Ahighlight for Superintendent-General Nkosinathi Sishi this year has been making sure 97 percent of children eligible for school are attending classes from Grade R to Grade 9.
However, the department’s challenge is that only 50 percent of that 97 percent make it to Grade 10, 11 and 12 because of social problems such as teenage pregnancy and drugs.
Next year, the department will conduct research to try and understand the high volume of school dropouts.
“The research will help find ways to fight social ills. If the province can maintain a 97 percent pupil population all the way to matric, then we can have a higher matric pass rate and a larger number of pupils going into higher education institutions,” Sishi said.
Education, he said, was a powerful tool to develop society, but was hampered by the high levels of poverty in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Addressing backlog issues would cost about R41 billion. The state cannot on its own, turn around backlog issue. Even the budget allocation for the next five years for infrastructure will not be able to fix the problems,” Sishi said.
Apart from the infrastructure backlog, the department needs to build more school science laboratories to make it easier for teachers to impart knowledge to pupils.
“When you walk into a science classroom, you must be able to see that it is science class. Our schools are behind with classroom equipment. Some pupils cannot even afford education and that is where the creation of no-fees schools come in.
“In the next five years, the schools we are building now would need renovations by then,” Sishi said.
Every year, the department loses about 5 200 teachers which has a huge impact on education because universities only produce about 1 800 a year.
“Provincially, we are faced with a deficit of about 3 000 teachers a year. We have built relations with universities to produce larger numbers of teachers, but the problem is not solved as yet, especially since there are not subjects like literacy and teachers are needed to teach that subject,” said Sishi.
Compared with 2010, with disturbance to the school year caused by the extended soccer World Cup break, followed by the three-week long public servant strike, this year, Sishi said, had been quiet.
He applauded teachers for a job well done.
“This shows that our teachers are now looking at education through different eyes and not through the eye of labour- related issues. Teachers in KZN are highly unionised but are able to sit down and talk about issues for an agreement to be reached.
“Some teachers even taught during weekends,” Sishi said.
This year, the department has managed to fill vacant posts at the education offices at district levels and have sourced some officials from the Basic Education Department.
After analysing the results of the Annual National Assessments (ANA) that were written for the first time in February this year, teachers are preparing for better results next year.
Sishi believes that the shift to ANA being written alongside the matric final examinations would better reflect the pupil’s capability and would show improved results.
There are about 38 000 classrooms for early childhood development to accommodate Grade R pupils in primary schools.
“This is done so that at the age of five, pupils must attend school so that the following year, the pupil can start Grade 1,” Sishi said.
In the next two years, the department plans to have a pre-Grade R to prepare for Grade 1.
After this year’s hard work and dedication by teachers, Sishi predicted a KZN overall matric pass rate above 70 percent.
Sishi’s biggest concern was the inadequate funding education received, with 78 percent of the budget going to pay staff salaries.
He encouraged high school pupils doing maths, science and technology to enrol for courses related to these subjects at higher education institutions. “This will help them and the economy of SA to develop,” Sishi said.
A reflection of education in 2011
* The National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations started on October 17 and ended on December 1, with no disruptions or hurdles.
* A total of 150 326 matric candidates – 127 044 full-time and 23 342 part-time – wrote the exam in the province.
* Nationally, 620 266 matric pupils wrote the exams: 512 029 full-time and 108 237 part-time.
* The Department of Basic Education was considering changing the date on which Grade 1 to 6 pupils wrote their Annual National Assessments (ANA).
* These assessments were written for the first time this year and have been moved to the end of the year.
* This came after assessment results, released by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, showed that many pupils could not count and not understand what they had been taught.
* In KwaZulu-Natal, Grade 3 pupils scored an average of 31 percent for numeracy and 39 percent for literacy, while Grade 6 pupils managed 29 percent for languages and 32 percent for maths.
* Nationally, Grade 3 pupils scored 28 percent for numeracy and 35 percent for literacy, while Grade 6 pupils scored 28 percent on languages and 30 percent in maths.
* The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education appointed Nkosinathi Sishi as superinte-ndent-general in April.
* Sishi was the chief examinations director at the Basic Education Department.
He took over when Cassius Lusibi left the department to take up the post of director-general in the presidency from November 1, 2010.
* The matric preparatory exams, also known as the trial exams, began on September 9. Marking of the trials was expected to end on October 5, a few weeks before the final exams commenced.
* Education MEC Senzo Mchunu and Superintendent-General Nkosinathi Sishi visited some of the 29 matric marking centres set up in the 11 districts in the province.
The aim of the visit was to assess their state and the security levels.
* The department appointed about 9 170 markers to mark about 1.7 million scripts, while 900 administrative assistants and 200 administrative officials have been tasked with undertaking the checking process and the submission of marking sheets for the capturing of marks.
* An additional 50 standby markers have been appointed.
* Marking was completed by December 15 and result capturing was concluded by December 19.
* In preparation for the matric final examination, the department introduced a winter programme in an effort to improve the overall matric results.
The programme concentrated on six subjects – maths, accounting, physical science, geography, life science (biology) and English first additional language.
The department offered the programme to all districts in the province but with more focus on the three districts that under-performed last year – Obonjeni, Sisonke and Vryheid.
* The department caused a stir with teacher unions by issuing a circular ordering 500 underperforming schools to run winter classes during the school break. The winter classes failed because teacher unions refused to work at such short notice, saying it was against their employment conditions. However, some schools created their own winter programmes.
What to expect in education next year
* Matric results will be released nationally and provincially on January 5.
* The coastal schools’ academic year kicks off on January 11, a week after the release of the matric results.
* Changes in the education system will see English introduced in Grade 1 as a first additional language, to be taught alongside a home language.
This follows revision of the National Curriculum Statement and the revised changes of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement.
The foundation phase (Grade R to 3) would focus on four subjects: English, a home language, maths and life skills, while some Grade 11 and 12 content would be taught in Grade 10.
* The KZN Education Department has instructed schools to ensure Grade 1 to 6 pupils spend a minimum of 30 minutes on a reading period each day; this includes shared and independent reading.
* The prescribed time for reading was two-and-half hours a week.
* Recommended material included books for shared reading, fiction and non-fiction material and age-appropriate print media.