MATHEMATICS, the subject that holds the key to any country's global economic competitiveness and prosperous future, is not relenting in giving Mzansi primary school teachers palpitations and grey hairs, according to recent research.
The study has revealed that for many primary school teachers, working out percentages, for example, is a herculean task that often ends up in them becoming more confused than their charges.
Which is not completely surprising, considering that even the woman at the helm of Mzansi's basic education, the honourable Angie Motshekga, cannot tell the difference between a percentage and a percentage point. That's why she gave a horribly incorrect picture when she announced the 2010 matric results.
The effects of this on society are of course devastating, as you can imagine.
The other day Guluva heard Doctor Khumalo, former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana star player, who has now metarmorphosised into a respected TV soccer analyst, talking about "the third half" of the field soon after the end of a televised game he was analysing in one of the SuperSport studios. It later occurred to Guluva that what M'Dokkies was in fact referring to was the "last third" of the field.
Aren't we all glad that Doctor became a skilful soccer star and not a doctor as his parents had apparently professed?
With such less than satisfactory knowledge of mathematics - thanks to his primary school teachers of course - Guluva shudders to think how many overdoses or under-doses Doctor would have dished out to unsuspecting patients by now if he had indeed become a doctor.
Snail's pace reader
South Africans are not only found wanting in proficiency in mathematics; they are also slow readers, if some of our leaders can be used as a yardstick.
Take Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, for example. More than two months after she was asked by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to study a 92-page report on the controversial R500million lease of a building to the South African Police Service, there is still no indication that she will finish it any time soon.
The painfully slow rate at which she is going through the report at the moment suggests the minister's retention capacity does not allow her to read more than one-and-a-half pages a day.
If that was not the case, she would have finished studying it by now. Or is it because she does not like some of the things she reads about in the report?
Dogs, cats and coloureds
It would appear that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has all along been a secret admirer of controversial government spin-doctor Jimmy Manyi.
After languishing in the shadows for some time, the organisation has finally had the guts to come out to tacitly endorse Manyi's demographic re-engineering philosophy.
When Manyi earned notoriety with his statement that there was an oversupply of coloureds in Western Cape, little did he know that he already had massive support from the SPCA.
The two speak the same language. In fact, the SPCA has become the Jimmy Manyi of the animal kingdom.
In typical Manyi-speak, the organisation recently complained about "the rampant breeding" of cats and dogs in the selfsame Western Cape, in Cape Town to be exact.
Strange bedfellows, if you ask Guluva.
E-mail Guluva on thatha.guluva@gmail.com.
Knocked out by the third half
MATHEMATICS, the subject that holds the key to any country's global economic competitiveness and prosperous future, is not relenting in giving Mzansi primary school teachers palpitations and grey hairs, according to recent research.
The study has revealed that for many primary school teachers, working out percentages, for example, is a herculean task that often ends up in them becoming more confused than their charges.
Which is not completely surprising, considering that even the woman at the helm of Mzansi's basic education, the honourable Angie Motshekga, cannot tell the difference between a percentage and a percentage point. That's why she gave a horribly incorrect picture when she announced the 2010 matric results.
The effects of this on society are of course devastating, as you can imagine.
The other day Guluva heard Doctor Khumalo, former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana star player, who has now metarmorphosised into a respected TV soccer analyst, talking about "the third half" of the field soon after the end of a televised game he was analysing in one of the SuperSport studios. It later occurred to Guluva that what M'Dokkies was in fact referring to was the "last third" of the field.
Aren't we all glad that Doctor became a skilful soccer star and not a doctor as his parents had apparently professed?
With such less than satisfactory knowledge of mathematics - thanks to his primary school teachers of course - Guluva shudders to think how many overdoses or under-doses Doctor would have dished out to unsuspecting patients by now if he had indeed become a doctor.
Snail's pace reader
South Africans are not only found wanting in proficiency in mathematics; they are also slow readers, if some of our leaders can be used as a yardstick.
Take Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, for example. More than two months after she was asked by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to study a 92-page report on the controversial R500million lease of a building to the South African Police Service, there is still no indication that she will finish it any time soon.
The painfully slow rate at which she is going through the report at the moment suggests the minister's retention capacity does not allow her to read more than one-and-a-half pages a day.
If that was not the case, she would have finished studying it by now. Or is it because she does not like some of the things she reads about in the report?
Dogs, cats and coloureds
It would appear that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has all along been a secret admirer of controversial government spin-doctor Jimmy Manyi.
After languishing in the shadows for some time, the organisation has finally had the guts to come out to tacitly endorse Manyi's demographic re-engineering philosophy.
When Manyi earned notoriety with his statement that there was an oversupply of coloureds in Western Cape, little did he know that he already had massive support from the SPCA.
The two speak the same language. In fact, the SPCA has become the Jimmy Manyi of the animal kingdom.
In typical Manyi-speak, the organisation recently complained about "the rampant breeding" of cats and dogs in the selfsame Western Cape, in Cape Town to be exact.
Strange bedfellows, if you ask Guluva.
E-mail Guluva on thatha.guluva@gmail.com.
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