|
The overall condition of primary and secondary education in the Free State is less than favourable, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) reports in a series of nine provincial publications on this issue. Just over 51% of the Grade 12 learners in the Free State passed the matriculation examination in 1996, rating the province sixth of the nine provinces in the country. The Free State pass rate was fourth highest for English and physical science, sixth for biology and seventh for mathematics. The Longitudinal Survey of Scholastic Achievement ? which aims to provide information on the level of knowledge and understanding of mathematics, science and English at Grade 9 level ? confirmed that the Free State had the second lowest means in the country for mathematics, science and English. The provincial reports provide information about an education database at individual school level and include data from several HSRC projects such as the School Register of Needs Survey, the Longitudinal Survey of Scholastic Achievement, the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the HSRC Register of Graduates. The educational indicators included in this series of publications provide information on the condition of educational facilities and the extent of the educational provision. The availability of resources, materials, equipment and services is also discussed. Indicators of the outputs of the educational system are the matriculation results, the findings of the Longitudinal Survey of Scholastic Achievement in Mathematics, Science and English and the results of the TIMSS. "One of the most important factors that influence a country's ability to be economically competitive, is the quality of its human resources and therefore also of its education system", Mr Charles Sheppard, Director of Education and Training Information Systems at the HSRC said. He added that reliable and accessible information on education was increasingly becoming a prerequisite for informed decisions on policy and priorities in education. The Schools Register of Needs Survey ? constituting one of the most extensive data-gathering and analysis projects in the country that was conducted at 32 000 schools in 1996 ? found that more than 75% of the schools in the Free State were primary schools and that a large percentage of these schools had very small enrolments. Although more than 46% of the schools in the province needed paint and minor repairs, and a substantial number were in a poor condition, only 16% of the schools in the Free State were considered unsuitable for teaching. Most of the schools in the province lacked facilities such as libraries, laboratories and other specialist classrooms. Three-quarters of the schools lacked any form of telecommunication, more than half were without electricity, and a substantial number were without water. Of the schools 22% did not even have water available within walking distance, and a substantial percentage (more than 17%) did not have any sanitation on the school grounds ? a cause for grave concern. Although most of the schools in the Free State lacked materials and media as well as other equipment, stationery and textbooks were fairly well provided. Virtually half the schools were without various forms of administrative furniture, and the shortage of learner desks and chairs exceeded 56 000. The learner:classroom ratio was however found to be fair in most districts, and the learner:educator ratio was generally favourable. As most of the other provinces, the Free State had a high percentage of over-age learners (i.e. three or more years older than the average for the grade, with the average for Grade 1 seven years). In the secondary grades the situation was particularly grave, with more than 33% of all learners too old for the grade they were enrolled in. The HSRC also collected data on certain socio-economic variables, for example the availability of electricity, running water in the house, water-borne sewerage and a separate bedroom for the learner, were also collected. The average ranking of these variables showed that the Free State was in the fourth best position in the country -compared with the other provinces. A comparison of the 1985 and 1994 data recorded in the HSRC's Register of Graduates revealed that more than three-quarters of the graduates currently residing in the Free State were whites, although this figure had decreased since 1985. There was, however, a substantial increase in the percentage of African graduates. According to the data the number of human and management sciences graduates had increased over this period, while the number of graduates in the medical and natural sciences had decreased.
|
