The national demands for high-level and scarce skills — particularly in the areas of science, engineering and technology (SET) — require that higher education institutions pay attention to both the quantity and quality of graduates in these areas to positively contribute to levels of participation and stimulation of our economy.
Access to these fields of study is largely dependent on the performance of learners in language, mathematics and the sciences.
Wits University was pleasantly surprised when an overwhelming number of its applicants presented with superior results in mathematics and physical science earlier this year.
But anecdotal evidence now suggests that the first-year intake of students at Wits University emerging from the National Senior Certificate (NSC) programme appears to be differently competent when compared with similar students in previous years.
The 2009 cohort appears to take to reading tasks more easily and more readily and these students engage more competently in group-work tasks and self-study. They also make greater use of voluntary learning opportunities such as additional tutorials, web-based assessments and repeat lectures in electronic form.
But early indications are that we should be concerned about their performance in mathematics and science-based subjects, although it is still too early to make confident judgments on the performance of learners at this stage.
One of the consequences of the introduction of the NSC has been the restructuring of the mathema-tics curriculum, which has resulted in areas of the discipline such as probability, statistics and Euclidean geometry being categorised as an optional area of study, to be taken in the so-called maths paper three. Our concern is that this may have negatively affected the mathematical competence of learners emerging from the NSC system and that this may be reflecting in their performance in university studies.
From a mathematical sciences perspective, if learners are not exposed to areas such as Euclidean geometry at secondary school level, they may not properly develop their logical reasoning abilities. It could also cause an underdeveloped sense of space, shape and visualisation, a significant disadvantage for students pursuing studies in disciplines such as engineering. In the case of probability and statistics, these are critical areas that have applications across a range of disciplines, particularly in the sciences and engineering, but also in fields as diverse as demography and the health sciences. Our experience is also that the study of probability and statistics adds to students’ development of proficiency in high-level quantitative reasoning.
At a recent panel discussion held at the Marang Centre for Mathematics and Science Education in the Wits school of education, educators, lecturers, government representatives and education specialists debated the advantages and constraints pertaining to the teaching of mathematics paper three.
There was general agreement that preparing for and passing the paper was advantageous to learners entering higher education, particularly in engineering and fields of study related to mathematics and the sciences.
At the same time the challenges facing schools, teachers and learners were raised, as well as, in particular, the need for additional resources to be deployed to schools to ensure that the mathematics curriculum is taught in its entirety.
There was also a call to support the upgrading and expertise of teachers in the mathematical sciences and to strengthen the pipeline of teachers in this area.
Wits University encourages learners and educators alike to engage more strongly with the mathematical sciences and is a strong proponent of the mathematics paper three examination, even if it is an optional section of the NSC curriculum. We are mindful of the resource difficulties associated with teaching and learning for the maths paper, but where it can be taught and is available we urge learners to participate in preparing for the examination.
We believe that if more learners and teachers are persuaded to prepare for this examination, it will assist in strengthening the foundation for all areas of university study, particularly in areas where mathematics and science form the core part of the curriculum. More importantly, it will contribute to bolstering the advancement of SET in the country, on the continent and beyond.
Professor Yunus Ballim is vice-principal and deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at Wits University