Business equips teachers with maths and science skills

The National Business Initiative (NBI) and petroleum outfit Engen have joined hands to launch an innovative programme aimed at providing ‘professional development” to mathematics and science teachers.

Called Education Quality Improvement Partnerships (Equip), the programme is a timely boost to the government’s efforts to address the problem of poorly qualified maths and science teachers.

So far, the programme has been successfully piloted in three provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape. In total it involves 109 schools, with 52 in KwaZulu-Natal, 23 in Gauteng and 34 in the Western Cape.

While addressing 220 Equip graduates in Johannesburg, Minister of Education Naledi Pandor says: ‘The levels of participation as well as achievement rates in these subjects are a major cause for concern.” It is believed that out of 27 000 mathematics and science teachers, only 18 000 are qualified to teach the subjects.

Engen showed its commitment to the programme by pledging R5-million. Says Engen’s Khanyisa Balfour: ‘Although any pilot project is risky by design, the lessons we have learned from this project far outweigh the costs.” She says her company does not believe in ‘quick-fix solutions” that are not sustainable, but believes in interventions and ‘solutions that bear fruit in at least three to five years”.

Valerie Geen, Equip’s director, echoes these sentiments. She says by focusing on teacher development, Equip will be making a positive difference in learners’ lives. ‘For our programme to have an impact in the future, we need to invest in teacher development,” says Geen. She says the programme was started eight years ago, while ‘the mathematics and science component was introduced three years ago”. Geen says the 220 graduates are the first batch to come out of the initiative.

Over and above empowering teachers with skills on how to teach maths and science, the programme also covers critical aspects such as leadership and governance.

One person who can vouch for this is Angelinah Nkosi, principal of Bonamelo Primary School in Doornkop, an informal settlement near Dobsonville in the West Rand. Although she has not undergone the training herself, four of her teachers have and, she says, this has brought about visible changes at the school.

‘They show an amazing commitment, professionalism and have also grown in confidence,” says Nkosi ‘We really are benefiting a lot from them. For instance, they share with us some of the new techniques on how to plan a lesson, assessment strategies and other creative teaching methods.” Nkosi says since the teachers graduated from Equip, they hold workshops to share knowledge with their counterparts from the surrounding schools.

Like any other informal settlement, Doornkop is plagued by social ills suc as high unemployment, poverty and HIV/Aids. Nkosi says the effects of these are reflected in the learners’ poor academic performance.

But, instead of throwing their hands in the air, the four teachers started a feeding scheme to provide meals to needy learners. They also buy uniforms for those in dire need.

‘We provide soft porridge, soya milk and soup every day and during holidays to these learners,” Nkosi says. ‘This has not only helped address the problem of late coming and absenteeism, but learners are serious about their school work as well.

‘We have tried to ensure that the benefits of the professional development programme [Equip] are transferred to learners who are prevented by hunger from being able to learn maths and science,” says Nkosi.