The opposition in legislature has strongly condemned the decision for learners not to take their Annual National Assessments (ANA) this week. Countrywide 8,6-million learners in grades one to six, eight and nine, were supposed to begin writing these assessments this week.
However, teachers’ unions including the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) last week announced that these assessments will be postponed until February 2016.
“Provincial education MEC, Ms Reginah Mhaule, must not allow Sadtu to hold it to ransom by taking decisions that should only be taken by the Department of Education,” said Ms Jane Sithole, DA spokesman for education in Mpumalanga in a press statement yesterday. The annual national assessment was introduced by the DBE in 2011 to assess the level of performance of pupils in two key areas of the school curriculum, literacy and numeracy.
Emanating from discussions between the DBE and the leadership of the three teachers’ unions it was, however, decided to postpone the assessment due to an urgent need to evaluate the validity of the investment.
The DA accused the Department of Basic Education of “caving in” to threats of Sadtu and highlighted the importance of this particular assessment.
“ANAs are critical for testing the literacy and numeracy levels of learners in the country,” Sithole said. According to her this information is vital for the development of strategies and interventions necessary to ensure that every child receives the high standard of education they deserve.
“Without these assessments, how does the department plan on establishing whether or not learners are actually absorbing the information being taught to them?” Sithole wanted to know.
“Annual tests in the Western Cape are independently set and administered. The interruption of schooling is limited to the time it takes to write the tests. The tests are marked independently, not by Sadtu. They are internationally benchmarked to ensure the best possible assessment, and are comparable year on year and grade on grade. They allow truly credible evidence on which to base meaningful literacy and numeracy interventions,” Sithole added.
The DA called on Mhaule to follow the same model of annual testing in Mpumalanga and said they will table a motion for the independence of testing to be enforced in Mpumalanga as well.
“The teacher’s union is not the Department of Education and should not be allowed to tamper with the department’s processes. It is not fair to the children and it stifles their freedom and the opportunity to realise their full potential when Sadtu dictates the quality of education in our province,” Sithole concluded.
