good results’
EXPERTS in the education field have commended the increase in the maths and physical science pass rate in the past year’s matric results, but say more funding is needed from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to improve on this.
A report released by the department revealed a more than 3% improvement in the maths and physical science results compared to the previous year and states this is testament to the government’s prioritising the equipping of pupils with relevant skills and knowledge for a changing world.
Professor Vimolan Mudaly of the University of Kwazulu-natal’s School of Education said the increase in the maths and science pass rate must be commended but had to be viewed with a degree of scepticism. He said pupils’ performances in international tests were not convincing to be of a high standard.
Mudaly pointed to two possible scenarios that prevailed, and said the dynamics of the education system could only really be understood if the public had access to the raw scores of all maths and science marks.
“I’m not sure that we could have improved all that much in a year. Secondly, it is possible that with a trimmed curriculum, the quantity of content tested might have been reduced. I cannot comment on the difficulty of questions in the papers itself.”
He advised that more financial investment from the DBE, better in-service training and renewed supervision and monitoring of classroom activities by disciplinary specialists would ensure that results improved.
“Our schools’ infrastructure needs a desperate revamp, and water and sanitation need to be upgraded. Technology has to be introduced, especially for maths and science. These areas are developing at such a pace, even teachers will find it difficult to continue using ordinary chalk-and-talk methods. The DBE must invest in teachers and resources. This is crucial. A critical point would be the class sizes. Large classes are an obstacle to success."
Professor Thabo Msibi, Dean and Head of School: Education at UKZN, said the matric results, particularly in maths and science, were “impressive”.
“What is particularly impressive is that these results were achieved under very trying circumstances. Learners had to deal with the plethora of social, economic and psychological challenges presented by Covid-19. They also had to navigate a context that was constantly changing”.
Msibi said the 2021 matric results were the first, since 2018, where more than 55% of pupils were able to obtain a grade of 30% and above in maths. The number of learners who wrote maths and phyical science had also increased compared to previous years.
“There is still much more to be done. We need to increasingly focus on quality, such as how do we ensure that these passes lead to university entrance in qualifications that are critical for national development.
“We also need to deal with inequalities within the system. The data is clear: rural provinces still lag behind in these gateway subjects,” Msibi said.