By Thapelo Molefe
The Western Cape’s Back-on-Track programme, launched in 2023 to address the devastating learning losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, has delivered groundbreaking results.
A recent independent evaluation by Stellenbosch University’s Research on Socio-Economic Policy revealed that Grade 7 learners in isiXhosa-medium schools achieved gains in maths equivalent to over 200 additional school days of learning.
The R1.2 billion initiative by the Western Cape education department specifically targeted pivotal years, Grades 4 and 7, through focused interventions for learners and innovative coaching for teachers.
The outcomes highlight both the potential of targeted education programmes and the urgent need to expand such efforts to address systemic inefficiencies.
The programme combined learner specific Saturday classes and a teacher focused “1+9” coaching model, where educators received one day of intensive training followed by nine days of in-class implementation.
The interventions aimed to bridge foundation gaps, particularly for learners in disadvantaged schools.
In Grade 4 Afrikaans medium classes, learners made equally impressive strides in language, gaining nearly 190 school days’ worth of progress.
Meanwhile, teacher coaching proved transformative in English medium Grade 4 mathematics, achieving gains equivalent to 165 extra school days.
Despite the remarkable achievements of the programme, the evaluation revealed several systemic challenges that limited its overall impact.
Participation rates were notably low, with only 3% of Grade 4 learners and 2% of Grade 7 learners attending more than half of the scheduled sessions.
Additionally, data limitations hindered a comprehensive assessment of the programme’s effectiveness, as researchers were unable to directly link specific learners to the teachers who participated in the coaching interventions.
This likely led to an underestimation of the full impact of the teacher focused component.
The evaluation also highlighted a critical issue – learners transitioning from African home languages to English as the medium of instruction in Grade 4 faced compounded difficulties due to pandemic disruptions.
These learners benefited greatly from focused interventions, but the challenge remains vast and urgent.
While the Western Cape’s targeted approach has been effective, most other provinces lack similar interventions or the systemic testing needed to identify and address learning losses, Stellenbosch University said in a statement.
It said as a result, learners across South Africa were likely falling further behind, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
The success of the Back-on-Track programme demonstrated the value of targeted, evidence-based initiatives.
However, scaling these efforts and addressing systemic inefficiencies would be essential for lasting change, the university said.
It said by strategically directing resources toward foundational learning years, policymakers could help ensure that all learners had the opportunity to overcome pandemic induced setbacks.
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