South Africa's school maths shocker

It's actually pathetic. I don't know what the cause is, but this country cannot go anywhere like this.

Just yesterday, I was asked to buy two packs of smokes for someone from a vendor at a casino - R35 each.

The person selling them had to get out their calculator to work out R35 x 2. Then when I handed her a R100 note, I'm not kidding, she used the calculator to get R100 - R70... and proceeded to hand me R70 change instead of the R30 result on the calculator. Just WTF?? This is not normal, surely, yet it happens fairly often to me. This is a fully grown, presumably school educated, adult employed to sell goods and she is utterly incapable of very basic addition and subtraction.
 
Well, I just just passed mathematics SG in matric. Maths just isn't my thing. That was in the 90s, I believe it's much easier to pass these days.
 
Slootvreter said:
Well, I just just passed mathematics SG in matric. Maths just isn't my thing. That was in the 90s, I believe it's much easier to pass these days.
Click to expand...

Started all subjects on higher grade, kept most of them on higher grade till, std 8, moved schools twice, in high school, had to take new subjects in std 8 because the classes were full or didn't have the subjects I originally had.

I had a term of technical drawing, mid year, std 8 with no Fing clue what I was doing lol. Also had to take economics, which was easier, had accounting previously, wouldn't say it helped in any way, but my first day in economics class got handed a test and got 80%. lol

Moving schools really does fk with your marks lol.
 
Last edited:
Yes our maths results are shocking, but it seems the UK is not doing much better.

A-Level results shock: Students with just 13% correct answers handed PASSES

www.express.co.uk

A-Level results shock: Only 13% right answers are handed PASS

A-LEVEL students who only gave 13 percent correct answers were awarded a grade E pass in today’s results.
www.express.co.uk www.express.co.uk

Compare SA vs UK:
SA v UK pass rate.png
 
garp said:
It's actually pathetic. I don't know what the cause is, but this country cannot go anywhere like this.

Just yesterday, I was asked to buy two packs of smokes for someone from a vendor at a casino - R35 each.

The person selling them had to get out their calculator to work out R35 x 2. Then when I handed her a R100 note, I'm not kidding, she used the calculator to get R100 - R70... and proceeded to hand me R70 change instead of the R30 result on the calculator. Just WTF?? This is not normal, surely, yet it happens fairly often to me. This is a fully grown, presumably school educated, adult employed to sell goods and she is utterly incapable of very basic addition and subtraction.
Click to expand...
Tbh, I get that a lot, though perhaps not as easy. I've said many times "work out again", then proceeded to explain why they are doing it wrong. But then again I'm well liked at certain places. :)
 
binkybozo said:
I am a teacher (not maths). Trust me it is not the curriculum.
Click to expand...
So tell me, I'm a bit confused. We had a math teacher that had a "gatsometer" for the times we did bad. He got people to do their homework, understand math.

Was he a good or bad teacher? ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: STS
This article gets to the core of the problem:


U.S. Department of Education released the results from the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and only 33 percent of eighth-graders tested proficient in math at grade level.

the problem is not with our teachers. The problem is with the way math must be taught in school because of the emphasis on the very exams on which students underperform. Too much of our instruction is based on getting as much information into kids heads as quickly as possible, because standards must be met and tests must be taken. This style, however, doesn't lend itself to retention or a depth of understanding that lets students apply their knowledge to new types of questions.

the higher-ranking countries teach fewer subjects, but go much deeper. This depth leads to greater retention and greater ability to apply their knowledge.

We need to stop expecting every student to learn the same way at the same speed.

The technology is available to give students the independent help they need at a speed that works for them.

There are apps that teach students to do math the right way, .... at their own speed
We need to get these tools in the hands of our teachers and our students now.

The studies I have seen show that more than 80% of adults even in developed countries are functionally innumerate.

In my opinion maths standards can be raised massively by:
- requiring zero memorisation (formulas and other info should be supplied in tests) and only application of knowledge should be tested.
- using technology that teach kids at their own pace and challenge them to improve (see olico.org and ixl.com)
- do away with exams and replace with technology that continuously assess students until they master a skill and only then move on to the next one.

A standard smartphone is all that is required to harness this technology.
 
  • Like
Reactions: STS
MightyQuin said:
Is it the teachers?





/Runs.......
Click to expand...
Don't run. Yes, some of it is the teachers. South Africa really needs to bring back the Teacher Colleges. A lot of it is the students. Most and I say MOST just don't care, so the department keeps dumbing down the subjects so that people can pass. It sucks to have a class of 38 (my average class size.) and perhaps 8 in the class really care about their subjects.
 
Sollie said:
So tell me, I'm a bit confused. We had a math teacher that had a "gatsometer" for the times we did bad. He got people to do their homework, understand math.

Was he a good or bad teacher? ;)
Click to expand...
A lot of teachers now days are not so creative in getting the students to do their work. He was creative and you learned your maths, so I would say he was a good teacher
 
GhostSixFour said:
What BS stats reporting is this? We know 2005 1.2 million started school and only 55000 passed, but you don't even mention how many started school in 2006, for all we know there was 5000 less pupils. I mean I know there probably wasn't, but for heavens sake. Don't make conclusions for us, give us the facts and let us draw our own.
Click to expand...
This is similar to how they calculated the "true" matric pass rate. They were called out on that article as well but they haven't learned their lesson. Expect another article like this later in the year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X