Quality Education for South Africa

Maths a NATIONAL CRISIS

A NATIONAL crisis. That’s how Professor Werner Olivier has described the  dismissal mathematics score revealed in the annual national assessment (ANA) this week.

You cannot have a normal society in an abnormal school system and we’re seeing the symptoms of that… It’s very clear something is horribly wrong.  At grade 10 level where you see the size of the percentage of learners not knowing the differences between multiplying and addition in some cases…It’s really a critical phase, the senior phase.

The provincial marks for maths ranged between a staggering 9 & 17 percent.  These results explain to a very large extent among many other reasons why there is such a high failure and drop-out rates at Grades 10 & 11.

The ANA (Annual National Assessment) says that they are working on solving the problem by focusing on the lower grades, which in time will work through to all grades.

Given our generation “Z” and their expectations, where they have huge expectations, where they have huge interest in blended digital diet whether it’s for social interaction or education that is what we’re trying to respond to. ‘To build a bridge between them and educators’ Olivier said

My question: Is this the solution, isn’t the solution quality education for all in all areas and all ages? Hasn’t the time come for us to support our children, by standing together as parents and active citizens instead of each one trying to change the world on their own.

We need to understand that being individual will not help, but each one of us with our unique skills as part of a group can contribute to making a change in Education