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Gauteng education on the right track: Chiloane 

Charles Molele
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Gauteng education on the right track: Chiloane 

PHUTI MOSOMANE

GAUTENG Education MEC Matome Chiloane said the 84.4% overall performance in the 2022 matric results showed that the Gauteng education system is on the right track. 

Chiloane congratulated Gauteng’s matric class of 2022 for achieving an outstanding pass rate of 84.4%. A 1.7% increase from 2021.

This achievement is a 1.7% improvement from the 2021 matric results of 82.8% and puts Gauteng as the second top performing province in South Africa.

More schools in Gauteng have achieved a 100% pass rate. In 2021 131 schools managed to ace the exams with a 100% pass rate, the figure has risen to 149 schools for the 2022 matric exams.  

Similarly, more schools achieved a pass rate of above 95% in 2022 than in the previous year. In 2022 a total of 290 schools achieved above 95%, compared to 265 in 2021.The province has achieved bachelor entry pass rate of 43.4%.

“This goes to show how dedication, resilience, and hard work in 2022 proved to be the elements of success for Gauteng’s Class of 2022, who achieved an outstanding pass rate of 84.4%,” he told top achievers in Soshanguve East Secondary School on Friday.

Gauteng is the second best performing province below the Free State province.

Chiloane said the class of 2022 navigated two years of disrupted schooling in 2020 and 2021 brought by COVID-19, and an overloaded curriculum programme in the run-up to their Grade 12 examinations.

“Equipped with the mindset to accomplish improved performance, the class of 2022 set off on a purposeful course to identify achievable goals. utilise available tailored resources provided through school, district and provincial learner support initiatives and maximise the additional structured time allocated through interventions and all other support,” he said.

He said the 2022 matric outcomes were a result of “dedicated collective support of parents and school communities and entrusted efforts by teachers, social administrators and managers, district and provincial officials contributing to rendering the class of 2022 exam ready”.

Five Gauteng Districts performed above 80%, with four districts being part of the Top 10 Performing Districts in the country, having achieved pass rates of more than 85% each:

  1. Johannesburg West  89.74%  (+3.14%)  [3rd Place nationally]
  2. Tshwane South   89.96%  (-0.34%)   [4th Place nationally]
  3. Gauteng North   87.71%  (+7.51%)  [5th Place nationally]
  4. Johannesburg North   86.19%  (+1.29%)  [10th Place nationally] 
  5. Ekurhuleni South  85.69%  (-0.61%)
  6. Sedibeng East   85.24%  (+3.84%)
  7. Johannesburg East   84.21%  (+0.81%)
  8. Gauteng East 83.58%  (+6.08%)
  9. Tshwane North  83.46%  (+0.26%)
  10. Ekurhuleni North  82.93%  (+0.73%)
  11. Johannesburg South 82.80%  (+4.5%)
  12. Gauteng West  82.10%  (+2.8%)
  13. Johannesburg Central  82.03%  (+1.23%)
  14. Tshwane West  81.98%  (-0.32%)
  15. Sedibeng West  81.68%  (+2.58%)

Equally, Chiloane said the department must also attend schools that consistently perform below par.  About 53 public and independent schools achieved less than 65% compared to 69 public and independent schools in 2021. 

“In the next few days, the Gauteng Department of Education will meet with the School Management Teams of all public schools that performed below 65% and begin a process to address this poor performance,” Chiloane assured Premier Panyza Lesufi who also attended the ceremony.  

The Department will meet the public schools that performed below 65% to put into place interventions to improve the performance of these schools. This will include a review of management and teaching personnel. A rapid school evaluation will be undertaken, and an academic improvement plan designed and implemented.

“We will support all matriculants that have failed by providing a multi-faceted Second Chance Programme in 2023 to assist supplementary exam and part-time candidates, amended Senior Certificate candidates and progressed learners who need to complete their National Senior Certificate.

He said the department will assist them in the subjects they have failed to ensure that they completed the requirements for passing. Moreover, he said learners that require psycho-social support are also urged to engage their schools or the Department. 

“As we celebrate the Class of 2022 with much pride and excitement, it is only fitting and a privilege to recognise that our successes are due to our collective commitment to Growing Gauteng Together as learners, teachers, school staff, parents and all basic education sector stakeholders. In this regard, I reiterate our commitment to pursue a quality and inclusive basic education system for all young people of our province,” said MEC Chiloane.

Lesufi said the 2022 matric results belong to the teachers. He said it was critical for Gauteng to deliberately focus on developing skills for the new economy as “learners are the future gold requiring necessary support”.

“I can stand here and say we have turned the corner,” Lesufi said.

INSIDE EDUCATION

Class of 2022 deserves respect for rising above Covid-19 and loadshedding – Ramaphosa

Charles Molele
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Class of 2022 deserves respect for rising above Covid-19 and loadshedding – Ramaphosa

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated the Matric Class of 2022 for outstanding individual and collective performances in the face of challenges arising from two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) announced the National Senior Certificate (NSC) matric results on Thursday evening.
 
Ramaphosa said the matric results announced by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga highlighted numerous advances in the basic education system, including an overall pass rate of 80.1 percent.

“The Class of 2022 deserves the congratulations and respect of the nation for rising above the challenges of COVID-19, loadshedding and a period of unrest,” said Ramaphosa.
 
“We must all work together to build a society where learners are not measured only by their resilience in testing times but where they can fulfil their potential in conducive conditions.”

Ramaphosa added: “As much as we celebrate individual achievement, the Class of 2022 also constitutes a pass for our education system; it vindicates the extensive and unwavering investment we have made in education during nearly 30 years of freedom.”
 
“We owe the achievements of 2022 to the diligence of learners alongside the commitment and support of teachers, who also endured the challenges of the year, as well as education officials.”

INSIDE EDUCATION

How ChatGPT robs students of motivation to write and think for themselves

Charles Molele
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0
<strong>How ChatGPT robs students of motivation to write and think for themselves</strong>

NAOMI S. BARON

WHEN the company OpenAI launched its new artificial intelligence program, ChatGPT, in late 2022, educators began to worry. ChatGPT could generate text that seemed like a human wrote it. How could teachers detect whether students were using language generated by an AI chatbot to cheat on a writing assignment?

As a linguist who studies the effects of technology on how people read, write and think, I believe there are other, equally pressing concerns besides cheating. These include whether AI, more generally, threatens student writing skills, the value of writing as a process, and the importance of seeing writing as a vehicle for thinking.

As part of the research for my new book on the effects of artificial intelligence on human writing, I surveyed young adults in the U.S. and Europe about a host of issues related to those effects. They reported a litany of concerns about how AI tools can undermine what they do as writers. However, as I note in my book, these concerns have been a long time in the making.

Users see negative effects

Tools like ChatGPT are only the latest in a progression of AI programs for editing or generating text. In fact, the potential for AI undermining both writing skills and motivation to do your own composing has been decades in the making.

Spellcheck and now sophisticated grammar and style programs like Grammarly and Microsoft Editor are among the most widely known AI-driven editing tools. Besides correcting spelling and punctuation, they identify grammar issues as well as offer alternative wording.

AI text-generation developments have included autocomplete for online searches and predictive texting. Enter “Was Rome” into a Google search and you’re given a list of choices like “Was Rome built in a day.” Type “ple” into a text message and you’re offered “please” and “plenty.” These tools inject themselves into our writing endeavors without being invited, incessantly asking us to follow their suggestions.

Young adults in my surveys appreciated AI assistance with spelling and word completion, but they also spoke of negative effects. One survey participant said that “At some point, if you depend on a predictive text [program], you’re going to lose your spelling abilities.” Another observed that “Spellcheck and AI software … can … be used by people who want to take an easier way out.”

One respondent mentioned laziness when relying on predictive texting: “It’s OK when I am feeling particularly lazy.”

Personal expression diminished

AI tools can also affect a person’s writing voice. One person in my survey said that with predictive texting, “[I] don’t feel I wrote it.”

A high school student in Britain echoed the same concern about individual writing style when describing Grammarly: “Grammarly can remove students’ artistic voice. … Rather than using their own unique style when writing, Grammarly can strip that away from students by suggesting severe changes to their work.”

In a similar vein, Evan Selinger, a philosopher, worried that predictive texting reduces the power of writing as a form of mental activity and personal expression.

“[B]y encouraging us not to think too deeply about our words, predictive technology may subtly change how we interact with each other,” Selinger wrote. “[W]e give others more algorithm and less of ourselves. … [A]utomation … can stop us thinking.”

In literate societies, writing has long been recognized as a way to help people think. Many people have quoted author Flannery O’Connor’s comment that “I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” A host of other accomplished writers, from William Faulkner to Joan Didion, have also voiced this sentiment. If AI text generation does our writing for us, we diminish opportunities to think out problems for ourselves.

One eerie consequence of using programs like ChatGPT to generate language is that the text is grammatically perfect. A finished product. It turns out that lack of errors is a sign that AI, not a human, probably wrote the words, since even accomplished writers and editors make mistakes. Human writing is a process. We question what we originally wrote, we rewrite, or sometimes start over entirely.

Challenges in schools

When undertaking school writing assignments, ideally there is ongoing dialogue between teacher and student: Discuss what the student wants to write about. Share and comment on initial drafts. Then it’s time for the student to rethink and revise. But this practice often doesn’t happen. Most teachers don’t have time to fill a collaborative editorial – and educational – role. Moreover, they might lack interest or the necessary skills, or both.

Conscientious students sometimes undertake aspects of the process themselves – as professional authors typically do. But the temptation to lean on editing and text generation tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT makes it all too easy for people to substitute ready-made technology results for opportunities to think and learn.

Educators are brainstorming how to make good use of AI writing technology. Some point up AI’s potential to kick-start thinking or to collaborate. Before the appearance of ChatGPT, an earlier version of the same underlying program, GPT-3, was licensed by commercial ventures such as Sudowrite. Users can enter a phrase or sentence and then ask the software to fill in more words, potentially stimulating the human writer’s creative juices.

A fading sense of ownership

Yet there’s a slippery slope between collaboration and encroachment. Writer Jennifer Lepp admits that as she increasingly relied on Sudowrite, the resulting text “didn’t feel like mine anymore. It was very uncomfortable to look back over what I wrote and not really feel connected to the words or ideas.”

Students are even less likely than seasoned writers to recognize where to draw the line between a writing assist and letting an AI text generator take over their content and style.

As the technology becomes more powerful and pervasive, I expect schools will strive to teach students about generative AI’s pros and cons. However, the lure of efficiency can make it hard to resist relying on AI to polish a writing assignment or do much of the writing for you. Spellcheck, grammar check and autocomplete programs have already paved the way.

Writing as a human process

I asked ChatGPT whether it was a threat to humans’ motivation to write. The bot’s response:

“There will always be a demand for creative, original content that requires the unique perspective and insight of a human writer.”

It continued: “[W]riting serves many purposes beyond just the creation of content, such as self-expression, communication, and personal growth, which can continue to motivate people to write even if certain types of writing can be automated.”

I was heartened to find the program seemingly acknowledged its own limitations.

My hope is that educators and students will as well. The purpose of making writing assignments must be more than submitting work for a grade. Crafting written work should be a journey, not just a destination.

(Naomi S. Baron, Professor of Linguistics Emerita, American University)

THE CONVERSATION

2022 Matric Learners: Motshekga applauds “Top Dogs” for making it against all odds

Inside_Education
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2022 Matric Learners: Motshekga applauds “Top Dogs” for making it against all odds

PHUTI MOSOMANE

BASIC Education Minister Angie Motshekga has congratulated the Matric Class of 2022, saying they were an affirmation of an education system that was not broken but on the rise.

Motshekga said last year’s matrics had to deal with COVID-19 interruptions since 2020, and also had to deal with Eskom’s load shedding, floods and community protests.

The minister was speaking at a special breakfast she hosted for the top achievers and their parents in Randburg, Johannesburg on Thursday.

“You are true affirmation of a system that is not broken but rising. An embodiment of true ambassadors of public schooling,” Motshekga said.

She praised learners for showing perseverance, dedication and, above all, hard work.

“We thank learners for putting in the hours and avoiding the well-beaten path to failure by being slack. We thank the teachers for recognising the spark of greatness in these learners and lighting a fire under. Success beckons success! Go forth and conquer,” said Motshekga.

“To tower over your peers is no fluke, an accident of history, but it is a triumph reserved for those whose greatness is yet to be experienced.”

Motshekga said under the current socio-economic challenges in South Africa, last year’s top achievers gave their parents and guardians hope to end generational poverty in their families. 

“I am impressed that this generation never gave up. You carry our hopes as a nation that tomorrow will be better,” Motshekga added. 

Department of Basic Education Director-General Mathanzima Mweli said learners “remained the light in the midst of loadshedding”.

“Today we are celebrating the ‘Top Dogs’ of the Class of 2022,” Mweli said. 

Mweli thanked parents and guardians for working with schools in ensuring that social ills do not interfere with education of their children. 

During the post-breakfast briefing, Inside Education spoke to some of the top achievers.

Here is what they had to say|

Brotas Nkomo

Brotas Nkomo, from DD Mabuza Comprehensive School, in Mpumalanga, said despite the impact of loadshedding he had to ensure that he carefully developed a plan to study more using natural light. 

“I am very happy about this recognition. I was taken by surprise but I am thankful to everyone who made it possible,” said Nkomo. 

Kanetso Lekhisa

Kanetso Lekhisa, from the Commtech Comprehensive School in Bloemfontein in the Free State, thanked Motshekga and his teachers for paving the way for him to be acknowledged with the top achievers’ award.

Nikita Govender

Mountainview Secondary School learner, Nikita Govender, from Verulam in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, said: “I am excited to be here. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I am grateful for my all my hard work.”

Simone Anna-Mart Louw

Another top achiever, Simone Anna-Mart Louw, from Bloemhof Girls High school in the Western Cape, thanked her teachers for making it possible to be honoured. 

Gwiba Nokenge

Gwiba Nokenge, who hails from Toli High School in deep rural Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, says he was planning to study Mechatronics Engineering degree at the University of Cape Town. 

His mother, Khuliswa Nonkenge, said she never thought her son will be honoured as a top achiever given the challenges he and other pupils encountered in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. 

“I am really happy to see my child being honoured. As you know, our villages are struggling to get much support but I am happy to the department, and the teachers,” Nonkenge said.

Meanwhile, MTN Plus Manager Miriam Mathebula congratulated matriculants and said they have demonstrated that anything is possible. “You have defeated disruptions brought by the COVID-19,” said Mathebula.

Tebogo Maenetja, the Chief Human Resources Officer, urged top achievers to explore careers in technology innovations.

“MTN is currently recruiting for the jobs with skills that we have not yet developed,” said Maenetja.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, and Deputy Minister Dr Reginah Mhaule with top achievers.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

International Conference On Maths, Science And Technology Education Held At University Of The Free State

Charles Molele
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International Conference On Maths, Science And Technology Education Held At University Of The Free State

LEONIE BOLLEURS

THE University of the Free State (UFS) hosted the 31st Annual Conference of the Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (SAARMSTE) at the weekend.

After two years of hosting the SAARMSTE conference virtually, it is being presented as a hybrid conference for the first time.

In attendance are delegates from South Africa, Southern Africa, America, India, Australia, and Europe.

The conference theme is: Intersecting Research, Policy and Practice for a Sustainable Praxis in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education: New possibilities and directions for the post-COVID-19 Pandemic Era.

Sharing best practices and discussing common challenges

SAARMSTE President, Dr Tulsi Morar from the Nelson Mandela University, believes the conference is fertile ground for each delegate to have an opportunity to share best practices, discuss common challenges experienced during the pandemic, and celebrate how these challenges has been overcome.

It is only through our reliance and strength that we have succeeded, and because of our experiences, we can grow and innovate to be better prepared for any further challenges, he said.

Opening the event was Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS. He said what is to be discussed at the conference will be meaningful for the challenges the world has to solve, stating that with challenges also come possibilities.

“We live in a time of significant change in the realm of technology, which has an impact on the world of work. Graduates will need to change their thinking in the world of work. They need to understand the future world of work,” Prof Petersen stated.

He also touched on curriculum reform, saying that a critical challenge for South Africa’s education system is the decolonisation of the curriculum. What is being taught must make meaningful sense in our context. “The UFS has made significant progress in curriculum transformation since 2016,” he added.

With delegates as well as speakers from other countries present at the conference, Prof Petersen also talked about the UFS’ Global Citizens initiative. He said no country can operate in isolation. We need to learn from each other to move forward as a collective. “It is also vital to deliver global citizens,” he said.

“The importance of the SAARMSTE conference cannot be overemphasised in our current education landscape. We need sustainable relationships to be developed at conferences such as these in order to ask questions, think differently, and renew ourselves,” he concluded, stating that the role of humanities and social sciences in society is critical and that SAARMSTE can add value in this context.

Thinking indigenously about Technology education and its implementation

To contribute to robust discussions on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education, three keynote speakers will be sharing their views during the three-day conference.

Prof Dr Susanne Prediger, Director of the newly established DZLM, the German National Centre for Mathematics Teacher Education, delivered the first keynote address of the conference. She talked about Fostering students’ understanding of procedures and underlying basic concepts: Design research for mathematics classrooms and teacher professional development in the post-pandemic era.

She is of the opinion that although providing students with rich and deep mathematical learning opportunities is a common request in Mathematics education, many students are still only exposed to superficial learning. According to her, this was aggravated by the school closures during the pandemic and will continue in the post-pandemic era if Mathematics teachers are not sufficiently supported and prepared.

The second plenary will be delivered by Prof Mishack T Gumbo from the University of South Africa. He is a Research Professor of Indigenous Technology Knowledge Systems Education in the Department of Science and Technology Education. The title of his talk is: A relook into Technology Education: Raising a transformational issue, where he will focus on education, specifically the curriculum of Technology Education as a school subject.

He will show how technology, which learners learn in Technology Education, is still hooked onto the colonial perspective and how colonialism still thrives. In his plenary, Prof Gumbo will provide strategies to think indigenously about Technology Education and its implementation as such.

The third plenary will be delivered by Dr Gillian Roehrig from the University of Minnesota in the US. She is known for her research that explores issues of professional development for K-12 Science teachers, with a focus on the implementation of integrated STEM learning environments and the induction and mentoring of beginning secondary Science teachers.

Her paper, titled The Hows and Whys of Integrated STEM Education, will explore the development of a conceptual and curricular framework for integrated STEM, and the benefits of using interdisciplinary approaches to address the policy goals of preparing students as STEM-literate citizens and for the future STEM workforce.

UFS: Supplied

Toeless cyclist sets sights on 2023 African Games

Charles Molele
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Toeless cyclist sets sights on 2023 African Games

ZIMBABWE mountain biker Pressmore Musundi is hoping to compete at this year’s African Games in Ghana, despite being born without any toes on both feet.

Musundi has established himself as one of the leading riders in South Africa and earned a professional contract with the Trialwolf Lions Club.

He won the WTF MTN Challenge in 2018 and also came third in the 2019 Route 66 MTB Experience, two of South Africa’s leading mountain bike races.

Last year, he earned a sponsorship deal with insurer King Price alongside other South African mountain bikers Candice Lill, Phil Buys and Gert Heyns.

Musundi was born in Zimbabwe but left the country as a 14-year-old to find a job across the Limpopo River.

He was employed as a gardener by Mooikloof Estate in Pretoria, who gave him a bike to ride to and from work.

Musundi was then invited to join the Pretoria South Lions Club, with his performances catching the eyes of Trialwolf Lions Club.

“I was born with no toes on both feet,” Musundi told Zimbabwe newspaper The Chronicle.

“I grew up in a rural area but used to visit Harare.

“I started school but unfortunately had to drop out of secondary school in 2004 when my dad passed away.

“That’s when I came to South Africa.

“Cycling has always been my passion since I was five-years-old.

“I used to use Buffalo bikes to travel to school but had no idea that it would end up becoming my career.

“When I first arrived in South Africa, searching for a better life, I started working as a gardener at Mooikloof Estate.

“There, the people I worked for bought me 24-inch mountain bike so that I could get to work.”

This year’s African Games, due to take place in Accra between August 4 and 19, is Musundi’s next target.

“It would be such an honour to qualify for the African Games,” he said.

“I’d love to help inspire others and help them realise that their dreams are worth chasing, no matter where they come from.”

At the last African Games in Casablanca four years ago, Namibia dominated the mountain bike events, winning three of the four gold medals available.

Tristan De Lange won the men’s cross-country and cross-country marathon, while Tiffany Keep won the women’s cross-country.

Kimberley Le Court of Mauritius stopped a clean sweep as she took the gold medal in the women’s cross-country marathon.

Insidethegames

My child isn’t happy with their final exam results. How can I support them?

Charles Molele
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<strong>My child isn’t happy with their final exam results. How can I support them?</strong>

NICOLETTE V. ROMAN

EVERY January, the day arrives that South Africans know can decide their fates: the “matric” exam results are announced. In 2022, 753,964 full-time and 167,915 part-time candidates registered to write the secondary school exit exam – the largest cohort ever. They’ll receive the results on 20 January 2023.

Many probably feel ambivalent about this massive moment in their educational journey. On the one hand, there is the feeling of completeness because the school years are done. On the other, there is a basket of emotions: stress, anxiety and excitement at the prospect of the unknown. Matrics (or Grade 12s) and their parents know that the National Senior Certificate, issued when matric is successfully completed, is a ticket to the future.

The results dictate whether you qualify to apply to a tertiary institution or not; this a big deal in a society that sees university qualifications as the ideal (or only) path to wealth, image and fame. University qualifications are also viewed as superior to vocational training.

So, those who don’t achieve the required matric marks will not be able to attend university. It can shatter dreams and cause huge disappointment, along with feelings of failure, hopelessness and helplessness. The way a parent or caregiver responds in this situation is extremely important.

As a researcher specialising in parent-child relationships, here’s my advice for guiding children through what can be a tough, scary and disappointing time.

Positive support

There are four key things your children need to hear if they are disappointed and feeling like a failure:

  • Getting up after a fall is important
  • Success is relative: everyone is different and has different abilities
  • There are many ways to achieve success other than getting a university degree
  • As a parent you believe your child is capable of doing anything.

This kind of positive, loving support is critical. The research I’ve conducted with various colleagues shows that parents are important in adolescents’ decision-making, life goals and aspirations. They also play a key role in shaping teens’ psychological wellbeing, as well as modelling both healthy and risky behaviours.

Negative parenting practices like rejection, neglect, psychological control, pressure to perform, overprotectiveness and indulgent parenting are associated with difficulty in making good decisions. Children may panic about making decisions, become indecisive – especially about career choices – or make risky decisions.

It is normal for parents to be disappointed that their child’s results were not as expected. However, as a start, take a deep breath and realise that your child is struggling to come to terms with their results, too, and may believe they are a failure. This is not the time to scold and berate them about not achieving.

Remember, the Grade 12 year that’s just passed has, by and large, been about achieving success and feeling the pressure to perform. This situation just amplifies their stress and anxiety.

Taking a deep breath allows for calmness in your approach to supporting your child. A more positive approach, which includes being responsive, supportive, approachable, encouraging and understanding, would be very helpful as a start to diffusing a very emotional situation for your child.

Room to talk and plan

Allow your child to talk about how they’re feeling about the outcome, without interrupting. It would be a good idea to find out if your child has thoughts about the way forward. This could be the first of a few paced conversations over a few weeks. This will allow for some perspective and give your child the chance to think things through. That helps them to develop feelings of ownership in decision-making as well as boosting their confidence and competence. This is important for the satisfaction of psychological needs to achieve psychological wellbeing.

If they haven’t thought about what comes next, you could consider exploring the options together, building a plan B and C since plan A was not achieved. For instance, your child could request re-marks for subjects where they expected to perform better. Or they could enrol for the Department of Basic Education’s Second Chance Programme.

Monitor your child and their wellbeing in this time. You may feel that you need to draw in others, such as a counsellor, psychologist or social worker, or a teacher or friend your child is close to, to help map out the next steps, providing options or just as an additional support for you and your child.
(Nicolette V Roman, University of the Western Cape)

THE CONVERSATION

Mental health and wellbeing of ethnic minority teachers 

Charles Molele
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Mental health and wellbeing of ethnic minority teachers 

THIS report set out to understand how the wellbeing of ethnic minority educators compared with the wider population. 

This report – made possible with the generous support of Wesleyan – set out to understand how the wellbeing of ethnic minority educators compared with the wider population. The research comprised of three focus groups, which were conducted by YouGov using its panel of education professionals. These included 26 teachers, middle leaders and senior leaders who identified as having ethnic minority backgrounds.

The results confirm many of the drivers of stress in the teaching profession, irrespective of race, including volume of workload, workplace culture and Ofsted pressures. The findings also clearly illustrate the differential experiences of Black and Brown and other ethnic minority teachers and leaders in schools across the country, including barriers to progression, tokenism and microaggressions.

Developed with insights from the BAMEed Network and Black Teachers Connect, the report explores the main drivers of stress among ethnic minority teachers, their experiences in the workplace and what needs to happen for real cultural change to take place.

In section two, we have set out to amplify the voices of research participants and to allow them to tell their story in their own way.

The Chartered College of Teaching and Education Support will hold an event on Thursday 2nd March with Professor Dame Alison Peacock and charity CEO, Sinéad Mc Brearty to discuss their latest research into the wellbeing of ethnic minority teachers. Participants will also have an opportunity to participate in a live discussion.

Sinéad Mc Brearty, Chief Executive of Education Support says:

“Racism has no place in schools or colleges. We all have a responsibility to understand how racism is experienced by colleagues, and to improve the system for everyone. 

Discrimination serves only to demoralise and ultimately drive good teachers out of the workforce.  This serves no-one, least of all children and young people. These findings point the way to simple, inexpensive strategies for improvement.”

We have summarised our key findings of the report below. You can download a full copy of our report here.

Stress is a normalised part of being a teacher, regardless of ethnicity

“If I say I am stressed, I get told to leave school at 4pm – but still produce all the data analysis by 9am the next morning.”
Middle leader

Teachers from an ethnic minority background have to deal with the stress of teaching, plus the additional impact of racist and racialised experiences.

“I’ve purposely been singled out as the token Black teacher when visitors have been in school.”
Middle leader

Ethnic minority teachers call for much wider equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) training to create more inclusive cultures.

“I was told that I was supporting extremism – when simply we were visiting a Mosque to learn more about the religion for RE.”
Middle leader

Line management experiences are variable but getting it right can help with stress management.

“One of my AHT [Assistant Headteacher] colleagues often tells me I need to think more carefully how I portray myself … as a Brown man. Sometimes I feel I have to work harder than colleagues to prove myself …. and actually similarly other ethnic minorities”
Senior leader

Sector Response

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“The experiences of being overworked and undervalued are unfortunately common across the teaching profession, regardless of ethnicity. However, it is clear from this report and from what our Black members tell us that being from a minority ethnic background adds an additional layer of racist and racialist experiences in the workplace which are further undermining teachers’ dignity and morale.

“Black teachers commonly face additional barriers to pay and career progression, as well as overt and covert racism and discrimination in their daily working lives.

“For example, our most recent data from members indicates that 59% of Asian teachers and 53% of Black teachers who were expecting to move up the pay scale in 2020/21 as a result of their performance review did so in the academic year 2020/21, compared to 73% of White teachers.

“Our data indicates lower satisfaction levels among teachers from black backgrounds. While four in ten of White teachers described themselves as satisfied or very satisfied about their job, this dropped to 34% of Asian teachers and 33% of black teachers.

“The Government could take immediate action to tackle racialised pay gaps and discrimination in the workplace by strengthening regulation, but they have refused to do so.

“This failure to act is exacerbating the serious problems with the recruitment and retention of Black teachers in the profession and undermining the basic entitlement of all workers to be treated with respect and dignity.

“We are continuing our fight for racial justice for Black teachers and will be holding our Black Teachers’ Consultation Conference this coming weekend at which these and other issues affecting Black teachers’ working lives will be discussed.”

Methodology

This research study had three main aims:

  1. Provide insight into the issues and challenges experienced by ethnic minority teachers at work and how these may impact on their mental health and wellbeing
  2. Explore how stress impacts the mental health and wellbeing of ethnic minority teachers
  3. Recommend the resources most needed by education organisations which would benefit the mental health and wellbeing of ethnic minority teachers at work

The research comprised three online focus groups, which were conducted by YouGov using its panel of education professionals. Three focus groups explored:

  • Perceptions of their teaching career
  • Current challenges to the profession
  • Specific challenges for teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds
  • How this impacts on their mental health and wellbeing
  • How best they could be supported

The specific topic of stress experienced at work was also investigated, with reference to the overall findings in the Teacher Wellbeing Index (2022). Each focus group comprised teachers working at different levels in schools.

The first group involved classroom teachers, the second group was middle leaders and the final group was senior leaders. All participants worked in primary or secondary schools (with learners aged 4-18) in different parts of England, and the majority worked in the state-funded education sector.

The focus groups were held online using YouGov’s text-based platform where the participants typed in their responses to the questions asked and discussed their experiences with each via text messages.

Many of these messages have been included in this report, so that the reader can see the teachers’ views. The focus groups were conducted by two moderators from YouGov, one of whom was from a mixed-race background and one who was white. All focus groups were held in March 2022, lasted approximately 1.5 hours, and were observed by Education Support.

FENEWS

SA, Turkey deepen science and innovation ties

Charles Molele
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SA, Turkey deepen science and innovation ties

SOUTH Africa and Turkey have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), agreeing to advance cooperation in science and innovation.

This is according to a Department of Science and Innovation statement.

The MOU was signed by minister of higher education, science and innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, and Turkey’s foreign affairs minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

According to the statement, the signed MOU will see deepening of the cooperation relations between the two countries.

Both SA and Turkey recognise the importance of science and technology in the development of their respective national economies, and the ability of science, technology, and innovation (STI) to improve the standard of living of communities.

Nzimande believes the partnership will be beneficial to both countries, particularly in the areas of joint research, capacity building and in advancement of scholarly cooperation in areas of STI.

“The partnership will promote inter-institutional cooperation, exchange of scientists, researchers, technical experts, scholars, joint research, as well as the exchange of science, innovation, and technological policy information in advancing science diplomacy between the two countries.”

SA and Turkey have maintained strategic bilateral political, economic and cultural relations since 1991, says the statement, adding that the bilateral trade between the two countries has seen a gradual growth over recent years.

During the period April to November 2022, South African exports to Turkey increased by approximately 18%.

ITWeb

IEB matric class records 98.42% pass rate

Charles Molele
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IEB matric class records 98.42% pass rate

PHUTI MOSOMANE

THE Independent Examinations Board’s (IEB) 2022 matric class has achieved a 98.42% pass rate, a slight improvement on 2021’s pass rate of 98.39%. 

About 12 580 full-time and 945 part-time candidates from 232 examination centres writing in 262 venues across Southern Africa wrote the IEB’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in October and November 2022. 

This is fewer than the 12 857 full-time candidates and 968 part-time candidates in 2021.

“The performance of the 2022 cohort of students has been outstanding. There is enough credible research on the impact of Covid-19 on the educational aspects of children to provide insight into where we are at, in coming out of the pandemic almost three years later. It is fair to say that it is the 2022 cohort of learners that were hardest hit by the impact of the pandemic when it broke in 2020 in their grade 10 year,” said IEB Chief Executive Officer Anne Oberholzer.  

“Various strategies have been employed to try and mitigate these – moving teaching online, pen and paper distance education, catch-up programs, weekend school lessons and so on – some more successful than others.”

Oberholzer said 89.32% of the cohort achieved entry to degree studies, compared to 89.2% in 2021.

While 7.52% qualified for entry to diploma studies, compared to 7.82% in 2021, and 1.57% achieved entry for study at the Higher Certificate level, compared to 1.37% in 2021.

“While the class of 2022 has seen how previous Grade 12 classes of 2020 and 2021 managed to adapt to a new reality, this was the class that missed out the most in their Grade 10 and Grade 11 years which are fundamentally important to success in their grade 12 performance,” Oberholzer said. 

The closing date for the application for remarking is Tuesday 31 January 2023.

The results from re-marking will be released on Wednesday 1 March 2023.

Applications for the learners who qualify to enrol for the May/June examinations will be open from 1 March to 15 March 2023.

“External quality assurance processes provide assurance to society that standards of demand in examinations are consistent over time and that one cohort of learners is not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged. The quality assurance processes also ensure that the conduct of the examinations is carried out with integrity at every step.”

“The examination process is complex, and its oversight is not only extensive, but requires people who are knowledgeable and experienced in the theory and practical aspects of examination conduct,” said Oberholzer.

On Thursday, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will announce the 2022 matric results approved by the quality assurer Umalusi earlier this week.

INSIDE EDUCATION 

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