International survey exposes worrying SA education inequality

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube has described the results from the recent 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as a mirror reflecting the country’s educational inequalities.

“These results are holding up a mirror for us as a country to take a long, hard look at ourselves and come face-to-face with the cold hard truth that our educational outcomes are deeply uneven,” she said.

Gwarube also pointed to the continuing divide between well-resourced schools, often in more affluent areas, and poorly resourced schools in marginalised communities.

“Despite post-apartheid reforms aimed at redressing our inequalities, the education system still remains highly unequal, with well-resourced schools outperforming poorly resourced schools in marginalised areas,” she said.

The TIMSS study, which considers 400 points as the minimum level of competence, evaluated the performance of grade 9 pupils in 44 countries.

In mathematics, the Western Cape and Gauteng — the top-performing provinces — saw a drop in scores from 370 in 2019 to 362 in 2023.

Similarly, grade 5 pupils who were evaluated declined in both mathematics from 374 to 362 and science from 324 to 308.

“The results reveal both areas of progress and persistent challenges. On the positive side, our grade 9 learners have demonstrated incremental improvements in mathematics and science, with performance levels rising slightly compared to previous cycles. This reflects the dedication of our educators and learners, as well as the impact of targeted interventions in certain provinces,” said Gwarube.

According to the minister, many learners are advancing through the education system without mastering foundational skills, especially in mathematics and science.

“Too many learners progress through the education system without mastering foundational skills, particularly in mathematics and science. These deficits accumulate over time, limiting learners’ ability to succeed in higher grades and diminishing their prospects of accessing further education and employment opportunities.”

Gwarube also highlighted that there is a significant barrier of language, which negatively affects the pupils’ overall academic performance.

“The mismatch between learners’ home language and the language of instruction continues to be a significant barrier. Learners taught in a second language struggle with comprehension, adversely affecting their academic performance across all subjects.”

Gwarube emphasised that schools in marginalised communities often lacked the resources necessary to provide quality education.

“Schools in marginalised communities often lack the infrastructure, teaching materials and teacher development programmes needed to deliver quality education.”

She said the TIMSS results also highlighted the connection between teacher absenteeism and poor academic outcomes.

“From the results that have been released today, we can see that quintile 1 schools experienced higher levels of teacher and learner absenteeism than schools in other quintiles.

“The Eastern Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga provinces reported higher learner and teacher absenteeism levels than the other provinces. The Free State, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga experienced lower levels of teacher attendance at schools than other provinces, whereas provinces like Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape had more moderate levels of absenteeism.”

Teacher attendance is crucial for student success, she said. “Where teacher attendance is low, academic outcomes are invariably poor.”

In response to these findings, the department has announced several key initiatives.

“As part of efforts to ensure that our schooling system is a just and fair one, I plan to request the soon-to-be-operationalised National Education and Training Council to advise me on how we can improve the way in which the curriculum is delivered, with a specific focus on public schools in quintiles 1 to 3, and how we can improve the funding model for public schooling.”

Gwarube said the department was implementing a mother-tongue bilingual-based education (MTBBE) programme, which would allow learners to access mathematics, science and technology instruction in their home language alongside English.

“This programme aims to allow learners to access mathematics, science and technology instruction in their home language, thereby improving their comprehension and academic performance.”

The department is also focusing on early childhood development (ECD) programmes.

“We are undertaking a mass registration drive to formalise ECD programmes, aligned with the National Curriculum Framework for ECD and supported by newly developed learning and teaching support materials. These materials will ensure that every child — whether in Constantia, Sandton, Motherwell or Mqanduli — can engage meaningfully with early learning content.”

Although TIMSS exposed the serious challenges facing SA’s education system, they also provide an opportunity for change, she said.

“These results are an essential barometer of the state of education in SA, allowing us to benchmark our progress, identify areas requiring urgent and targeted support and ultimately improve the quality of education outcomes.”

TimesLIVE