Politician, Mmusi Maimane has launched a movement which will help learners to improve their Math’s and Science Marks. This comes three weeks after the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi) expressed concern regarding poor Math’s performance by the class of 2019.
Umalusi Chairperson, John Volmink was one of the speakers at a press conference in Pretoria. He said teachers would have to teach the subject differently to see an improvement in pupil performance. “The decrease in candidate numbers in mathematics and the concomitant increase in numbers offering mathematical literacy remains a matter of concern. It’s not getting any worse and it’s not getting any better, it’s staying in the same place,” he said.
Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande is also worried that fewer Matrics passed mathematics in 2019 with 40% or above than the class of 2018. He emphasized that students who got 40% and below in Mathematics would not be accepted into most bachelor programmes unless they have exceptional results in other subjects. “In the sciences, students won’t be accepted with lower than 50% in mathematics,” said Nzimande.
On the 27th of January 2020, Maimane shared on his twitter page that he was ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work. “The first stage of effective action is effective planning. I am currently working with my team on a transformative educational program that will give our learners a fighting chance in Math’s, Science and critical thinking fields. Politicians have been talking for too long” said Maimane.
In two other tweets, the former DA leader made it clear that he had moved on from the “old politics” of debating and discussing the country’s most pressing issues instead of fixing them.
