REPORT BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Introduction
The National Assessment tests for literacy and numeracy were written by
six million learners in grades 2 to 7 and grade 10 in February of 2010. The
recently released results signal long-term problems within the South African
education system.
The study highlighted the link between poverty and poor school results,
particularly in subjects aligned to literacy and numeracy. It showed that betterresourced
schools in wealthier areas perform significantly better than their
counterparts in poorer and less well-resourced areas. In comparable tests,
learners attending poorer schools were more likely to achieve test scores below
35% for numeracy and literacy subjects, while learners in wealthier schools were
more likely to achieve test scores of 50% or more.
While the test scores point to significant problems in the educational system
as a whole, more concerning are the results from the Western Cape, historically considered one of the better
performing provinces. More than half of the Western Cape learners tested could not calculate, read or write at the
required levels. While reflecting the position in the Western Cape as poor, the results in this province still were still
better than those achieved by learners in other provinces in South Africa.
As part of the national assessment, schools are ranked in quintiles, which are essentially the poverty score of the
school, as determined by the level of poverty in the immediate community in which the school is located. There
are five quintile rankings, with the schools located in the poorest areas being ranked as quintile one and the most
affluent areas as quintile five. However, what has been highlighted is that while quintile one schools performed
badly, evidence suggests that higher-ranked schools were also struggling and that there was a need to address
underperformance at all schools irrespective of the quintile ranking.
It is clear that the present structure of education in South Africa is not working optimally. If the level of education
is not picked up across the board, the ability of South Africa to field a well-educated workforce will remain low. This
has a ripple effect on areas such as job creation, poverty alleviation and the requirements for the national economy
to expand at the desired 6–7% growth rate as proposed by the Finance Minister.
I recently met with the Director General of the Department of Basic Education to discuss the ‘third tier’ model of
schooling, a model we endorse for our historic schools. The third tier model requires full government support
and funding, augmented by the private sector, alumni and other sources, but which allows for full management
autonomy at the schools. In the past this model had not been seen as a solution by government. However, in the
most recent meeting there was a clear commitment to explore this as an option. What also was heartening was
the willingness of the Department of Education to consider engaging in partnerships with a broad cross-section of
role players in the education sector in an effort to make a positive difference to the educational outcomes in South
African schools.
This change of stance is warmly welcomed and the HSRP commits to supporting the Department of Education as
they work through these different scenarios. We are more than willing to be a catalyst for bringing together partners
to make a difference to education and to the future of our country.
Njongo Ndungane
Executive Director
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