Reply to Questions from NB via DK
By Cheryllyn Dudley MP ACDP – 7March 2013
The enormous amount of effort and money being invested in our basic education system must, for the sake of everyone living in South Africa, result in a significant improvement in both quantity and quality of school learners at all levels.
Concerns have been raised that low standards are sending a "wrong message" to pupils, parents, universities and employers, and undermine transformation of both the basic and higher education systems. To earn a matric certificate, pupils need to pass two out of six subjects with 30%, and four with 40% - under apartheid a 33% average was needed - so an increase in the minimum pass for matric would deviate from many years of tradition.
Changes would clearly create huge challenges for the department and for learners and teachers even if implemented cautiously and progressively.
Schools that perform poorly carry a debilitating legacy from our past that the combined efforts of government and society have to date, not been able to reverse. Quality education requires at the very least, both quality teachers and quality textbooks. The ACDP would like to see an increased emphasis on improving teaching skills and content knowledge. The large percentage of teachers in the final grades of school who do not have enough subject matter knowledge or knowledge of teaching to prepare students adequately for final examinations is unacceptable. We would also like to see measures being taken to benchmark the quality of teachers and to promote job fulfilment.
Before a student can pass exams like the National Senior Certificate they first need to be taught good study techniques – the ability to read and comprehend, the ability to take meaningful notes and how to manage their time. These are areas where learners fall short, especially when entering Higher Education Institutions –minds are impressionable when young and if taught that “learning the memo”– marking model answers prepared by Departments - will be sufficient to pass then they lose the passion and knack for real and life-long learning. This aspect must be a budget priority as it will determine much of the success and failure to come in the years ahead.
The ACDP will ensure the school curriculum and activities are adequately incorporating ethics and leadership training to assist learners to be, not only competent in their profession, but also trustworthy, honest and able to work with other people.
There is a need for improved internet connectivity and eLearning, particularly in rural areas. The ACDP will establish ICT laboratories in schools. We will budget for computer laboratory upgrades and maintenance, and for teachers with the skills to teach information technology and computer application technology.
The ACDP will hold Provinces accountable to the Norms and Standards for school infrastructure etc and ensure that provinces spend money more effectively. We recognise that transport and school nutrition are critical factors in ensuring education is accessible to all, especially those less privileged.
The ACDP is mindful that time and workload pressures on both teachers and parents are great but interaction between teachers and parents must be prioritised as it significantly influences the development of learners.
The ACDP regards the disruption of learners’ studies by union activities as a crisis which significantly impacts on the ability of all learners to fulfil their potential as leaders of tomorrow. We are committed to holding unions accountable to finding new and more helpful ways of dealing with grievances and wage demands.
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The ACDP will prioritise teaching of learning skills which could be incorporated in Life Orientation and introduced to learners in Grade 10 and upwards at the very least. An investigation conducted at several schools in Johannesburg and Pretoria attributed the high failure rate of learners and factors affecting retention and drop-out rates to the fact that learners struggle because they do not know:
• How to read and memorize
• How to learn
• How to prepare for tests and exams
• How to write for exam papers
• How to do assignments
• How to handle stress during exams
• How to plan their time wisely when writing exams
• How to become self-motivated
The ACDP will ensure that Early Childhood Development is available at all schools and in all areas, and hold Provinces accountable to legislation requiring them to prioritise spending on ECD in poorer areas. We would ensure that the budget adequately accommodates ECD needs including ensuring access to quality ECD teacher training and the marketing of ECD teaching as a viable career option.
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