BOSETU condemns APP
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday December 7, 2018 14:01
This comes after this year’s PSLE results showed a slight improvement compared to last year’s, though having still not drawn any confidence in the future of candidates’ performance at subsequent levels.
Responding to the 2018 PSLE results yesterday, BOSETU publicity secretary, Edwin Maitshoko said they were concerned that of the 12,641 pupils who have not done well, government would still allow them to progress to the next stage through the APP. He said they condemn that policy in the strongest terms.
“We call upon government as a matter of urgency to resort to repetition for those who did not do well as a short term intervention and in the long term introduce the Multiple Pathways Approach in which students would be channelled appropriately to their areas of strength. As BOSETU we hold the view that the above figures portray quite a significantly high pass rate, though there has been a minimal increase in the pass rate from the 2017 results,” he noted.
He added that BOSETU views the 2018 PSLE results as a reflection of the hard work, dedication and commitment that teachers always exhibit in carrying out their work amid difficult circumstances under which they toil and soil.
He, however, pointed out that they salute all teachers in this sub–sector for the hard work that they have put in teaching and preparing students for the 2018 PSLE.
Maitshoko added that hard work comes during the glaring challenges faced by teachers in their work which include but not limited to managing extremely large class sizes, carrying out the teaching and learning in open spaces owing to shortage of teaching facilities, glaring shortage of teaching materials, handling different subjects owing to absence of Specialisation Policy, high workloads, challenges posed by the unresolved hours of work for teachers and deafening disgruntlement occasioned by the unresolved issue of senior teacher with portfolio.
“Amidst the release of the 2018 PSLE results, and the discussions pursuant thereof, we as BOSETU would like to appeal to government to immediately move with zeal and swiftness to deal with the obvious impediments to effective teaching and learning in our mainstream schools.
“BOSETU calls upon government to immediately and decisively address the issues of mother tongue instruction at the early stages at primary schooling, vacant teaching posts in schools, shortage of facilities and resources, regulation of teacher to student ratio to 1:25, the phenomenon of hours of work in the teaching service,” he noted.
The results point to an insignificant increase of 1.16 percent in the number of candidates who have obtained Grade C or better from the 2017 candidates who sat for the same examination.
The increase means that, effectively, there is only a nominal increase of 1.16 percent from the 2017 results in the number of students who have passed the 2018 PSLE.
The figures further point to the fact that a total of 72.78% of the total 2018 PSLE candidates passed the examination, while 27.22% did not do well in the examination. Out of a total of 46,432 candidates who sat for the examination, 33,791 candidates obtained Grade C or better (grades A, B and C), meaning that they have actually passed the examination, while 12,641 candidates obtained Grade D or worse (Grades E, U and X), meaning that they failed the examination.