DIGEST 2006 - Sabita

3 HG learners in a class of 40
SG). Instead, they receive
tuition in the afternoons once
a week, or self-study.
• Homework: Learners receive
very little homework and
therefore get little
opportunity to reinforce work
done in class. Even so,
learners make little attempt
to do their homework;
• Exams: Learners are not
given their exam timetables
in good time for planning, so
they are unable to set up a
study programme/timetable;
matrics stay at home after
prelims, and few return for
revision;
• School situation: Class sizes
range from 40 to 70 per
class, often exceeding the
classroom capacity; there are
no functional libraries, and
laboratories are inadequate
or not used for science.
Resources and discipline
Textbooks, desperately needed by
teachers, are generally in very
short supply, and often not
brought to school by learners.
Most learners do not have
calculators and mathematics
construction sets, making it very
difficult to teach the syllabus
sections requiring these.
Science and maths learners in
particular do not see the relevance
of science and maths in their lives,
and are therefore unmotivated.
Many learners do not go to class,
or are late for class; most do not
do their homework, and teachers
feel powerless to deal with any
indiscipline.
Learners in general are not
prepared in any way for school
and what it means, and such
negative issues with the learners
also contribute to the lack of
Figure 3. Impact of English proficiency on learner performance in maths
(Lawless, 2005)
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