Question 212
Ms N Gina (ANC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether her department has taken any measures to deal with the high failure rate in mathematics and science; if not, why not; if so, what (a) is the current status and (b) are the measures taken?
Reply:
The factors that contribute to the failure rate experienced in mathematics and science are complex and cannot be addressed by a single set of solutions. In response to this challenge, the department has placed emphasis on the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills from the foundation phase. The interventions will be strengthened on an ongoing basis to ensure that learners develop these foundational skills that will support their learning of mathematics and science.
The department has also developed a mathematics and science improvement strategy which targets the following areas for improvement:
- Learning domain which focuses on learners as a primary target. The strategy is to address language barriers, career guidance, diagnosis of barriers peculiar to mathematics and science
- Teaching domain focuses teachers and seeks to address inadequacies relating to content, insufficient pedagogical content knowledge, qualifications
- Content domain: identifies content that is problematic for teachers and learners and develops appropriate interventions to address it. Diagnostic assessments will be used to identify deficiencies that need to be addressed
- Teaching-learning environment domain: The teaching-learning environment refers to the classroom, school and local community environment where teaching and learning takes place.
Source: Department of Education
