Cape Town - Protests against the Western Cape education department’s systemic tests have been held at a number of schools in the province, with some parents refusing to allow their children to write the assessments.
The Western Cape education department has confirmed that some schools had declined to write the annual tests, which assess maths and language skills of Grade 3, 6 and 9 pupils.
Jonavon Rustin, provincial secretary of the SA Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), said several parents had contacted their offices and expressed concerns that their children were being over-tested and that they couldn’t see the benefit of the tests.
The union has over the past year been calling for the tests to be scrapped, and said it cost millions of rands which could have been spent on other priorities.
It has also argued that pupils’ skills were already being assessed through the Annual National Assessments (ANA), written by schools across the country.
Rustin said pickets, supported by parents, had been held at several schools across the province on the scheduled test days last month and letters were handed to invigilators, who were from a service provider appointed by the department.
“We told parents why we were contesting the tests but we didn’t instruct them not to allow their children to write it.
“In the letter handed to invigilators we asked that the provider stop excessive testing of learners.
“In a number of cases the invigilators turned around, which meant the tests couldn’t be written.”
The union has also called on parents, teachers and residents to sign a petition, which has been distributed to a number of schools, which calls on the department to scrap the tests.
Rustin said this year’s opposition to the tests was a precursor to what would happen next year when the union would mobilise for the provincial systemic tests not to be written at all.
A principal from a school on the West Coast, who didn’t want to named, said some parents had informed the school that they didn’t want their children to write the test and some of these children were absent on the test day.
“The parents said their children were being over-tested.”
Last week the Cape Argus reported that a group of Grade 9 pupils, who refused to write the tests, had caused havoc at their and two other schools in Khayelitsha.
The pupils from Iqhayiya High School had refused to write the tests and, according to the education department, made their way to Bulumko High School where they tried to force pupils not to write the tests.
They then moved to Masiyile High School where pupils helped police to chase them away.
A pupils at Bulumko was stabbed in the arm during the chaos.
Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the “overwhelming majority” of the province’s 1 500 schools had written the tests.
“I am concerned at any parent who encourages or allows their child not to write.
“A system cannot improve if we do not measure it regularly, so we can see where we need to improve.
“These tests are used by our schools to develop their improvement plans for the following year.
“These same parents will complain about the quality of the education system, yet when we try to improve it they stop participation,” she said.
“There are two fallacious arguments that have been disseminated – that the teachers are stressed because of these tests, and that the children are tested too much.
“The systemics are done once a year, and the value that we derive from them is well worth it.
“Second, teachers do not have to teach specifically for the systemic tests.”
She said the tests “measure the levels that the learners are currently at and pupils didn’t have to study anything specific”.
“Teachers also didn’t have to mark the tests, as the tests are externally administered. We are very pleased to have received the co-operation of the vast majority of schools.”
The Western Cape education department was asked to provide details on the number of pupils who didn’t write the tests but declined to provide this information.
The ANA have been scheduled to be written in December, but teacher unions have indicated that they will boycott the tests.
It was initially scheduled to be written in September but the department later changed this date to December.
Cape Argus