Question no. 45
Ms F I Chohan (ANC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(a) What were the findings of the research that was conducted into learner retention in schools and (b) what interventions were identified by her department to address any challenges in this regard?
Reply:
(a) Key findings of the report on learner retention in the South African schooling system, report to the Minister of Education GNM Pandor, MP May 2008.
i. The extent of learner retention and dropout:
* Learner retention is close to 100 percent up to Grade 9, but begins to reduce sharply from Grades 10 to 12.
* There is almost universal school enrolment of children until age 16.
* The survival rate to Grades 10, 11 and 12 for those born between 1980 and 1984 is 72 percent, 60 percent and 46 percent respectively.
* Learner retention at FET level indicates that the percentage of people with
Grade 9 reaching Grade 12 tends to remain almost static over the years.
ii. Validity of the methodologies used to calculate retention and dropout rates. The methodologies that were used by the media to report on drop-out rates were flawed. Repeater information provided by schools is underreported, leading to exaggerated dropout rate figures.
iii. Reasons for dropping-out among learners:
* Grade repetition has been identified as the single powerful predictor of dropping-out. Learners that repeat become disillusioned and disengage from school activities resulting in drop-out.
* Level of education of parents relate strongly to dropout.
* The risk of dropping-out is very high for learners who are older than the median age when they enter secondary education. These learners may be affected by cycles of previous failures or may have other goals that are non-school related.
(b) Interventions
i. The department is in the process of gazetting a policy on learner attendance. This policy encourages schools to investigate circumstances of learner absenteeism.
ii. The expansion of the Further Education and Training (FET) college sector does provide an alternate pathway for learning after the compulsory phase of schooling. In addition, opportunities through Sector Education and Training Authority (SETAs) and learnerships must be fully explored and initiated.
iii. The department is working closely with stakeholders, through its quality teaching and learning campaign, to promote learning and hence learner retention.
iv. Foundations for learning campaign, which is geared at improving the quality of teaching and learning, promote the reduction in failure and repetition rates.
v. The department will attempt to ensure greater adherence to its age-grade norms by reducing repetition through improved quality of teaching. Since 1994, the Department has already observed that there is already greater correspondence between the age of learners and the grade they are expected to be in.
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
2 March 2010
Source: Department of Education (http://www.education.gov.za/)
