Pandor bid to stop drop-outs

2008-05-15 22:10

Cape Town - Technical high schools were to be revamped to counter the high-school drop-out rate, said Education Minister Naledi Pandor on Thursday.

Speaking in the National Assembly during debate on her budget vote, Pandor said the recent report of the committee on school retention indicated SA had achieved universal access to primary schooling and near-universal access to schooling up to the age of 15.

"I am, however, extremely concerned at the finding that there is a sharp drop in numbers after grades nine and 10.

"If we are to change lives, we must keep young people in school longer and engage them more productively," she said.

"One of the ways in which we plan to do this is to revolutionise a sub-sector that we rarely refer to in our deliberations."

Pandor said she intended to begin a process of renewal, expansion, and modernisation for technical high schools.

There were more than 100 of these institutions and a focused investment in them could lead to critical growth in the technical and artisan skills needed.

A review process had been started to lay the basis for further development of these institutions.

"It is vital that we develop a broader view of education. One that goes beyond academic general schools to more-focused, well-resourced schools for technical education.

"We will change the lives of our youth by creating new opportunities and by responding to their different abilities," she said.

Pandor said the response to the "second-chance programme" for pupils who failed matric in 2007 revealed a hungry thirst for education among children "we tend to cast off as failures at Grade 12".

More than 400 000 full-time and part-time candidates were writing exams - a number close to the total pool for 2007.

Plans were also afoot to do more to reshape adult education and training.

Specific training needs

Teachers in adult learning centres played a vital role in changing lives through helping adult pupils.

However, adult pupils were demanding something more than matric - a qualification and subject mix that responded to adult interests and their specific training needs.

A green paper on adult education and training was being prepared, she said.

One of the emerging challenges was the need to respond to the decline in the number of qualified school teachers.

Specific gaps existed in the foundation phase and in scarce-skills subjects such as maths, sciences and technology.

"Our first response was the introduction of nationally funded bursaries for students in these fields. We expect graduation numbers to grow each year."

However, these efforts needed to be supported by significant growth in numbers and by expansion in the capacity of university faculties responsible for teacher training.

All but one university offered initial and in-service teacher training in faculties, colleges and schools of education.

Need innovative strategies

Various options to expand the numbers were being considered and there had been calls for re-opening teacher training colleges.

"Given that many college sites became our new very vital FET (further education and training) colleges, we need to devise innovative strategies for responding to more and better teacher training.

"I hope to return to the house later this year to set out the department's proposal for expanded provision.

"We think it important to retain the higher education role in qualifying teachers," Pandor said.

- SAPA