(Vocational) and - Umalusi

previous years. There was a high rate of absenteeism and a lack of interest in the
subject.
At Kayelitsha Campus, there were too few staff members to teach Electrical Systems
and Construction effectively. Of even greater concern was the fact that the
HOD/Programme Manager was not concerned about his lack of control or his
inability to make quality moderation checks.
Swinton Campus had exceptionally low assessment standards in Applied Accounting
and marks were too high (this was a common complaint at many other campuses).
Lecturers did not offer relevant, qualitative suggestions to learners in order to improve
their performance.
With one notable exception (Westlake Campus), no qualitative moderation had
taken place. Moderators simply rubber-stamped marking and few classroom
monitoring visits were made. The result was that many mistakes were overlooked,
especially in Mathematics.
Very little practical training was taking place and lecturers were rarely exposed to
the workplace. It seemed that learners were prepared only to complete the ISAT,
setting them up for failure in the workplace. There was no practical workplace
application of training at Mpondozankomo Campus in Electrical Systems and
Construction.
Too many tasks consisted of examination question papers only.
Teaching staff were either not qualified at all or were under-qualified to offer a
number of the subjects.
At Swinton Campus, Applied Accounting standards were lowered to ensure that the
learners would pass. The reason for this was that staff members were intimidated by
disruptive learners.
There was a high rate of absenteeism at Mpondozankomo Campus and it was for
this reason that the PoEs were not complete.
At Swinton Campus, staff did not have access to computers and therefore their tasks
and tools were handwritten and poorly duplicated. They were also using the 2007
guidelines for Mathematical Literacy. They had received little support from the
province. Lecturers were not given the opportunity to attend training which was
offered nationally.
The learners at Mpondozankomo Campus needed more support in Mathematics
and their lecturers required training to fill the gaps in their knowledge. At Seshego
Campus, the SAGs were not always taken into account when setting tools and this
proved to be a disadvantage to the learners.
No preparations had been made for the Umalusi visit to moderate Mathematics at
Mlumati Campus. The staff claimed that they had not been sent the ICASS
instrument.
58