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18 March 2004

Programme Director,
Chairman of Nation Building Projects, Dr Aggrey Klaaste,
Chairperson of Telkom SA, Mrs Nomazizi Mtshotshisa,
CEO of Telkom SA, Mr Sizwe Nxasana,
CEO of Telkom Foundation, Mrs Nkhetheleng Vokwana,
CEO of Protec, Mr Malesela Letswalo,
Executive Member of the Shuttleworth Foundation, Mrs Kim Vosse,
Mathematics and Science Teachers,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Teaching is the greatest of all arts because its medium is the human mind and spirit. Great teachers are great artists. Their daily activities entail the creation of future images of those who are destined to take forward human development and civilisation. Although in practice teaching seems to involve a lot of apparently mindless routine and repetition such as explaining concepts, setting and marking tests and examinations, administrative work, learner control, housekeeping, and many more, teaching is so great an art that individuals can spend their lives at it without realising much more than their own limitations and mistakes, and how far they still are from achieving the ideal.

Like a sculptor, armed only with a hammer and chisel, who tirelessly chips away at a shapeless rock-form to reveal a work of heroic wonder, grace and beauty, so does a skilful teacher unlock and polish the latent talent and genius within his young charges. All the teachers being honoured tonight are not here because of what they in their individual capacities have achieved, but they managed to reach this far because of how their work has affected the lives and performance of the children under their supervision.

It is every teacher’s dream to be that special teacher, the one whom students remember and talk about long after they have completed their schooling and become successful in their own careers. It is not easy to be this kind of teacher, and there are no rules to be followed to realise this objective. Each classroom is a composite of all its pupils. Learners occupy both psychological and physical space. You have a child who seldom raises her hand, but always knows the answer. There is the unruly one who is all over the place, but is unable to focus on any one task or project. There is the ‘victim’ who inspires taunts and physical abuse, even from usually well-mannered classmates. There is another who is perpetually tapping on the desk or shuffling his feet in a disturbing and annoying manner.

All these children are struggling to develop their self-esteem and discover who they are and what they can become. A teacher can support or frustrate their sometimes painful and sometimes joyful quest for growth and self-discovery. The ability to fulfil either one of these roles in a classroom distinguishes a good from a bad teacher, and I believe that is mainly why we are honouring the teachers who are here tonight.

The average teacher holds a very dim view of learners and the education system. We are all too familiar with the general complaints that are often levelled against children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The words of an Indian educator, Sarada Balagopalan, regarding the marginalised Korkus children captures the essence of the negative images that are often projected about disadvantaged children:

Korkus children will never improve. They will never learn to wear good clothes, oil their hair and have a bath before coming to school. I should cut their names and drive them out of here. Korkus children are dirty, their parents are filthy and they will never change. I am tired of teaching Korkus children because no matter how many times I explain and how many times I hit them nothing seems to go into their heads. I give them homework, which they can never do, and then they do not show up in school the following day.

The architects of apartheid and the Bantu education system designed an education system that ensured that the majority of our people are sidelined from meaningfully contributing to the economy of this country. Africans were made to believe that they were not good enough to do mathematics, science and technology. Like the marginalised Korkus children, our people were made to believe that science and mathematics are for the gifted and privileged few. For years, these constructors of the educability of African learners in mathematics and science adversely affected the learners’ self-perception and performance regarding these subjects.

Even though effective teachers who, were motivated by a love for their jobs and the satisfaction of participating in the development of their pupils produced amazing results in spite of the poor resources in their schools, and meagre salaries they were paid, generally, African learner performance in mathematics and science suffered a battering.

A decade after democracy the country still faces a great shortage of skills in the critical areas of mathematics, science and technology-related fields. A recent audit revealed that 337 out of 21 422 or 1,6% chartered accounts, 347 out of 14 687 or 2,4% engineers, 63 out of 4 024 or 1,6% dentists, 2 500 out of 33 354 or 7,5% medical doctors and 12 out of 497 or 2,4% actuaries are Africans. It is against this background that we launched the national Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education.

There is nothing wrong with the kids; the fault lies with us, the adults, and the support and education we are giving them. If we can create conducive and enabling conditions under which these kids can learn, they will simply fly.

The strategy specifically targets African students who comprise the majority, but the least performing sector within our education system. It is intended to assist the country to produce more artisans, technicians, engineers and more graduates in the natural sciences and engineering. It is driven by our vision to create a scientifically literate, technologically fluent and mathematically literate society where individuals are empowered to participate in the emerging knowledge-based economy and support sustainable development.

The idea of establishing dedicated Mathematics and Science or Dinaledi schools was adopted as a means of increasing the participation and performance of disadvantaged learners in Senior Certificate. This was a short-term intervention to enable us deploy competing and limited resources to few, under-resourced but well-functioning schools, and to develop models of good practice. The aim is to go full scale over time.

Programme Director, now that we are at the end of our first decade of democracy, we stand at a vantage point where we are able to look back from where we have been, and where we want to go. The Ministry has now taken a decision to focus on strengthening the implementation of the policies we proudly developed in the last decade, and has adopted the following objectives to consolidate the implementation of the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education:

1. Setting performance targets for all mathematics, science and technology schools, especially for African and girl learners;
2. Placing in every mathematics, science and technology classroom a qualified and competent teacher;
3. Improving the language of teaching and learning mathematics, science and technology;
4. Identifying and nurturing talent and potential in mathematics, science and technology;
5. Strengthening cooperation between the Departments of Science and Technology and Education in implementing the objectives of the strategy;
6. Entering into partnerships with relevant parties to raise the required resources and mobilise technical support and expertise;
7. Evaluating and monitoring programmes in mathematics, science and technology education;
8. Making interactive digital content on mathematics, science and technology available via satellite, television, Internet, multimedia, print supplements and the portal.

The Department has already set in motion processes for the implementation of the second phase of the National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. Meetings to develop a comprehensive plan to roll out the strategy continue to be held with key role players. The recent Council of Education Ministers meeting identified the strategy as one of the department’s flagship programmes for the next ten years.

The struggle for a better mathematics, science and technology education system is on course. We need to work hard in the next decade to address the legacy of:

* Poor output of mathematics and science students in Grade 12, the majority of whom come from disadvantaged schools;
* The vicious cycle of undersupply of qualified mathematics, science and technology educators;
* The high level of under- and unqualified mathematics, science and technology educators;
* The lack of and inadequate facilities and resources to enhance effective learning and teaching.

The previous education system was characterised by a rigid division between academic and applied theory as the defining and organisational aspects of the curriculum. Inspired by our policies of equity, redress and quality, we have endeavoured to bring improvements not just to a few, but also to all the students across the length and breadth of our country. Our efforts, together with the tremendous contributions from our teachers, have born some fruit. Over time, we have been able to realise a dramatic improvement in the performance of African students and girl learners, particularly in subjects such as mathematics and science.

In the past, examinations and assessments were used to entrench the racist and sexist ideology of the apartheid regime. In 1996, we made a decisive break with this practice by introducing the first single non-racial examinations for Grade 12 students. This meant that all learners, regardless of race, gender or religion were taught a common curriculum and assessed according to nationally approved standards. After a number of teething problems, we were able to triumph over the many challenges that come with the introduction of radical changes within a system. This improvement can be attributed to the stability brought about by the commitment of teachers and students, the support of local communities, and the assistance from private sector companies such as Telkom, and local and international donors.

Although the general performance of learners has improved, the results in maths and science across the country are still poor compared to those of other developing countries. Although the pass rates for Mathematics Higher Grade have shown a steady improvement from 57,9% in 2002 to 65,1% in 2003, the rates are still relatively low. In addition, there are a significantly larger number of learners taking Mathematics on the Standard Grade than on the Higher Grade. In the case of Physical Science the situation is similar.

The performance of learners in Physical Science Higher Grade has improved from 48,8% in 2002 to 50,1% in 2003. However, it is disappointing to note that the number of learners taking Physical Science on the Standard Grade is nearly twice as that of learners taking Physical Science on the Higher Grade. We still need to put a lot of hard work to correct this anomaly, and I am appealing to all the teachers to assist us in this regard.

We have to do all it takes to promote learner interest in mathematics and science, and to address the problem of quality teaching and learning. We must change learners’ perceptions about maths and science, and schools have to encourage learners by showing them the richness and excitement science has to offer, and the job opportunities that lie ahead.

Although the pass rates are something to celebrate, there is still concern about the growing numbers of matriculants who have not achieved matriculation with endorsement. In 2003 18,6% of our learners passed with university endorsement, as compared to 16,9% in 2002. This means that we have now improved the number of students that are eligible to seek admission to universities from 63 795 students in 1999 to 82 010 in 2003. We must, therefore, begin to focus on the quality of passes. The better the quality of the passes, the wider the choices from which learners are able to seek opportunities.

In closing, I wish to thank and commend the sponsors, Telkom Foundation, Sowetan, and Protec, and the organisers of this event for investing in the development of our mathematics and science teachers during the past six years. Our mission has always been to ensure that there is a qualified and competent teacher in every classroom, especially in the mathematics and science classrooms. Your contributions in making South Africa a nation we can all be proud of are highly appreciated. The best way to build a nation is to invest in education, especially in the engine room of the system – our teachers. We warmly acknowledge your generosity and commitment towards building a proud and successful nation. Thank you once again for investing in our people.

We also wish to thank and commend our mathematics and science teachers who will be receiving the awards today. The Department and the nation are proud of you. You have accurately interpreted the calling of your profession, and realised the responsibility of being the ones to mentor our future citizens and leaders.

Allow me the final indulgence to thank the officials in the national and provincial departments I have had the opportunity of dealing with in the past three years. In particular, I wish to give special commendations to those associated with the Dinaledi project for a job well done. All our teachers throughout the country, we are very proud of you.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
18 March 2004