Impoverished School's New Method Increases Academic Performance

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholesthe

Lindokuhle Cindi, with her father, received the five distinctions she'd planned for.

Often when Matric results are released the focus would be on schools with a history of producing brilliant results. The pupils of these schools too would often be some of the best performing in the country. But as this happens, South Africans would neglect those which are disadvantaged and as a result have a history of poor performances. Phafogang Secondary School in Rockville, Soweto, is one of those schools. This year they increased their pass rate and the number of distinctions went up to eleven with one student obtaining five.

The principal, Tuska, Matlejoane, says he believes the increase is due to his changed approach to educating the predominantly financially disadvantaged pupils of the school. “I designed a new tool that will help indicate whether the progress is moving on.”

The headmaster says the pupils are given a graph indicating marks from zero to a hundred. The pupils are then asked to indicate which mark they would like to obtain during each term. At the end of the term the headmaster then returns to the pupils with the progress and shows them what their ambitions were at the start and how they fare against those. The teachers would then work with the pupils on increasing the marks whether they reach their target or not – the focus would predominantly be on those who don’t reach their preferred aggregate. Matlejoane says the school’s shortfall in the past was due to a lack of approach for the pupils. “We did not have the strategy to motivate them.”

While the focus was predominantly on the pupils, the principal says there was closer monitoring of the implementation of the curriculum by teachers and parents were requested to get involved in their children’s work as well. The system seems to have worked and led to its top pupil, Lindokuhle Cindi, achieving the five distinctions she had aimed for. “When the year began it was difficult but the graph assisted me and made me aware of my performance,” she says.

The Soweto school struggles with non payment of fees.

Lindokuhle’s parents have less to worry about now as her level seven mark for Physical Science has led to a civil engineering scholarship from the University of the Witwatersrand. “She made us proud and showed dedication from the beginning of the year,” says the girl’s father.

Prince Ngema, Hloniphile Mavuso and Nolutando Ndlovu were other students who contributed to the pass rate that has increased to 64.2 percent. While that might not seem high compared to top schools in the country – it is improved for Phafogang which has a struggle of late comings and a lack of school fees payments as most families that send pupils to the school are poor. Phafogang is also the only high school in Rockville.

Greater Unity Needed to Provide Pupils with Varsity Info

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholesthe

Higher Education Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, considers centralising applications.

On Tuesday 10 January 2011 we heard and read about the death of a mother of one of the people who were queuing-up at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). The woman died in a stampede as many late applicants were standing there with the hope that they would receive university entry despite applications at most universities having closed in 2011. Some students have raised concerns over this with one even posting a statement on Facebook that asks the university to enrol that 48-year-old woman’s child with no charge.

Late university applications seem to be a continuing trend in South Africa despite constant requests that students should do things early to avoid such scenarios. Some students view technical institutions like FET colleges as last options despite them providing skills that are crucial to the country.   

Last week the Sowetan newspaper reported that Higher Education Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said universities can only accept about 180 000 new entrants this year. Nzimande further encouraged students to explore opportunities in learnerships, artisan training, internships and Public Further Education and Traning (FET) colleges. 

"While it is good and well for those who choose and are in fact accepted in university, our youth must start realising that our post-school education and training system offers far most options," Nzimande was quoted.

Rural high schools seldom get visits from universities.

Students and many South African parents seem not to enquire about these options. As a Tshwane University of Technology student, I have realised that many show up at the beginning of the year with no clue what they want to study and apply for any diploma or degree that still has spaces available and is willing to accept students. Some even cry when they are told there are no spaces available and would have no answer explanation on why they wouldn’t have applied before application closures.

Thabile Ndlovu, who hopes to study law at the University of Witwatersrand (UJ) in Johannesburg, believes that students are not sure of what they want to study as there isn’t enough adequate information given out in high schools. "I am one of those prospective students who are not sure what to study for and that resulted to me applying late."

She adds that she was not accepted by Wits for the course she wanted to enroll in because she was told that it was already full.

Students also seem to do little research on how various courses are ranked and their quality at various universities. Wits and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) are popular choices for any degree because of their location. Students also believe if they are in Johannesburg then they’d have easier access to a good nightlife. They never look into whether these universities are the best options for the degrees they would like to study for.

The all important issue of race and class is still a major issue in South Africa. In the degree I am studying for, Journalism, the United Nations has named only four universities in the country as potential centres for academic excellence. They are Rhodes Univesity in the Eastern Cape, Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape, Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape and the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is the only one in Gauteng on the list. Despite the high ranking of TUT’s journalism diploma and degree most students would still prefer the University of Pretoria or other universities as TUT has moved the journalism department to the township of Soshanguve. TUT’s location – according to me – is brilliant as students get to cover stories they would cover in industry whilst they are still at university. The result of this is that TUT ends up with either one or no white students every year in this department – some people clearly resist change and finding out about how other South Africans live.

Late last year I visited matric pupils from different schools in KwaZulu-Natal’s rural villages of Nqutu and discovered that pupils there aren’t given any information on university options. Universities don’t even visit such areas to hold career exhibitions there. This would be important as many South Africans live in rural communities and attracting students from there would strengthen the professional sector in South Africa as they would understand the unique needs of the areas they come from.

Some universities might think the information is available online, but the majority of South Africans don’t have internet access. Many are also poor and rely of government financial aid for their studies and would need this information too.

Student organisations don't provide information but disrupt lectures later.

Student political organisations such as SASCO, PASMA, SADESMO and many others often go on strike once the academic year has started, but maybe they should be spearheading programmes that should inform high school pupils about university life and degrees. These programmes would result in pupils getting necessary information before arriving at university so problems they find which lead to strikes are alleviated.

It seems that government, universities, parents and students need to work together to make an effort to provide information to all those that need it before the start of the academic year to avoid long queues that lead to stampedes and deaths at universities

Bigger Pass Rate But Work Still Needed in Rural Schools

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholesthe

The streets of Soweto were packed this morning with the 2011 Matric class as they wanted to see whether they passed and completed their high schooling. Some were disappointed and many were happy with the outcomes as Umalusi Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training has revealed that the pass rate has gone up from 2010 67,8% to 70,2% this time around.

Sowetan Nelisiwe Chopela from The Hill high school who passed with a University entry (A) encouraged those who didn’tpass to give it their best as they try again. “I know that is no easy but I hope that they will go and re-write their Matric. It is not the end of the world.”

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the support structures played a huge role in the progress made this year. “The class of 2011 has been a very prolific and productive. We are grateful to teachers, union and higher education for the support.”

The 2010 exams were disrupted by student and teacher protests which led to the controversy of some of the subjects’ marks being increased in order for many students to make it. This overloaded universities with students that were standing on queues at the beginning of the year. This time though there were no protests and everything went as planned which the South African Democratic Teachers Unions (SADTU) is happy about.

“2011 Matric exams started on 15 October and ended in December on a high note and all writing material was delivered on time”, says SADTU Secretary General Mungwena Maluleke.

Dean of the Faculty of Education in the University of Johannesburg, Professor Sarah Gravett, says the basic education system in South Africa needs to be carefully examined as there are still huge inequalities. “I don’t think one should look at the education system only through matric results. The provinces that are doing well are metropolitans and poor performing schools are in the rural areas.” 

Umalusi CEO, Dr. Mafu Rakometsi, hopes that the level of mathematics pass rate will improve. “We have to have more teachers that will specialise in mathematics and put more resources.”

After receiving their results many students will only now think of which steps to take for their future. Many of those who come from the rural areas will probably visit universities to check if there are still spaces available as it has been tradition in the past.

SITHOLEEXPRESS

Sthembiso Sithole
@sitholesthe

Who is SITHOLEEXPRESS?

Sitholeexpress is a brand that represents Sthembiso Sithole, in terms of his work as a journalism student. It’s a brand that has a blog and a website.

What is the website about?

Sitholeexpress is a brand new website that is aimed at media houses and editors to see the work that I have done and to know more about Sithembiso Sithole. The website has different elements of who I am, what I want to pursue in life and in the media game. Most important it is aimed at getting me an internship for 2013. As a journalism student, for one to graduate after doing third year he/she has to get an internship.

When and why did you start the website?

I started the website late 2011. I spoke to few people about the idea and they also thought that it was a great idea. I started the website because I noticed that most journalism students struggled to get internships. From the research that I did, I discovered that students are frustrated during their second year because of the work load and applying for internships. I wanted to introduce a new way of getting an internship.

How do you think the website will help you?

The website is a new way that I believe will assist me to get an internship. It will be the representative of what I am capable of, I believe it will send a message to media houses and other companies of what I am looking for and it will get me an internship.

How are you planning to get it known to the targeted group?

Social Networks are a new way to interact with people from different places with different ideas. Most people today market their brands through social networks, so I will market it through social networks. Another way to get it known to relevant people, it would be through t-shirts that my friend has printed for me. I came up with the design and he did the rest of the job. The t-shirts are written both my website and blog address. I will mainly wear them when I cover stories and when attending gatherings, were media personnel’s e.g. editors, journalists and so on can see them. Some of the plans to get the website know are still in the pipeline.

How important it is for you to get an internship?

As second year journalism student who will be doing third year next year, I need to get an internship in order for me to graduate after my diploma. Getting an internship will help me to graduate and get experience in the media house or Communication Company that I will be interning in.

Who did you work with to design the website?

Well, I designed the website myself and consulted different individuals within and outside the media industry.

How important for other students, most special your fellow journos to try this new approach in order for them to get internship?

About that, I think one has to have worked hard in the past year and is still doing well in terms of practical’s and academics. The idea of the website is to get you an internship and for you to get it, you should have worked hard.

Young People Killing Themselves!

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholesthe

I live in  SOWETO and realise that in my township many people still face stigmatisation when they reveal they are HIV positive. People still gossip on street corners about those they think are HIV positive or those they believe are sick because of diseases related to Aids. I believe this stigmatisation is what leads to many Aids deaths in South Africa today despite the free availability of anti-retroviral treatment in government hospitals. These drugs even enable mothers to give birth to HIV negative babies.

Recently while reading the newspapers I saw a close friend, Nompumelelo Nobiva, who probably thought her life will be that of struggle when both her parents died of Aids when she was young. The story was on how she is now in Matric at the Oprah Winfrey Academy for Girls and is preparing for university. It just goes to show that those affected by the disease can go on to live happy lives even after losing loved ones to Aids. No child wants to see parents parish, that’s not what nature intended, but it happens and it’s the courage of people like Nompumelelo that shows that the many battles created by the disease in South Africa shouldn’t mean the end of living a long, prosperous life.

As a South African who was born in a township in the 1990s I could never escape the reality of HIV and Aids. The disease has been around me all my life – we would see adults going to funerals every weekend, we would hear Love Life messages on radio and people were constantly talking about it. President Thabo Mbeki went through a period of denial, but the government is getting things right now and yet many young people still die.

Earlier this year, while visiting the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Health Minister – Dr Aaron Motswaledi – expessed worry at the huge number of young women who die at what he called “their prime”. He said some don’t live to the age of 30 and statistics of those between 15 and 30 are alarming. He even went as far as to say TB cases in South Africa should be treated as Aids cases until proven otherwise because statistics in this country show that the two are linked. He says the majority of those admitted for TB in state hospitals would often be carrying HIV as well. This view is extremely radical, but maybe a radical approach is what we need to make young people listen and start using condoms because their sexual behaviour isn’t changing.

On World Aids Day we saw many tweeting and facebooking about protecting themselves against the disease but statistics show that over 5 million South Africans are HIV positive – which means many of those saying such are merely lying to the rest of the world. I think of it this way, if I know ten people then one of them is likely to be HIV positive. If I know ten women between 20 and 30 then two of them are HIV positive. That is scary.

What’s even more alarming is that government is not fighting this disease alone as there are many organisations, television and radio programmes that aim to educate and yet once people switch off the TV set, put down the pamphlet or move on to a dance radio station they seem to forget all the messages they would have heard. 

When we read books and watch movies about the 1970s and the 1980s we see that the apartheid system was killing young people. These days young people kill themselves by refusing to listen to the pleas to use protection, check their statuses and stop marginalising people with the disease so they too can stop being ashamed of going to clinics and hospitals to get access to treatment.

South Africa is fighting an endless battle that still needs parents and teachers to work together to address and solve this issue. Aids is affecting our country's political, economic and social future. Most youths in townships are exposed to activities that are not benefitial to their well-being and the society at large. It is everyone’s duty to take responsibility and make good decisions about their lives for South Africa to prosper.