Imagine waking up when the sun rises because you can’t set an alarm clock. You have to ask people in the taxi to assist you with counting change for the driver – you just hope you aren’t getting ripped off – again.
You wait on a street corner with only your tools and paintbrushes in hand. When you do get picked up for work, you are assigned to painting or digging holes – because that’s all you can do. After work, you miss out on all the discounts and specials at your local shop and only buy what you know. As you walk home you notice a new sign in a shop window. Curious, you look at it briefly but continue to walk past. It was an offer of employment. Such is the life of an illiterate, innumerate person. It’s not a pretty picture, but it plays out all the time.
Crucial
Maths, science and literacy are all touted as crucial for creating the engineers, doctors and scientists of the future, but it’s often forgotten that being able to read, write and problem solve all play an important role in basic day-to-day tasks and can provide a person with the tools to better themselves and their situation.
Although not unique to South Africa, illiteracy and innumeracy are at high levels in South Africa – a trait which has been attributed largely to an educational system that is not delivering. The quality of education in general and maths, science and literacy in particular have come into question, with several independent local and international surveys revealing less than ideal results in this arena.
In addition to the high levels of illiteracy and innumeracy, some of the most pertinent issues that have emerged over the years include, among others, a lack of knowledgeable teachers who fully understand the curriculum, a lack of educational resources, too many changes to the national curriculum, a “disconnect” between high school and tertiary institutions, poor infrastructure, low pass requirements and language barriers.
The situation is complex as there are many variables at play. It is virtually impossible to isolate a single problem. That said, there are various points of reference and studies which highlight the fact that serious challenges exist within the public education sector. It’s easy to paint the whole public education sector with the same brush and say it’s all bad, but that’s not true. There are public schools and publicly schooled students who excel. Could the overall results be better? Definitely.
At this juncture we need constructive and positive engagement and solutions. Our global competitiveness and ability to break the cycle of poverty depends on it.
What’s more, SA’s ambition of achieving a growth target of 5 percent by 2019 is at risk, not only because of slow global growth and domestic constraints, but because the skills simply won’t be there. If the economy does not grow, there won’t be jobs for graduates and school leavers, and the cycle will perpetuate.
Push for excellence
Maths and science are particularly important as they have been identified as crucial components of a STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, education, which in turn is seen as providing the skills for the jobs of the future.
The world is beginning to shift into a new era, where science- and technology-orientated businesses will dominate. As such, it is imperative that students and countries foster these skills in order to be competitive and productive.
As positive as these interventions are, more needs to be done. There needs to be a shift away from celebrating a mere pass mark. All stakeholders should push for excellence, particularly in maths and science. The curriculum also needs to be firmed up and adhered to. It can take years to fully implement and understand a curriculum and work out the “bugs”. The fact that it has been changed several times within a relatively short space of time has created confusion on all sides.
And, we must keep in mind that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. What is apparent is that it is time to get back to basics and implement solid, sustainable initiatives that will really make a difference to our educational landscape in general, and nurture our maths and science base. Economic growth is at risk, but at risk are also people who are limited in literacy and numeracy, who are unable to take full advantage of life in South Africa. It is a limited life.
* Benadette Aineamani is a mathematics content specialist for schools at Pearson South Africa. Lise Fourie is the head of sciences for high schools at Pearson South Africa.
** The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Independent Media.
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