Despite some poor showings, the Department of Education (DOE) is pleased with the performance of its Dinaledi schools.
In its 2008 performance report, the DOE says the schools have performed “very well” and praises the number and quality of passes at these schools.
While 54 of the 500 schools within the Dinaledi project underperformed, the DOE has declined to make any decisions on the fate of these schools. The department says decisions will only be made once a report on these schools is completed and studied.
Despite previously threatening to remove underperforming schools from the programme, the DOE now says the focus for the year will be on improving resources, and no schools will be added - or culled - from the list of 500 Dinaledi schools.
According to its 2008 performance report, 54 schools had fewer than 20 maths passes and science passes fell below 2008 targets. In 2008, the Dinaledi schools were required to achieve at least 20%, or 10 000 of the national target of 50 000 learners passing high level maths and science.
With the introduction of the National Senior Certificate rating policy, a pass in maths and science of 50% and above constitutes a “higher grade” pass. But, despite these policy changes, which lower the pass threshold, the schools still failed to show.
The report reveals 57.5% learners passed the maths exam, while 42.5% failed. The DOE says it is pleased with these results. “The Dinaledi schools have met and exceeded their performance targets in mathematics in 2008.”
However, the department was not pleased with the schools' performance in science. According to the report, a 68% pass rate was achieved, but only 8 289 learners achieved a pass mark of 50% or above, and the Dinaledi schools failed to meet the 10 000 high level passes performance target.
ICT plans
The DOE says ICT in Dinaledi schools remains one of its key focus areas. The schools were selected to be part of government's Apex project, having access to the Department of Communications' proposed wireless broadband network.
Sentech was charged with the roll-out of this network, but funding remains a challenge. The communications department announced it would not be able to connect the 500 Dinaledi schools with the available funding and decided to start with 233 schools.
While Sentech is yet to connect these schools, the DOE says it will continue with other ICT plans. As part of its 2009 project plans, all Dinaledi schools will receive software packages, and resources and materials for its online portal - Thutong - will be made “easily accessible”. The department has entered into a partnership with Mindset Learning and Intel to “expand ICT in Dinaledi schools”.
Teacher development will be key in 2009, says the DOE. Approximately 53 000 teachers have been trained in basic ICT skills, while another 24 000 teachers have been trained in ICT integration into the curriculum. Another 2 400 teachers have received 100 hours of teacher training.
This year, the department says it will train at least 500 teachers in each of the subjects in all the schools. A survey to determine learner teacher ratios and the levels of teacher competence will also be conducted. The DOE says an additional 500 maths teachers will be appointed in the next two years. An external monitoring team has been appointed to assist with the monitoring of the 220 schools.
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