Effective school management has emerged as a critical factor behind the success of good academic performance at schools, according to a study of Western Cape schools commissioned by the German Technical Cooperation organisation (GTZ).

The aim of the study was to contribute to the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning, by analysing a variety of factors, which could influence academic performance.

The organisation studied 39 schools representing the entire spectrum of schools in the Western Cape. GTZ is owned by the German government and is engaged in development projects world-wide.

GTZ conducted the survey of schools in the Western Cape with the cooperation of the Western Cape Education Department.

The study found that scores in mathematics and reading tests showed a marked drop in average from Grade 3 to Grade 6, particularly in former Department of Education and Training and House of Representatives schools.

The study found that while schools had sufficient teachers and classrooms in terms of government norms, the level of management and the standard of teaching in schools influenced the test results.

"The study has shown us that we have to concentrate our efforts on three critical areas," said the Minister of Education in the Western Cape, Ms Helen Zille.

"These are, firstly, the quality of teaching in the average classroom; secondly, good management of our schools; and thirdly, the provision of adequate resources, particularly text books."

"If we get these three things right, we will have addressed the major causes of poor learner performance."

On the issue of management, the GTZ said that attention should be paid to allocating teachers appropriately, managing time-tables and grade allocations well, and ensuring retention of learners in the foundation phase.

Overall, the teachers appeared to be appropriately qualified. Teachers in rural areas were not as well qualified, although their learners produced better results at Grade 6 level.

Most teachers expressed satisfaction with their schools and learners. Key areas of satisfaction related to team work and professional autonomy, while dissatisfaction related to the lack of team work and community support.

The study found that teachers’ perceptions of academic success of their schools seemed inversely related to actual test scores. The worse the school’s performance, the better satisfied the teachers were.

There appears to be no apparent relationship between in-service training courses taken by teachers and test scores. This may relate to the short duration of most courses, limited follow-up, and the style of delivery.

Curriculum 2005 remained a major challenge. The key issues cited by teachers concerned resourcing, followed by discipline. About 75% of teachers felt that their schools would cope with these challenges.