20 Mar 2014

Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Patrick Masimolole has told Parliament that he was aware of the sustained poor performance by Southern, Kgalagadi and Ghanzi regions in the primary education sector.

Mr Masimolole said this was because the regions had consistently performed below 60 per cent, but he however stated that there had been sustained improvement in the results since 2011.

He explained that the Southern region got a 54. 2 per cent A- C pass rate in 2011 and a 60.8 per cent in 2013 while the Kgalagadi region garnered 40.9 per cent in 2011 and 55 per cent in 2013.

He told the house that the Ghanzii region garnered 40.7 per cent A- C pass rate in 2011 and got 42.52 per cent in 2013. Mr Masimolole said his ministry had a short term plan to improve performance in the Primary School Leaving Examination which included identifying and providing extra support and monitoring to all poor performing schools.

The ministry also planned to intensify support in schools including motivational visits to all schools just before they started examinations as well as to increase participation by parents, community and the tribal leadership, he said.

“We also plan to have termly results analysis with schools and the Parents Teachers Associations which help in tracking and improving performance”, he said.

Other interventions would include rewarding good performance, reprimanding poor performance in schools, administering a common regional mock examination to prepare students for the final examination, providing in – servicing of teachers in item writing particularly in Agriculture as well as strengthening management of schools through workshops and short courses for school managers, he said.

“The ministry also plans to intensify inspection and in – service of teachers”, he said. Mr Masimolole was responding to a question asked by Member of Parliament for Kanye South, Mr Abram Kesupile who had asked the minister if he was aware of the sustained poor performance by the Southern, Kgalagadi and Gantsi regions in the primary education sector.

Mr Kesupile had asked that if so, the minister should state the short – term plan intended to improve performance in the Primary School Leaving Examinations. Ends