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Local learners’ marks up despite COVID Challenges

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Despite the challenges of another pandemic-affected school year last year, which saw many under-resourced schools buckling under the strain, a number of determined matric learners shone, their maths and science marks significantly higher than previous years.

Asenathi Dube from Zimele High School in Mthatha saw his maths marks climb from 62% in Grade 11 to an astounding 99% in his Grade 12 finals, while Rubin Minnie from Gqeberha’s Chapman High School saw an improvement of 26 percentage points in maths, jumping from 46% to 72%, and 45 percentage points in Physical Sciences, increasing from 40% to 85%.

Another Gqeberha learner, Gerard Stuurman from Linkside High School, bagged himself six distinctions, two of which were for maths and Physical Sciences.

While each of these matriculants were self-motivated to achieve, they had something else in common: they were part of a group of learners from across the country, selected to be part of a maths and science Incubator School Programme (ISP), run over the past decade by Nelson Mandela University’s Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Centre (GMMDC) to help marginalised learners in Grades 11 and 12 improve their marks and gain access to university.

“The Programme taught me more than just maths and science, but to think beyond the classroom and to strive for more,” said Stuurman, who will be pursuing a BSc in Human Anatomy at Stellenbosch University.

“In Grade 10 and 11, I was in a bad frame of mind and my marks were very low,” said Minnie. “When I got to Grade 12, I realized I needed to improve, I needed to change my mindset towards my schoolwork and life, but I knew this would require a lot of concentration and extra help. ISP was my extra help … It has made many things a reality that at first were only dreams.” He is studying software development at the Nelson Mandela University.

The ISP has undergone major changes to counter pandemic-related challenges, but the revised model has proved just as successful as previous years – even surprising the academics running it – and now has the potential to reach even more learners than before.

“The 2021 ISP cohort of 76 learners, achieved an average of over 65% for both Mathematics and Physical Sciences, with over 80% of the learners achieving Bachelor passes,” said GMMDC director Prof Werner Olivier.

“Overall, more than 33% of the learners improved their results from Grade 11 to 12 in a lockdown year, while in 2020, more than 60% improved their results. These numbers are comparable to previous years. The fact that the ISP has not been negatively impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a critical indication that it is a resilient and sustainable model,” he said.

So, how has the ISP model changed from pre-COVID times?

In the past, ISP learners attended a Saturday school over an eight-month period, and also received a tablet, downloaded with GMMDC’s TouchTutor® app, containing hundreds of customized pre-recorded video lessons, PowerPoint presentations, self-assessments, multi-language support, and many other resources – all aligned to the maths and science curricula for Grades 8 to 12 – which they could work through in their own time, serving as their own “personal tutor”, to reinforce what they were learning at school.

But this offline, after-school approach couldn’t work in COVID-19. So the model rapidly shifted to becoming an offline-online hybrid – with Saturday sessions moving to Zoom, pre-recorded lessons becoming available on YouTube, weekly instructions shifting to WhatsApp groups, and the freely-available MobiTutorZA™ app, which GMMDC developed to allow learners across the country to access self-tests, playing a much bigger role than before.

“We needed to adapt our model to address the challenges brought about by COVID-19,” said Olivier. “We did not want learners to fall behind.”

The revised model was piloted at schools in Gqeberha, Komani, Duncan Village, Cookhouse and Mthatha – with GMMDC also giving free data to learners to ensure they were able to participate.

“As in previous years, we selected learners who showed potential in maths and science. At some schools, this meant learners who were getting 60% but in other schools, we’re talking about learners struggling to get 30% and at risk of failing,” Olivier said.

The success of the revised model has been proven by the learners’ results, with many going on to achieve Bachelor passes, and enrolling for university degrees.

2020 matriculant Esethu Ndlungwane, from Gqeberha, has just completed the first year of her BSc degree at Nelson Mandela University, getting closer to her dream of becoming a medical or food microbiologist, while another 2020 matriculant Carla Michaels, is now studying Chemical Engineering at Stellenbosch University.

“I found everything in the ISP valuable,” said Ndlungwane. “Zoom sessions gave me the comfort of being in a classroom and interacting with other students during the lockdown. The pre-recorded video lessons and notes were very useful in ensuring that I understood my school-work well and that I could explore all the various methods of solving problems.”

“The ISP was really helpful in matric … we were in COVID times and having some things explained, and not in the rushed manner in which schools were trying to finish the syllabus, broadened our understanding and solidified it,” said Michaels.

Each year, GMMDC incentivises ISP learners, by awarding brand new tablets to those whose marks go up by 10% for both maths and science.

“Around 20% of the 2020 cohort of learners were awarded these tablets – and, again, around 20% of last year’s learners will also receive a tablet,” said Olivier.

Programme also offers hope to matric repeats

Piloted for the first time last year, Mandela University’s Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Centre has extended its Incubator School Programme to assist past matriculants, giving them a second chance to pass their exams or improve their marks.

The programme, called GMMDC’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences ReMatric programme, is already yielding positive results.

“Among the ReMatric learners, the average Maths mark improved from 40 to 50%, while the average marks for Physical Science climbed from 44 to 52%. The top mark for Maths was 71%, and for Physical Science, 72%,” said GMMDC’s Peter Weisswange, who coordinates the ReMatric programme.

Hailie Hutton, a past matriculant on the ReMatric programme, was thrilled to pass her Physical Science exam in 2021. After failing the subject in 2020, her marks improved by more than 20% – giving her the pass she needed.

“Passing science means I now have options which I didn’t have when I failed. I hope to pursue nursing as I’m passionate about helping others in a medical way but later, I hope to become a doctor,” said Hutton.

“Hailie’s achievement was the result of hard work, of grappling with the required materials, and being totally engaged with facilitators and others supporting her in her efforts,” said Weiswange.

GMMDC director Prof Werner Oliver said securing a R1 million donation had made the ReMatric pilot possible – but his hope is that this programme will grow even bigger, helping even more learners and young adults across the entire country.

“The latest results show that more than 23,000 learners failed matric mathematics in the Eastern Cape province alone. This is up from the previous year, when 21,000 learners failed the subject.

“Around 8,000 learners rewrote matric mathematics in 2021 through the Department of Education’s Second Chance Programme. But there are thousands more who would benefit from the opportunity.

“This revised hybrid model can help many more people engage in self-directed learning and tap into their own potential.”

Olivier is also hoping to establish a MobiTutorZA Academy Programme at Mandela University, which school learners and current students can access, to improve their knowledge of maths and science and boost their chances of succeeding at post-school studies.

Gerard Stuurman NMB Linkside Grade 12
Gerard Stuurman from Gqeberha’s Linkside High achieved six distinctions.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.