The deputy president said it, the minister of finance said it and education ministers have said it repeatedly : school science and mathematics are in crisis. So why the present concern? The simple answer is that failures in these subjects at school, and the general skills hiatus, are now perceived to make 6% economic growth an elusive target.
The best outcome of this concern would be concerted action to address a crisis that has been decades in the making.
Higher-grade maths is the bottleneck for aspiring engineers, scientists, accountants, actuaries and senior science and mathematics teachers. (See table.)
Row one indicates that the number of Senior Certificate candidates fell from 1997 to 2003, and then increased. Row two shows that the number of those opting for maths on higher grade fell between 1997 and 2000. Row three reveals the number of passes hovering around 20 000, or 5% of the Senior Certificate entry (row five). Reduced maths HG entry goes with an increased pass rate (row four).
Prior to 2002, the race of candidates was not recorded, so for 1999-2001 we identified African candidates by using African language as a proxy. This was more than 90% accurate.
About 20 000 Africans take maths HG (row six). Rows seven and eight show that African learners' maths HG passes are disproportionately low in relation to the overall rate. But their number of passes has more than doubled over five years and their pass rate has tripled.
Other research shows that the African high flyers are learning at independent schools, former Model C schools or top-end schools that fell under the former houses of Representatives or Delegates. These learners perform on a par with those of other races.
These are the facts, driven by the chalkboard reality of too few competent teachers. The system produces about 20 000 maths HG passes a year and is running close to capacity.
In 1995 the national audit of science and maths teachers showed shortfalls of 6 000 in each subject. Then came fiscal discipline, the voluntary severance package and the restructuring of teacher education. At the point when every able teacher was needed to build the new, nonracial education system, some of the best left or were pushed out as makwerekwere (foreigners).
If there is a political consensus that intervention is required, solutions become possible; but unions and education, treasury and immigration officials must all agree on this.
It all comes down to the three Rs: recruit, retrain, and retain. "Recruit" means making the profession attractive to novices. Bursaries and scholarships must be provided; schools of education must be supported; new blood must be attracted to the schools. In the short term (five to 10 years) we must recruit from wherever we can, as the rest of the world does. Demonstrated competence and communication skills must be insisted upon.
"Retrain" means identifying teachers who wish to switch from teaching the humanities to teaching maths or science.
"Retain" means that teachers must feel a sense of belonging and pride in their work. The necessary workspace and equipment must be available.
Get these three Rs right, and the other three will follow.
Michael Kahn is an executive director at the HSRC and an adjunct professor at UCT
