Open collaboration between teachers, driven learners, and a strong values-based education system emerged as the most powerful lessons that Willowmoore High teacher Raheema Ismail gained during her professional development trip to China late last year.

Ismail was part of a delegation of mathematics teachers who travelled to China to better understand the foundations of the country’s success in STEM subjects and to bring those insights back to South Africa to share with colleagues.

The trip, sponsored by the Chinese Embassy, formed part of the prize Ismail received after finishing third in the mathematics category at the 2024 National Teaching Awards (NTA), recognising her excellence and commitment to mathematics education.

They attended training courses and visited different parts of Zhejiang Province, known for its high-quality education.

“It was good seeing educators eagerly and willingly assisting and supporting one another. The sharing of resources was evident. The Chinese have a system where teachers have access to newly developed resources, which is beneficial to someone new who doesn’t know where to start. There’s a lot of support, and it’s something we have to implement in our country,” said Ismail.

While acknowledging the differing challenges faced by schools in South Africa and China, the Mackenzie Park resident praised China for producing driven, highly motivated learners – an outcome she would like to see replicated back home.

“South African schools face many challenges that the schools in China don’t have. Learners in China are competitive. As a policy, if they don’t pass Grade Nine on their own, there’s no entrance to Grade 10 or university.

“There’s a drive, which is something we don’t necessarily have here, where learners are driven to excel because if they don’t, there are going to be consequences. This is what’s lacking in our education system.

“It’s not that we don’t motivate our learners. Learners themselves are not motivated or willing to strive to achieve or excel.”

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Ismail, a Benoni Muslim School alumna, said she was impressed by the strong sense of values displayed by the learners they encountered during the trip, noting such values have largely been neglected in South African schools.

“It’s not solely about academics. It’s about the type of person you are going to become. Something I would emphasise is values, because if respect and discipline are in place, academics come naturally.

“If you lose respect for yourself, books and resources, the rest becomes difficult. When learners are respectful, they are going to excel because they understand the value of education,” she said.

South Africa needs a strong focus on maths and science to improve. She believes, but has to create a competitive environment where learners are encouraged to succeed.

“Unfortunately, we are setting the bar too low. If you encourage learners to get 30% and be okay with that, you are not encouraging them to succeed. I would like to see learners being encouraged to step out of their comfort zones.

“More learners are choosing other subjects over maths and science. When you make that subject selection, you can’t get into the science and engineering fields. It’s becoming problematic for our overall schooling as well because the bar is set too low.

“If we raise the standard, we will increase the number of learners in the subjects and encourage them to excel. Because our learners know they can just pass, they are not motivated to work hard and achieve their maximum potential.

“That’s not the case in China. You have to pass there without progression or promotion. You pass on your own. It’s something I feel we’ve taken away from our learners. It’s causing a negative impact on our schooling,” she said.

Personally, the trip encouraged Ismail to “do more, develop herself, and ultimately become a better person so that I can encourage and help my learners grow.”

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