‘LOOK EAST’
Asian maths model will not fix local education problems, warn unions
The government’s "look East" plan to help solve mathematical illiteracy was not likely to work, unions operating in the education sector said on Wednesday. Poor maths and science education is at the heart of South Africa’s skills problem. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2015 research shows that local pupils’ grasp of simple concepts is "weak" and they struggle to apply the knowledge. On Tuesday, the Department of Basic Education proposed turning to Asian curricula, saying pupils in Japan, Singapore and Taiwan had improved significantly in the areas of content and cognitive maths skills. Executive director at the National Professional Teachers Organisation of SA Basil Manuel said the proposal was likely to flop — as did outcomes-based education, based on an Australian model in the 1990s.
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