TOO many South African teenagers struggle with numeracy nowadays.
This was the conclusion of a research study by Solidarity Helping Hand’s Society of Afrikaans Mathematics Teachers, based on the Annual National Assessment (ANA) undertaken by high school students, which revealed a dismal 10.8% average performance achieved by Grade 9 scholars.
As an industrial town such as Richards Bay, artisans are the most sought after candidates for leading corporate companies, and with maths and science being prerequisites for these jobs, this alarming performance raises serious concern.
University of Zululand Science Centre Director Derek Fish attributes this poor performance to the lack of proper teaching, in addition to children not fully understanding the essential role mathematics plays in today’s working world.
‘We can point out the necessity of maths in securing almost any job nowadays, but until it is taught better and marks go up, I don’t foresee any change.
‘Apart from anything else, who would choose a subject where the national average in Grade 9 (when subjects are chosen) is 11 %. Failure hardly motivates,’ Fish said.
Helping Hand’s Chief Executive Officer Dr Danie Brink shares the sentiment and advised the Department of Education to take corrective action, fast.
‘Training mathematics teachers should be a priority. Instead of merely increasing teachers’ workload through the ANA every year, more time and money should be spent on training,’ Brink said.
A major contributing factor to the problem is said to be the promotion of pupils who did not pass mathematics in earlier grades.
