The National Planning Commission (NPC) has commended government for inroads made in improving access to education in the country, saying this is critical to reducing high inequality levels.<\/p>\n
The finding is contained in the NPC\u2019s report on the country\u2019s economic progress titled ‘Economic Progress towards the NDP\u2019s Vision 2030: Recommendations for Course Correction’.<\/p>\n
The report was the subject of an intensive discussion at a webinar on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most important investment we can make for redistribution and inclusion is education. This should be our number one priority, and there [has been] a huge effort to improve education,\u201d said NPC Commissioner Miriam Altman while delivering the report.<\/p>\n
She said while the sector gets criticised regularly, the reality is that there has been progress.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe perform very poorly by global standards and for a middle income country, but we have made progress and we need to know why we\u2019ve made progress and continue with that.<\/p>\n
\u201cGlobal measures show us that South Africa has made significant progress in its education capability. The problem is that in many of these measures, it\u2019s slowed down over the past decade.\u201d <\/p>\n
In the report, the NPC said education outcomes are the most important asset <\/em>required to reduce poverty, promote employment and growth.<\/p>\n \u201cEconomic inclusion and sustained growth will be impossible unless we achieve the NDP education targets, which are aligned to the benchmark for successful, middle income countries,\u201d reads the document.<\/p>\n In regard to generational transitions, 70% of secondary school graduates, aged 20-34, and 67% of 24-year-old black post-secondary students exceeded their parents\u2019 education level.<\/p>\n \u201cNDP targets aim to align SA education outcomes to other similar, successful middle-income countries, as measured in global and regional comparative studies on reading, maths and science,\u201d said Altman.<\/p>\n Maths and science outcomes<\/strong><\/p>\n The report finds that significant progress had been made in learner achievement until 2011 but improvements have slowed since then.<\/p>\n \u201cGrade 9 learners in 2011 gained the equivalent of three years of education [compared to] their 2002 counterparts, and 2015 learners gained one year over their 2011 counterparts,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n Between 2008 and 2015, maths performance improved, mostly amongst African and Coloured learners.<\/p>\n During this time, a significant rise in Bachelor passes was recorded in quintile 1-3 schools from 35% in 2008 to 57% in 2016.<\/p>\n Between 2010 and 2015, the number of black university students tripled, with growing numbers in contact universities and in SET [subjects under the faculties of Arts, Science, Mental Moral and Social Sciences, Commerce, Law, Management, Education and Physical Education]. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) enrolments doubled over to 737 880.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible achievement. We have a growing number of people in science and engineering. It\u2019s not where it needs to be, but it\u2019s growing,\u201d Altman said.<\/p>\n The NPC, did, however, warn that the quality of education was still \u201cfar too low\u201d.<\/p>\n About 75% of low quintile school learners have fallen behind by Grade 4, and cannot read for meaning in any language.<\/p>\n “We find that 18% – 36% of quintile 1 – 3 households could potentially be pulled above the upper bound poverty line by 2030 if 2\/3 of higher education targets are met,\u201d said Altman. <\/em><\/p>\n Getting the basics right<\/strong><\/p>\n To drive improvement in performance in basic education, the NPC said the country would need to reboot the NDP\u2019s focus on accountability in the schooling sector.<\/p>\n Beyond this, government would need to improve and monitor reading in the early grades.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t get it right there, it is very hard to make up for it. It becomes very expensive to correct it, if at all.<\/p>\n \u201cInsist on better monitoring of education sector trends and ensure all schools have internet and supportive services, along with investment in digitally enabled teaching and learning practices,\u201d said Altman.<\/p>\n She said the country has in recent times significantly improved investment in school administration and monitoring systems. <\/p>\n “If you don\u2019t know what is going on and you don\u2019t know why you\u2019ve had improvement, and which schools have fallen behind, it\u2019s very hard to act on. It\u2019s important that we focus on these things.”<\/p>\n The NPC, she said, is of the view that the annual national assessment (ANA) should be reintroduced. ANA was an instrument introduced by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in 2011 to enable a systemic evaluation of education performance and in Grades 3, 6 and 9. The assessment was discontinued in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have a problem in education at the degree that we do, you need to test every single year to know where you [are]. It\u2019s not hammering teachers. You have to know where you are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Further, there is a need to improve system coherence to provide a continuum of vocational skills responsive to the demands of industry, Altman said. \u2013 SAnews.gov.za<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The National Planning Commission (NPC) has commended government for inroads made in improving access to education in the country, saying this is critical to reducing high inequality levels. The finding is contained in the NPC\u2019s report on the country\u2019s economic progress titled ‘Economic Progress towards the NDP\u2019s Vision 2030: Recommendations for Course Correction’. 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