Education MEC visits Yeoville school
YEOVILLE - The Gauteng Department of Education MEC Barbara Creecy visited the Yeoville Community School to monitor the commencement of the annual national assessment tests.
She started with the Grade 2 learners by guiding them to follow the teacher’s instructions and filling in the answer sheet.
Creecy said these annual tests, which are written in primary and secondary schools from Grade 1 to 6 and Grade 9, were designed to check the skills development of the learners in languages and mathematics.
She said, “The aim of the standardised tests is to check whether learners in these grades are developing language and mathematics skills at the appropriate levels.”
The one-hour tests will take place from 10 to 13 September.
Creecy added the tests enabled the department to target interventions at an early stage in the schooling of the learners.
She said the tests detected learning challenges and allowed the administrators to put corrective measures in place.
She added, “The results will also assist us to improve the quality and intensify the interventions and support that district offices offer to schools.”
She said about 1.5 million learners in 2 566 schools would write the tests in Gauteng.
“The assessments will be administered in all public schools as well as to all Grades 3 and 6 learners in independent schools that receive a subsidy. A number of non-subsidised independent schools are also writing on a voluntary basis.”
Creecy added she believed that parents had an important role to play: “Parents should check that their children have completed the work in the workbooks and check that they can explain their answers.”
She said feedback would be provided to parents on their children’s performance in the standardised tests.
“Parents should use the results to check where they need to support their children’s learning. The feedback will also indicate to parents what they need to discuss with the school in order to agree on how best to improve their child’s performance.”
