A NEW report has found that teachers in SA are getting worse and continue to fare poorly in proficiency in the key subjects of English and maths. According to the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (Sacmeq) report that was presented to MPs on Tuesday, only 33% of Grade 6 teachers demonstrated "critical reading" skills compared to 77.8% in the 2007 study. The average score for reading achieved by Grade 6 teachers dropped from 758 in the 2007 study, to 672 in the 2013 study. For maths‚ the average score achieved by Grade 6 teachers dropped from 764 in the 2007 study to 757 in the 2013 study. Sacmeq scores are scaled to have an international average value of 500 and a standard deviation of 100 points. Previous Sacmeq studies have shown that teachers could not answer questions taken from tests that their pupils were expected to answer. The latest report raises more questions about SA’s education system amid growing calls for teachers to be tested r...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.