For years teachers have been working, both in Colleges of Education and at the chalk face in classrooms, to improve the transfer learning in schools at all levels. The struggle has been to go from formalism and rote learning, to a real involvement and learning by reading, writing, research and discovery. Now this is being turned backwards.
In 2010 junior secondary schools had enough books for every student in every classroom to have one copy. Students could take their schoolbooks home. They could have time to read and study them. If their siblings, parents or other relatives and friends were interested, they could discuss what they were learning with them. In 2011 the situation as to the provision of schoolbooks to students in junior secondary schools began to collapse. Now in 2012 it has become worse. Personal sets of schoolbooks are no longer available. Students are lucky if there is one book for five to 10 students. Schools are no longer allowed to order full-class sets. As a consequence no learners are allowed to go home with books. The quality of proper homework assignments is being eroded.
