Times Of Swaziland: Form V results poor - Education Minister

Form V results poor - Education Minister
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BONISILE MAKHUBU on 02/02/2013 00:00:00


MBABANE – Education and Training Minister Wilson Ntshangase is not at all
happy about the overall percentage pass for the 2012 Form Five results which has
increased by 0.78 per cent.
The overall percentage pass showed an increase even though the quality of
results was poor, according to the minister. In 2011 an 87.32 per cent pass rate
was recorded while last year it rose up to 88.1 per cent.
However, the 2011 results were regarded as the second best since 2007 and their
quality was said to be better than last year’s quality. The results were
released yesterday at the Cabinet offices. It had previously been reported that
they would be released on Thursday.
Ntshangase said what mattered most was not the number of pupils who have passed
but the way they have performed.
He said the poor quality was an indication that there were challenges faced by
the education fraternity in the year 2012.
Among the challenges that the education department faced was a two-month strike
action by teachers all over the country who demanded a 4.5 per cent salary
adjustment from government.
The strike saw schools not being opened at the time when they were supposed to.
Out of the 10 797 candidates who registered for the 2012 exams, 50.9 per cent
were male while 49.09 per cent were female.
Over the past years none of the pupils managed to reach the landmark 10 per cent
increase that was recorded in the 2010 Form Five results. A summary of the
results, as released, stated that last year, about 1 420 (13.15 per cent)
candidates got credit passes in five or more subjects including English Language
while in 2011, 1 430 (13.92 per cent) candidates got credit passes in five or
more subjects.
Making his remarks, Minister Ntshangase congratulated the schools that managed
to do well despite the problems. He said parents were also to thank because of
the support they gave to their children. "Schools that have not done well should
find out what went wrong and try to do better next year. I would also like to
thank teachers who worked hard in preparing the pupils for the examination,"
said Ntshangase.
The minister said markers also played a major role and ensured that the results
were released on time. On the issue of poor quality results, Ntshangase
attributed this to the two-month strike action by teachers called ‘Waya
Waya’.
He said looking at the decline of quality in Form Three results and Form Five
results; one could be tempted to say the strike contributed to the factor. "I
believe teachers and pupils did not get enough time to prepare for the
examinations," he said.
Financial problems didn’t deter top pupil
KASHOBA – Lomthandazo Dlamini, a former Mhlume High School pupil over-came all
hurdles to become the country’s 2012 top pupil.
She obtained aggregate six in last year’s SGCSE/IGCSE examination despite that
she would sometimes miss a class or two due to financial problems.
She also missed some classes during the teachers’ nationwide strike popularly
known as ‘Waya-Waya’ that lasted for approximately two months.
Despite all these challenges, the 18-year-old Lomthandazo said she remained
dedicated to her books.
"I had financial problems as I would be told to remind my parents about
outstanding fees. As a result, I sometimes missed classes. However, our teachers
were always willing to assist with the school work we missed while away. In a
nutshell, my parents had a challenge in paying my school fees," she said.
Even during the ‘Waya-Waya’ strike, Lomthandazo said their teachers
encouraged them to work harder.
That was one of the trying times she has ever experienced during her school
days.
"While the teachers were on strike, I used the opportunity to study on my own
and also with my friends. When I did not understand something, I approached my
teachers who were always there to help," she said.
Besides being assisted by her willing teachers, Lomthandazo said she started
studying early in the year. At the beginning of the year, Lomthandazo, who was
in the company of relatives, said she drew up a study timetable which she stuck
to religiously throughout.
Explaining her studying strategy, she said she first analysed her subjects,
putting emphasises on the ones that were giving her problems.
"I then dedicated my time to those subjects which were giving me problems. I
would study from 6pm to 9pm before retiring to bed. And I would recap in the
morning from 3am to 5am," she said.
In addition, Lomthandazo said paying attention in class and also asking friends
helped her a lot. She pointed out the social network frenzy did not bother her
because she does not own a cellphone.
Asked about her social life, she stated that she was a member of her school’s
Mathematics Club.