South African students achieved the world`s worst average maths and science scores, in a global study of Grade Eight children in 50 countries.
This is according to the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, released by the International Study Centre in Boston yesterday.
The scores were based on standardised maths and science tests conducted among Grade Eight pupils. Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong SAR and Chinese Taipei scored tops in maths and science. SA had the lowest score, coming in behind in the other five African countries tested: Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Botswana and Ghana.
SA achieved an average total mark of 264 compared with the international average of 467 for maths, and a total of 244 compared with the international average of 474 for science.
[TABLE]In SA, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) tested about 9 000 Grade Eight learners in 254 government schools in all provinces in November 2002 as part of the survey.
The scores were widely disparate, with relatively good marks achieved at schools in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng, and the lowest scores recorded in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Limpopo.
Dr Vijay Reddy of the HSRC, who coordinated the study in SA, said at a media conference in Pretoria that SA`s scores reflected the largest distribution of scores in mathematics and science of all the countries that participated in the study.
[TABLE]"This means that there were very low as well as a few very high scores. Analysis shows that the large distribution is a reflection of the continuing inequalities in education in the South African society."
Reddy said analysis of performance according to categories reflecting the former racially-based Departments of Education, indicates that learners in African schools have the lowest scores and learners in the former white schools have the highest scores. Learners in the former white schools have a score slightly below the international mean.
Reddy said girls and boys performed almost equally.
Education minister Naledi Pandor expressed "extreme concern" about the results, and said the department had earmarked R600 million as a "scarce skills allowance" to increase the salaries of maths and science teachers in under-resourced schools.
Pandor said the department was under no illusion that decades of inequality could be eliminated in only 10 years of democracy. However, it had made some gains in addressing the serious challenges facing the country in the areas of mathematics, science and technology education.
Among other things, the Cabinet had adopted a plan for consolidating the national maths and science strategy at the beginning of this year.
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