MY CITY PRESS: Let’s bury OBE
by Maropeng Moholoa
2010-01-12 12:30
This week the majority of matriculants got to know their fate and
glimpse their future, except for a few in Mpumalanga.
During the course of the week I read in the newspapers that almost
40% of matriculants had failed. Those who praised the 60% pass rate missed the
mark, irrespective of whether Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) is in its infancy
or not.
The 60% pass rate is not something we can pride ourselves on; and
Mama Angie Motshekga is correct to be most unhappy about the matric
results.
The Honourable Angie, together with all her staff, should start
working now so that we can sing a different and better tune come this time next
year, otherwise President Jacob Zuma will end up exercising his chesa mpama
skills, fuelled by ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema.
Our country needs highly skilled and qualified people if we are to
improve our economic and social conditions. If OBE fails to prepare learners for
university, then there is no way that SA will produce the desired professionals.
The majority of students produced by OBE find it difficult to cope at tertiary
institutions. It’s an open secret that many of these learners cannot even read
or write; I don’t even want to talk about basic calculating.
Advocates of OBE must come out in public and apologise for having
misled the nation.
I support institutions of higher learning that are not willing to
take on learners who cannot read or write. I know some may argue that “the doors
of learning shall be opened” or “education is not a privilege but a right”; I am
sure that comparing the failure and dropout rates of new first-year students of
2009 at tertiary institutions with previous years will prove that OBE is not the
way to go.
OBE has proved to be unrealistic. Some people want OBE to be buried
once and for all. Feel free to air your views on this one if you wish.
Both policymakers and implementers must just agree that OBE has
failed, and they must come up with a new system. I am just glad that Angie
Motshekga will be making some changes to OBE; this really proves that she
acknowledges it has failed. I am, however, joining the voices that call for a
return to the old education system, as it has proved to be the best.
Who is with
me on this one? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the products of the
old education system upon whom the country prides itself.
I just want to bring it to the attention of the Basic Education
Minister that the problems with OBE are far bigger than just poor teaching, weak
management in schools and lack of leadership and commitment.
I therefore challenge the minister to host a reasonable number of
teachers at a seminar to scrutinise OBE before making any drastic changes to the
current system. Hopefully we will not witness another decline in the pass rate
of the class of 2010.