WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2007-10-03 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Carla
Johannesburg – SA’s inadequate progress on the maths and science challenge is the biggest constraint to black advancement, says the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE).This comes as the centre unveiled the shocking findings of its second research report on maths and science education in the country.Annual passes in higher-grade (HG) maths are falling short of the Department of Education’s stated targets 2004-2008 for achieving the doubling goal, and from 2005 to 2006 they actually declined, said CDE executive director Ann Bernstein in a statement.Labelling the facts of poor performance “staggering”, Bernstein said: “Unless we get this right, the skills shortage will continue and deepen to the detriment of us all,” she said.The centre has used the launch of the report to call for a “priority national public-private project to turbo-boost maths and science education”.”From the president to the private sector, everyone wants to achieve the goal of doubling Senior Certificate Higher Grade maths and science passes (from about 25 000 to about 50 000) but we are nowhere near achieving this.”In 2004, 467 985 learners wrote the senior certificate examinations, with 39 939 writing HG maths. Of these, only 5% (24 143) passed HG maths. Of that 24 143, only 1.5% (7 236) of passes were obtained by African students. ‘Chilling statistics’The report showed that more than half of South Africa’s secondary schools failed to achieve a single HG maths pass; 81% of schools achieve one pass each on average. “Overcoming such chilling statistics will require bold political leadershipand a strategic partnership with private companies,” said Bernstien. “Theaccelerated and shared growth initiative, Asgisa; the joint initiative onpriority skills acquisition, Jipsa; the developmental state and sustainedeconomic growth requires far greater numbers of matriculants withuniversity-level maths.”The report – which was privately funded – concludes that “profound changesare required as a matter of urgency if we are to see significant results”.Suggested measuresThe CDE has compiled a list of measures – which would cost millions of rands to implement – aimed at dramatically improving maths and science performance at secondary-school level. These include:Expanding government’s Dinaledi project, which was started in 2001 to deal with poor maths and science performance at 400 schools. The CDE notes that while HG passes have improved at Dinaledi schools, this has not been “nearly enough to achieve double maths and science passes – or their equivalent under the new curriculum – within the next few years”. The programme should be significantly strengthened and it should move beyond race and include all high-performing maths/science schools and those with potential to become such schools.Audit current maths, science and teachers to test for competence. Once it’s know which maths teachers can actually teach maths, remedial measures for the school and the teacher can begin, says Bernstein. A similar exercise conducted in Peru earlier this year revealed that almost half of those who sat for the exam were unable to solve elementary maths questions, and a third failed a reading comprehension test.Recruit foreign teachers. “We believe government should act without delay to fill the new 2000 – teacher quota on the government’s list of foreign skills that can be imported. Every year that we delay affects the number of learners who could be getting a decent maths education, and thus the platform for a range of new opportunities for them and their families,” said Bernstein.Test students for mathematical aptitude at grade seven level through a voluntary aptitude test. With 81%, or 5 703 schools achieving less than one HG pass on average, students at dysfunctional schools should not be ignored. The CDE suggests that students with potential for maths should be moved to a good school so they have a chance of passing HG maths. “This will require bursaries, support to learners in the new environment, support to receiving schools.”The private sectors should get more involved. “Government and private companies are still some way from aligning their efforts, resulting in wastage of resources and proliferation of initiatives that are too small to have meaningful impact,” said Bernstein. Saying that the private sector has a profound interest in an improved maths and science schooling system, Bernstein said well-meaning but isolated projects are not working. “The private sector should not perform the state?s role but use its money as social risk capital.””Without these measures, we see no realistic possibility of improving the output of our schooling system. We need to double as quickly as possible.After all, this is only the first step in overhauling a failing education system which needs to be fixed from primary schools upwards in time,” said Bernstein.
Source: http://www.fin24.co.za/articles/default/display_article.aspx?Nav=ns&ArticleID=1518-25_2194993