Education
(1) Whether there are any schools in the province that stopped teaching Mathematics and/or Physical Science between 2014 and 2022; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether there are schools in the province that have been teaching Mathematics in a home language between 2014 and 2022; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the relevant details, (b) what are the benefits of teaching Mathematics in a home language, (c) what have been the results per (i) school and (ii) grade of Mathematics being taught in a home language and (d) are there schools that have stopped teaching Mathematics in a home language and (e) what is the number of learners who have changed from pure Mathematics to Mathematical Literacy during this period?
[1] Yes, there are.
- Some schools phased out Mathematics and/or Physical Sciences because of the drop in the number of students wanting to take Mathematics and/or Physical Sciences.
- A student who changes from Mathematics also needs to change from Physical Sciences, as Mathematics is a requirement to do Physical Sciences.
- Challenges experienced by schools in finding qualified Mathematics and Physical Sciences teachers.
- Optimal teacher utilisation, especially at schools with limited post establishments, is a strong consideration at schools to rather drop subjects with small enrolments.
[2] Yes, but not all students receive instruction in their home language.
[a] In Grades 10 – 12, instruction in Mathematics in the country is either in English or Afrikaans. Consequently, not all students are receiving Mathematics instruction in their home language.
[b] Currently, not all students will benefit by being instructed in their home language, as the Mathematics paper can only be written in English or Afrikaans.
[c] The data set of Mathematics students being taught in a language other than their home language is not readily available.
[d] There are schools that have English and Afrikaans students being taught in the same class where teachers are accommodating both languages because of low numbers of students taking Mathematics in both languages.
[e] The number of students that switched from Mathematics to Mathematical Literacy within the same year is as follows:
|
Grade |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
2022 |
556 |
5 601 |
3 373 |
|
2021 |
3 386 |
6 017 |
3 857 |
|
2020 |
1 267 |
4 835 |
3 484 |
|
2019 |
2 748 |
5 352 |
3 838 |
|
2018 |
3 041 |
5 471 |
4 038 |
|
2017 |
732 |
3 039 |
4 224 |
|
2016 |
|
2 977 |
4 669 |
|
2015 |
|
3 119 |
5 342 |
|
2014 |
|
2 501 |
4 205 |
*The data for Grade 10 is not available for 2014 – 2016.
Covid-19 has added to this. The rotational timetabling and the loss in teaching time and curriculum coverage contributed to learners changing from Mathematics to Mathematical Literacy to boost their total scores and to be able to access higher education institutions.
