There was a decrease in the number of Dinaledi schools students writing physical science and mathematics in the 2010 National Senior Certificate Examinations (NSCE), when compared to 2009.
There are 500 designated Dinaledi schools across SA. The primary objective of the Dinaledi project is to ensure these schools are supported to significantly increase the participation and performance of learners in mathematics and physical science.
The aim is to ultimately increase the number of students entering the engineering and ICT fields, by emphasising the focus of maths and science at these schools, since both subjects are key building blocks for entry into the ICT sector.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has released a report on the performance of these schools in the 2010 NSCE.
Decline to write
The number of students writing mathematics in Dinaledi schools has declined since 2008, despite these being government's flagship mathematics schools. In 2008, 53 469 Dinaledi students wrote maths and this decreased to 50 921 in 2009 and 47 760 in 2010.
The DBE says the highest decline in learner numbers has been in Gauteng, followed by the North West province.
“The decline may suggest that some of the Dinaledi schools may be beginning to offer mathematical literacy as a choice to learners. However, it is important that this trend is monitored to ensure the Dinaledi schools meet and maintain the enrolment ratio between mathematics and mathematical literacy of 60:40, respectively.”
However, it adds that the decline has been consistent.
Higher grade
Of the Dinaledi students writing mathematics, 27 109 or 57% passed in 2010. This formed a contribution of 21% of the total number of learners passing mathematics in the 2010 NSC examinations.
Despite the decrease in the number of Dinaledi learners writing mathematics between 2009 and 2010, the number passing at 50% and above increased from 12 213 to 16 001.
“A pass of a subject at 50% in the NSCE is considered a pass at the previous higher grade level, in the old senior certificate.”
The number of Dinaledi schools producing less than 10 learner passes in mathematics dropped from 17 in 2009 to only five in 2010.
However, the number of schools producing more than 100 passes dropped sharply from 67 to 11. The category that saw a major increase was the number of schools producing 50 to 99 passes, which increased from 168 to 309.
The DBE says the amount of schools with a decline in the number of learners passing will be closely monitored this year.
Science trend
“A similar trend observed in mathematics enrolment is also evident in physical science learner enrolment,” says the department.
More than 39 000 Dinaledi students wrote physical science in 2009 and 36 861 wrote in 2010. As in mathematics, Gauteng has the highest decline in the subject.
However, there has been an increase in the number of learners passing physical science in Dinaledi schools between 2009 and 2010, according to the DBE.
In 2010, 59% of those who wrote physical science, or 21 925, passed. More than 13 000 of these learners passed at 50% and above. This was more than double the number in 2009, when only 5 188 Dinaledi learners passed physical science at more than 50%.
The number of Dinaledi schools producing more than 100 learner passes in physical science increased from 15 to 17, and the number producing less than 10 passes declined from 64 to three.
Increase standards
“The report shows a positive contribution of the Dinaledi schools to the improved number and quality of passes in mathematics and physical science. However, there are Dinaledi schools that still require attention to ensure they improve their performance,” says the DBE.
However, the Democratic Alliance says the pass mark should be increased from 30% to 40%. “A 30%-pass is a low standard by any measure. It means that the work has simply not been mastered,” argues shadow minister of education Wilmot James.
He says the consequence of the trend is that universities struggle to fill science and health courses with enough students who are able to master their fields of expertise.
The DBE says it has plans in place to support the underperforming schools in the 2011 NSCE. These plans include monitoring the schools and supporting them to produce the number and the quality of learners as required.
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