A strategic drive to improve learner performance in KZN “Operation Bounce Back”
The Department of Education in KwaZulu-Natal held a consultative meeting with stakeholders following districts presentations about the National Senior Certificate results to the top management.
Members of the Portfolio Committee for Education, SGB formations, teacher unions, academics and business people, were part of the consultative meeting whose purpose was to look at strategies to improve the National Senior Certificate results.
This consultative meeting follows a series of meetings where all the 12 districts had to sit before the top management and explain the decline of results and come up with strategies for improvement.
During districts presentation to top management, districts were expected to:
- Give a broad analysis on performance for all schools
- Give a category of schools that have been consistent in poor performance
- Give programmes that they will put in place to support schools in general
- Come up with specific interventions to support learners in gateway subjects.
- Come up with an intervention programme to ensure that all learners succeed in home language.
Making his introductory remarks, the Head of Department, Nkosinathi SP Sishi, (PhD), announced some of the measures already in place to improve the results.
“At the beginning of the year we are going to upload to schools (whether they have internet or not) a software that is going to assist the schools with curriculum content. As part of the intervention programme, the Department is going to introduce an alumni programme. This programme involves former learners of the schools some of whom are currently occupying senior leadership positions in various companies/organisation.
A variety of social networks like sms, whatsApp, BBM, facebook, twitter and group emails will be utilised to implement the alumni programme All Department officials are also encouraged to be part of this programme,” said the HOD.
The HOD further announced that all schools in the province (given floor space), are ready to admit all those leaners who failed in the National Senior Certificates examinations in 2014.
“The department is going to give tuition support to all learners who are going to sit for the supplementary examination in 2015” said the HoD. The Hod further announced that over 200 000 calculators and maths and science dictionaries will be given to schools to support learners.
Among the things that the department is going to do to improve results are:
- Focus on mathematics
- Conduct Extensive Teacher Training
- Integration of ICT Teaching
- Provision of Detailed Lesson Plans and Study Guides
- Provision of ANA and NSC previous examination question papers
- Conduct orientation workshops on the use of Multi-grade teaching
- Training of Principals and members of SMT on Leadership and Curriculum Management
- Conduct Extra tuition for learners (Weekend, Holidays)
- Implement the Alumni Support Programme to all schools and
- Partner with private sector.
As part of the effort to assist schools in their challenges, the department has placed most surplus educators to schools. The department will endeavour to ensure that all recently qualified Fudza Lushaka recipients are placed by 21 January. The department has also attended to the appointment of school management officials and the majority of them will assume duty when schools open on 21 January. Circuit management positions are also going to be filled by end of March.
All stakeholders who attended the consultative meeting pledged their support to the department’s drive to improve the 2015 National Senior Certificates results, but said they are still going to engage with the intervention strategy with the view to improve it where necessary.
For more information contact:
Muzi Mahlambi
Cell: 082 519 1420
Sihle Mlotshwa
Cell: 072 207 2018
Isaac Luthuli
Cell: 076 132 5940
