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Maths literacy bars matrics from artisan studies

college students in lecture. Picture Credit: Thinkstock
college students in lecture. Picture Credit: Thinkstock

Even public colleges provide no sanctuary for aspiring artisans who took mathematics literacy in matric.

The subject carries so little weight that the country's 50 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges do not even enrol a matriculant who passed with flying colours into their artisan programmes.

Addressing journalists in Tshwane yesterday about the state of readiness of higher institutions for the 2017 intake, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said TVETs wouldn't enrol someone without a pass in pure maths for artisan training.

"It is critical that in order to be accepted into an artisan training programme, learners must have passed mathematics with a minimum mark of 50% and a pass in [physical] science," said Nzimande.

He said matriculants without the required 50%, but who did maths in school and want to become artisans, could register for a foundation course. Called the Generic Trade Preparation Programme, the course is offered at the National Artisan Development Support Centre.

Those with maths literacy are excluded from the programme.

Universities also do not recognise maths literacy for technical studies. And yet, a total of 361865 matrics wrote the subject in 2016, many in schools that do not teach maths at all. Maths was written by 265810 matrics last year, with a pass rate of 51.1% while 71.3% of those who sat for maths literacy passed it.

Deputy Minister Mduduzi Manana said: "We must remember that artisan trades are more related to engineering.

"It's actually engineering programmes and that's why mathematics is crucial. We do know that our learners do not perform well in mathematics and that is where we have this foundational programme."

Manana said in its advocacy campaign the department encourages pupils to take maths, "and perform well at it so that they can be considered for artisan training".

General secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, Mugwena Maluleke, said it was clear from the onset that maths literacy was a subject that would limit further education chances.

"Our position has always been that it's important for schools to encourage learners not to do maths literacy but to do mathematics. Clearly, it is not taking learners anywhere," he said.

"... Maths literacy was not going to be one of those subjects that improves your possibilities to register for learning fields that require mathematics like your sciences and artisan studies."

Department spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said TVETs could not be blamed for sticking to their requirements. "It talks to the lack of understanding from the learners themselves, not that there's something wrong with maths literacy."

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