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A dire need for quality education

OBLIGATION: Quality education can only be achieved if teachers are trained in curriculum implementation, says the writer.
OBLIGATION: Quality education can only be achieved if teachers are trained in curriculum implementation, says the writer.

THE state of education in South Africa calls for drastic intervention.

The country spends about 6% of its gross domestic product on education, but the results do not reflect the investment.

Recent Annual National Assessment results have shown that in Grade 3 the national average performance in literacy is 35%.

In numeracy, learners perform at an average of 28%. Provincial performance in these two areas is between 19% and 43%, the highest being Western Cape, and the lowest Mpumalanga.

According to the Centre for Development and Enterprise, 25000 teachers have to enter the system each year.

A Human Sciences Research Council survey in 2005 showed that of 21358 teachers in 1714 schools, 55% had considered leaving the profession.

Reasons given were poor pay, increased workload, lack of career development, professional recognition, dissatisfaction with work policies and job insecurity.

Another report by a ministerial task team, Educator Attrition and Mortality in South Africa, showed that 21000 teachers had been leaving the profession annually for the preceding 10 years.

The Department of Basic Education has tried to attract people into the system through Fundza Lushaka Bursary Scheme.

From 2007 to 2010, the state spent R470-million to fund 28200 bursaries.

But there are some pitfalls - with some state schools failing to absorb the new teachers.

For example, in the past four years the Western Cape education department has placed only 34% of bursary recipients in state schools, while other provinces ranged from 75% to 90% placement.

The Fundza Lushaka contract says if a provincial department fails to find a post for a Fundza Lushaka recipient within 60 days of his or her graduating, the newly qualified teacher's obligation to teach in a state school falls away.

Failure to place these graduates therefore undermines any attempt to redress the situation.

Research has shown that there is a dire need for qualified teachers - especially in rural areas.

The Department of Education could ensure that the Fundza Lushaka scheme becomes value for money by sending the new graduates into these areas.

Teacher training in South Africa is done through the Initial Professional Education of Teachers (IPET) and Continuing Professional Teacher Development.

The responsibility for IPET means that training, which was once done by over 80 teacher colleges, is done through universities.

The CPTD is for teachers already in the system and this mainly falls under the the South African Council for Educators.

It is time the Education Department reintroduce teacher training colleges so SA can again be able to produce teachers who are able to manage large classrooms, be able to teach pupils better as their training would not be as academic as at universities.

Research has shown that if children have a good foundation phase education, they will be able to do well in high school and university.

The Gauteng legislature recently released a report showing that pupils are promoted from the foundation phase even though they are unable to read, write and do basic maths.

On the other hand, teachers say if they retained the pupils who do not have good marks just for another year, the pupils would improve and the quality of high school pupils would be better.

Quality education can only be achieved if teachers are trained in curriculum implementation.

  • Monama is Sowetan's education reporter

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