The country’s Grade 5 learners who were assessed against Grade 4’s from 59 countries were ranked last in both maths, at 362, and science at 308.
South Africa’s poor performance in the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) should lead to a time of sober reflection on resources, teacher commitment and knowledge, says education expert Professor Vimolan Mudaly.
The global assessment focused on learners in the fourth and eighth grades; however, South Africa sent children in their fifth and ninth grades, with officials stating that local learners “better match curricula and maintain trend measurement”.
Despite this, the country’s Grade 5 learners who were assessed against Grade 4’s from 59 countries were ranked last in both maths, at 362, and science at 308.
This was also below the international averages for both subjects.
However, the country’s Grade 9 learners showed an improvement, outperforming some countries, as the maths scores increased by eight points from 389 in 2019 to 397.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the results illustrate the challenges facing the country’s education system but also present an opportunity to breathe new life into the delivery of quality education.
“The results reveal both areas of progress and persistent challenges. On the positive side, our Grade 9 learners have demonstrated incremental improvements in mathematics and science, with performance levels rising slightly compared to previous cycles.
“This reflects the dedication of our educators and learners, as well as the impact of targeted interventions in certain provinces.
“However, the results also highlight significant disparities. Learners in Quintile 1 to 3 schools, representing the most economically disadvantaged communities, consistently perform worse than those in Quintile 4 and 5 schools. These learners lag in mathematics and science due to systemic challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to learning materials, and uneven teacher development opportunities,” said Gwarube.
She said despite post-apartheid reforms aimed at redressing inequalities, the education system remained highly unequal, with well-resourced schools outperforming poorly resourced schools in marginalised areas.
Part of Gwarube’s action plan is to request a soon-to-be-operationalised National Education and Training Council to advise her on how to improve the way in which the curriculum is delivered, with a specific focus on public schools in Quintiles 1 to 3, and how they can improve the funding model for public schooling.
“The call for nominations of members to serve on this advisory body has been made and has been extended until the end of January 2025. I will thereafter appoint members to the Council so they may commence work on these critical projects,” she said.
Deputy academic leader of the School of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Professor Mudaly, said the department must begin to accept responsibility for the current state of education in South Africa.
“This implies that the South African Department of Basic Education was confident that if we used the real fourth and eight grade learners, the results would have been far more disastrous. What are we saying to the world?
“Is our curriculum not in line with that of the curricula found in other parts of the world? Why? How is teaching and learning monitored in schools? “Despite using older learners we still fared worse. We need to reflect on what we are teaching and how we are teaching. This may be the problem,” said Mudaly.
The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it performed better than other provinces in most of the scores; however, it was important to note that performance levels decreased in many areas.
A total of 34 schools were sampled in the province out of 303 nationwide, with the WCED noting that it scored the highest provincial score of 406 in maths and 376 in science.
It also scored the highest provincial score for maths and science in Grade 9.
Education MEC David Maynier said: “While our scores exceed those of other provinces, they still fall short of the international standards for mathematics, science and reading. There is still work to be done so that we reach higher international benchmark scores.
That is why we have invested in improving learning outcomes through our #BackOnTrack programme in the Western Cape.”
Professor Mudaly said it would have been useful if the WCED indicated the schools in which these learners were located.
“We can then easily extrapolate from that information what would work and what would not. We need to conduct a thorough investigation of our curriculum and how it unfolds in schools. We need to also engage in a very comprehensive teacher developmental programme so that we can infuse new ideas and methods into classrooms,” he said.
Cape Times