More public hearings for Quality Education: Access to All
Posted by Ingrid Thomson | 5 Aug, 2010From the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) comes summaries and links to two days of hearings on 28th July 2010 and 29th July 2010.
Summary of the hearings on the 28th July 2010:
Issues raised included the need for more practical training for student teachers, the re-introduction of teachers colleges to promote the level of teaching and the dignity and status of teachers, the establishment of dedicated space and equipment for libraries at all schools with qualified teacher librarians, an improvement in the efficiency and performance of the educational system, and revisiting the models of how schools could be run taking into account international best practice models from countries like Finland, Holland and England. Also raised was the vast amount of work that had to be covered at primary school level. This led to the inadequate consolidation of the important foundation material and to the discouragement of learning. There was a need for a massive literacy and numeracy programme from grade R similar to that implemented in Cuba and Korea. It was submitted that learners and teachers needed more time to teach and learn without rushing the process.Members asked why universities could not be used for training teachers, how the attitudes of teachers towards inspectors could be changed, whether school district offices could be reformed and whether they were necessary, what were the statistics on interference by unions on appointments to schools, should the Department develop lesson plans and post them on a website for access by all, and if more detail could be provided of instances where equipment and textbooks were seen to be locked away and unused.
The hearings would be followed up by a debate in the National Assembly, whose recommendations would be forwarded to the Department for implementation.
Summary of the hearings held on 29th July 2010:
The Committee continued with its public hearings on access to and
delivery of quality education in South Africa. Faithway Christian
School, which was a poor and rural school dependent entirely upon fees
to pay for its costs, faced many challenges yet had, for the past 12
years, achieved 100% matric pass rates. It noted that the present
curriculum was doing the learners a disservice, and could be improved by
placing more emphasis on English as the language of instruction.
Teachers were expected to do far too much administrative work. The
school recommended that stronger emphasis needed to be placed on
reading, writing and spelling. The frequent changes to prescribed
textbooks were problematic in poor communities. It said that Government
should look at a way of bridging the divide between wealthier schools
and their poorer counterparts, possibly through co-option. Members asked
what had resulted in the school’s success, especially given the
challenges presented by the OBE system, whether the school catered only
to English-speaking pupils, and how government-funding would then affect
the school’s status.
Meredale Primary School faced challenges around overcrowding, lack of
adequate and cohesive support from the Department of Education and
students having to have Afrikaans as a subject. In order to deal with
bullying within classrooms, especially at Grade 1 where the ages of
pupils ranged from five to eight years, the school separated learners.
It recommended that schools should also be allowed to appoint the
teachers they felt were best for the position. Members asked for
comments on the experiences around inclusive education, the process
around the employment of teachers, and the necessity for more remedial
classes.
The Siyahamba Foundation for Academic Excellence had done research which
showed that learners were not being taught learning skills. This
Foundation had therefore released both a learner’s manual and a
teacher’s manual, which emphasised aspects such as developing a positive
belief system, improving memory, effective mind management, improving
reading and writing skills, reducing anxiety and managing stress.
Members asked if the success of this book was proven, whether the focus
was on generic learning skills or was subject specific, whether teachers
were currently trained at university in different learning theories and
whether a similar book would be available for younger learners.
Projects Abroad noted that research conducted at disadvantaged schools
in the Western Cape had noted a number of challenges, which included
inadequate resources, social ills, including gangsterism and substance
abuse, forced promotion of learners, and lack of technical-skills
training for learners. Problems with the Outcomes Based Education system
included lack of standardisation of knowledge, the overwhelming
administrative workload placed on teachers, unrealistic timeframes
within which to teach content, and problems arising from inclusive
learning. There was also a poor relationship between the Department of
Education and schools and educators. Projects Abroad recommended better
consultation with educators, improving working relationships, replacing
or revising the OBE system, the need for constant re-training and
personal development of teachers, creating technical schools, the
re-introduction of sports and creative subjects, creating well-resourced
libraries, better learner safety and an independent school
inspectorate. Members asked how many schools had been interviewed, where
they were situated, why Department of Education officials were not
interviewed during this research and whether there was not a need to
look at different models for technical skills.