Statement by Donald Grant, MEC for Education in the Western Cape

Introduction

In order for our young learners to compete in the global knowledge economy we need to ensure that they have the best literacy and numeracy grounding possible.

Ensuring the requisite competency in reading, writing and calculating for our learners is a key priority for this administration. Equipping our learners with skills required to be literate and numerate is a non-negotiable.

We will therefore place a particular emphasis on the period from five to ten years of age as this is a critical period in the development of children's reading and writing skills. Learning in the Foundation Phase (Grade R to Grade 3), and in the Intermediate Phase (Grade 4 to Grade 6) is essential.

Unfortunately, numerous studies over the years have shown that South Africa's learners are falling behind international standards, and the Western Cape is no exception.

Although some of these findings are common knowledge, the true extent of the problem has not been brought to the public's attention with sufficient vigor in the past.

This administration believes that if we are to be accountable for our actions, we have to be open and honest about the true state of education in this Province.

For example, the Western Cape Education Department assessment results for 2004-2008 for Grade 3 and Grade 6 literacy and numeracy, reveal that on average, 900 (86%) of our primary schools achieve less than 40% pass rate (50% or better) in numeracy for Grade 6.

These results are not something that can just be ignored.

Currently, too many of our learners are being pushed through the system, despite being unable to master literacy and numeracy at the appropriate grade. Unable to cope at higher levels, many of these learners either drop out of school or fail to pass Grade 12.

We therefore need to ensure that learners are properly equipped to meet the challenges of the latter stages of their schooling right from the beginning. The mastering of reading, writing and numeracy is critical to that whole process.

WCED interventions

Since 2002, the Western Cape Education Department has spent a significant amount of its budget to improve literacy and numeracy in our schools.

It had become evident that not enough of the Western Cape's learners were reaching benchmarked levels of literacy and numeracy. Therefore, the WCED responded by launching the first provincial study of Grade 3 literacy and numeracy skills in 2002.

The study revealed that only 37% of Grade 3 learners in the Province could perform at Grade 3 level or higher in numeracy, while only 32% of Grade 3 learners were reading at that level.

The following year, a similar study assessing Grade 6 learners was performed. Only 15.6% of the learners passed the numeracy test at Grade 6 level in 2003, while 35% passed the literacy test.

The WCED has since commissioned extensive research every year into literacy and numeracy performance in the Western Cape, alternating between Grade 3 and 6 - the end of the Foundation and Intermediate Phases of primary schooling respectively.

In 2003, the WCED launched a Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology and a similar strategy for Literacy. The following year, the WCED appointed a task team to review the department's literacy and numeracy strategies.

In 2006, a major literacy and numeracy strategy was launched which included diagnostic tests, classroom support, special teaching and learning support materials, teacher training, special programmes by districts and schools, and family learning activities.

The department has also initially formed a team of more than 100 specialists who work full time with schools to improve literacy and numeracy performance, and for the past three years we have appointed more than 500 teaching assistants to support Foundation Phase teachers in poor schools, for a pilot project. The newly formed circuit teams are well-positioned to intensify the support to improve literacy and numeracy performance.

This strategy is well aligned with the national Foundations for Learning campaign, launched last year.

Have these interventions been successful?

The results of these interventions have shown that we are making significant progress in literacy, but numeracy levels continue to remain low.

The pass rate for literacy in Grade 3 has improved by 17.8% since testing began in 2002, when 35.7% of learners achieved more than 50%. This improved to 39.5% in 2004, 47.7% in 2006 and 53.5% in 2008.

The pass rate for numeracy has fluctuated from 37.1% and 37.3% in 2002 and 2004, to 31% in 2006 and 35% in 2008.

The Grade 6 results have shown a similar trend.

The percentage of Grade 6 learners achieving more than 50% for literacy across the Western Cape has increased steadily over the past four years from 35% in 2003 to 42.1% in 2005 and 44.8% in 2007, representing an overall increase of 9.8%.

However, numeracy levels have shown no signs of improvement. Numeracy increased from 15.6% in 2003 to 17.2% in 2005, but then declined to 14% in 2007.

It is obvious from these results that we have a long way to go before every learner is given access to a quality basic education.

Our latest assessment

The assessment results for 2004-2008 for Grade 3 and Grade 6 literacy and numeracy, have revealed that on average, 900 of our primary schools achieved less than 40% pass rate in numeracy in Grade 6.

786 schools at grade 3 level also achieved less then 40% in numeracy.

Despite the increase in literacy levels, only 53.5% of Grade 3 learners achieved more than 50% for literacy in 2008. The results for numeracy were 35%, with a provincial average of 39.5%.

The Grade 6 study in 2007 is even more alarming. Learners who achieved more than 50% for literacy stood at 44.8%, with a provincial average of 45% while the proportion of numerate Grade 6 learners stood at 14%, with a provincial average sitting at 27.9%.

A further analysis of these results show that more then half of Grade 6 learners were not even able to cope at Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 5 levels for numeracy.

Despite this, 95.2% of Grade 6 learners in the Western Cape were promoted to Grade 7 in 2007, according to national progression norms.

This is concerning given that only 14% of learners could perform at Grade 6 level or higher in numeracy that same year.

Generally, learners are promoted to a higher grade if they can achieve a 40% pass rate. However, even if we were to drop the 50% benchmark in our Provincial tests to 40%, only 20.3% of our Grade 6 learners would meet the mark, while only 56.4% would pass literacy.

It is no surprise then that our schools experience high drop-out rates. According to the latest Annual Survey for Schools, of the 97 864 learners who enrolled in public schools in the Western Cape in 1997, only 43 470 learners made it to Grade 12. Of those learners only 33% qualified for a matriculation endorsement.

Unfortunately for many of our learners, the future looks just as bleak. One cannot predict what the outcome of the Grade 12 results will be in 2013, but given these findings, the prospects does not look good for the 2007 Grade 6 class, unless urgent interventions are made.

The Western Cape's Grade 12 pass rate may be higher then the rates in other Provinces, but each year this figure has dropped. Only 78.67% of our learners passed in 2008, compared to an 85% pass rate in 2004.

Given the poor quality of education at primary and secondary level in our schools, even those with grade 12 endorsements are finding it hard to perform at university level.

In June, Dr Belinda Huntley of Wits University mathematics department said that there had been a 37% drop in the pass rate in the first-year students' June mathematics exams. (Business Day, 26/06/2009)

She said that this trend was echoed at universities of Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, the North West and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Dr Huntley said that although it was normal for students to see a drop in their marks from Grade 12 to their first year, the drop this year had been 'drastic', and noted that the 'inflated matric results' had created unjustified expectations.

Human Sciences Research Council's Student Pathways study of 34 000 students at seven tertiary institutions, conducted in 2006 and 2007, showed that 20 000 of the students quit their courses, with only 14 000 graduating.

Therefore it is very concerning that the national government is reportedly reviewing Grade 12 endorsement criteria or alternative mechanisms to measure university preparedness. We believe the solution is not less testing, but more testing.

In order to make the correct interventions, we need to identify the problems, develop solutions, and then test again to determine whether these interventions have been successful.

A way forward

We will undertake more testing. We will continue to test our Grade 3s and Grade 6s on alternate years and we are considering additional testing at Grade 9 level. Tests in grades 9 will reflect the range of learning areas being studied.

National exam results for grade 9 will be monitored closely to identify subjects and areas requiring targeted intervention.

If we do not set benchmarks for our learners and test them against these benchmarks on a regular basis, we will never be able to target individual learning needs.

There are many factors that contribute to the poor performance of our learners in literacy and numeracy, such as shortages of textbooks, poor classroom environment, language issues and teacher and learner absenteeism.

However, teacher knowledge and preparedness are often cited as being the predominant cause for concern.

Therefore, we will continue to make interventions in this regard, especially with teachers that are responsible for developing our learner's numeracy skills.

The Department has already embarked on a re-training programme for all teachers who teach mathematics in our primary schools. We intend to make this programme compulsory, making the necessary budget adjustments where required.

We will explore the viability on implementing a lesson-by-lesson plan for all mathematics teachers at primary school level.

A continuing record of teacher performance is needed, so that teaching can be tailored to support individual classroom needs.

The literacy and numeracy results reveal that there is a definite need for a "learning support teacher" in each of our primary schools. These teachers could assist learners with specific developmental needs. One of our aims will be to have a "learning support teacher" in every primary school in the next three years.

Proficiency in numeracy and mathematics forms the basis of many of our further education and training fields in science, technology, engineering, business and accountancy. This administration is determined to give our learners the opportunity to acquire skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. (STEM)

In the coming year, the department will seek to establish a STEM fund, a STEM advisory board, and will develop a STEM strategy and action programme for new centers of excellence to be situated in the major provincial urban areas.

In consultation with the National Government, we will also review the Foundation Phase component of the numeracy curriculum at Grade 1 level, where it has become increasingly evident that learners are being overburdened. There might be a need to shorten the numeracy curriculum so that the basic concepts in Grade 1 are consolidated.

Obviously, early interventions in the foundation stages are of utmost importance.

We therefore will continue to support the Foundation for Learning Campaign which was launched to improve learner performance in reading, writing and numeracy.

We will also place greater emphasis on expanding early childhood development interventions in the coming year.

An independent review of the literacy and numeracy results will be commissioned. An analysis of these results will provide us with the main reasons behind poor performance levels in the province and we will seek advice on how to build more accountability into the system. There is a definite need to reward those teachers that are excelling in this regard, and find ways to assist teachers and schools that are performing poorly.

Finally, I will be taking this matter on review to the Council of Education Ministers when we next meet again.

Conclusion

The WCED's diagnostic testing of Grade 3 and Grade 6 literacy and numeracy results provide us with a valuable insight into the state of our education system today.

Unfortunately, the results reveal that we are not providing our learners with the quality of education they deserve.

This administration believes that by ignoring the problem we are just setting our learners up for failure in years to come.

We will therefore take responsibility for this crisis and make the necessary interventions so that we can equip our youth with the skills they need to compete in the highly competitive global environment.

For enquiries, contact Bronagh Casey:  072 724 1422 or brcasey@pgwc.gov.za.

Visit our website: http://wced.wcape.gov.za