TITLE:
A Broken Promise for Gifted Learners: Re-Examining the National Strategy for Mathematical Sciences in South Africa Two Decades Later
AUTHORS:
Michael Kainose Mhlolo
KEYWORDS:
Gifted Learners, Mathematical Sciences, Economics of Education, National Strategy
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.13 No.3,
March
22,
2022
ABSTRACT: The National Strategy for Mathematics, Science and
Technology Education [NSMSTE] was promulgated two decades back with the aim of
improving national excellence in
mathematical sciences. Although the initiative has achieved several
gains in participation, top-end performance which was targeted has remained
alarmingly low at less than 5% annually. This study aimed at an in-depth
understanding of how and why top-end performances targets were not achieved. I
used an educational production function (EPF) to analyse the factors that were
prioritized and those that were ignored in the 20-year implementation period of the strategy. I used a
Secondary Qualitative Data Analysis design where I collected recommendations
made in 20 sampled documents which had evaluated the strategy. An EPF places
student ability as one key factor to be considered early in the primary school
suggesting that gifted students should have been identified early before
resources were provided. However, results show that the strategy prioritized
the provision of external resources without considering the potential of the
students. It also targeted low performance high schools instead of primary
schools. This could partially explain why the program failed to make a
significant impact. This study recommends that the Dinaledi School program
focuses on gifted students at primary school level instead of average students
at secondary level.