Act on low maths scores - DA

2012-12-03 20:08

DA (Picture: Sapa)

Johannesburg - The basic education department should identify and copy the best practices for teaching science and maths, the DA said on Monday, shortly after the release of the annual national assessment (ANA) results.

Democratic Alliance education spokesperson Annette Lovemore said her party welcomed the improvement in literacy and maths results in the lower grades, but was concerned about Grade 6 and Grade 9 pupils' poor maths performance.

"Mathematics scores get progressively worse the higher the grade," she said.

"The average for mathematics for Grade One was 68%, while the average for Grade 6 and Grade 9 are 27% and 13% respectively."

Lovemore said urgent intervention was required to stop the pattern continuing.

According to the ANA, the national average mark obtained by Grade Three pupils in literacy is 52% this year, up from 35% last year; and 41% in maths, up from 28% in 2011.

Grade Six literacy was 43% in home language and 36% in first additional language.

The mark for mathematics in Grade 6 was 27%, down 3% from last year.

Grade 9 pupils scored an average mark of 13% in maths this year.

Lovemore said there were models available to improve the results of Grade 6 and Grade 9 pupils.

She would write to basic education portfolio committee chairperson Hope Malgas to reiterate the importance of finding and implementing better ways of teaching maths and science.

"Emphasis must be placed on attaining and recommending best practice methods from successful school interventions," said Lovemore.

The ANA is a testing programme which requires all schools to conduct the same, grade-specific language and maths tests for Grade 1 to Grade 6 pupils, and for Grade 9s.

- SAPA