New maths measures a step in the right direction: expert
Education specialist and professor, Mary Metcalfe agrees with the Department of Basic Education's decision that learners in grades 7 to 9 will be promoted to the next grade even if they fail maths.
Learners in these grades who got between 20 and 29% for maths - and passed both languages - will be put through to the next grade.
Metcalfe says it is a step in the right direction to address the maths problem.
"That is because those learners are not intending to do pure maths from grade 10 and up. The department also needs to provide more support to teachers in grade 8 and 9 so that they can cope with a wider range of abilities within one class," says Metcalfe.
Metcalfe says our learners are not unintelligent.
"They are not unable to learn maths. What we need is more teacher support, better resources and a focus for curriculum coverage and solving curriculum problems," says Metcalfe.