No matter how we pitch it; an 82% pass rate, a rise from last year, or any other way it is presented, the reality is our education system is in disrepair.
We can say the public school pass rate is above 80%. But again, reality strikes, and when we add in the volume of dropouts from Grade 10 and up, it drops to under 50%.
Under 50%… that’s reality.
If we, as a nation, could just accept and acknowledge where we are instead of trying to “PR” that there is a constant improvement, and that we operate in the high percentage pass level.
When you know exactly where you are the following happens:
- You have a stable point from where you can grow. You cannot effectively grow from a falsely communicated start point.
- You get a group agreement. For our politicians, imagine if they got agreement from their public and an agreement on the way forward. Unfortunately, they are too afraid of that so continue to promote bloated data and provide empty promises.
- Knowing your starting point and having the group agreement– nations agreement – behind you, you CAN make the needed change. So long as you continue to provide the BS we are so used to, nothing will improve in reality.
From a maths perspective, there is hope when one sees that the majority of maths teachers, and the majority of learners WANT to improve. We, as a nation, need to back this up.
There are solutions. Our education system needs to get off its high horse of “we are doing just fine” and our politicians need to see education in the long term, not just for this next elections vote.
Actually, when I wrote the above sentence, I realized that is not going to happen. Politicians being who they are.
So the solution lies primarily in civil society and the interaction with education. There are many good interventions. Primarily, the lead intervention is and should be UNDERSTANDING. And, it should be provided by those who understand how to GET understanding.
Here we are.
