Sue Blaine
6 January 2009
Johannesburg — ONE of the larger questions hanging over the new matric curriculum - written for the first time last year - is how those who passed mathematics well enough to study university-level courses that require the subject will fare this year.
The education department has been praised for making it compulsory that each matriculant write one of the two mathematics subjects available (mathematics and mathematics literacy), but there has been some controversy regarding the mathematics curriculum.
Between 1991 and 2007, SA had 25000 to 28000 matriculants who passed mathematics higher grade.
Last year, 63000 passed mathematics at the equivalent of higher grade - a jump that has raised questions about the standard of the exam.
"Where the question (about the strength of the new matric curriculum) comes in is: 'Does a matriculant who has passed mathematics now know as much as one did before?' We don't know," says Independent Examinations Board (IEB) CEO Anne Oberholzer.
The new mathematics curriculum is broader than the old mathematics higher grade curriculum, but because most South African mathematics teachers were not ready to teach some of the new topics the curriculum introduced, it was decided to split the new curriculum into core and optional topics -- the former being most of the old higher grade topics, but without some of the geometry.
The optional topics, which include those previously covered in the old subject, additional mathematics (add maths), are now included in an additional examination paper - mathematics paper 3 - that is optional.
The difference is that add maths was included on a matriculant's report card and counted towards their final mark, while those who want recognition for writing mathematics paper 3 now have to present to tertiary education institutions an additional certificate noting their results.
As the reward is lower, because the paper 3 results are not added to a matriculant's final mark and because the subject is optional, it was difficult for some schools and parents to convince their pupils and children to take the subject. Also, some schools opted out of offering it.
Of the 8000 to 8100 candidates who wrote the IEB-set matric examinations, about 2500 (23%) have written mathematics paper 3 and about 70% wrote mathematics, says Oberholzer.
Of the 599048 full-time matric candidates who wrote the state-set examinations, just less than 7000 (about 1%) wrote paper 3, according to education department deputy director-general of further education and training Penny Vinjevold.
Now universities will be eyeing this year's stronger mathematics matriculants who apply for mathematics-rich courses such as engineering, actuarial science and medicine with caution, especially those who did not write the third mathematics paper.
While universities do not require paper 3 for admission into any courses, it is commonly accepted that having studied it may give prospective students an edge where two applicants have similar marks but one has written paper 3.
"It was optional, and it is human to take the path of least resistance. Also, to crown it all, mathematics paper 3 was the last paper written," says Cobus Lötter , senior project manager of Higher Education SA's (Hesa's) matriculation board.
Hesa is an umbrella body for SA's universities and universities of technology.
The problem is that the mathematics curriculum now offers less, content-wise, than the old curriculum, says Oberholzer.
Until the universities make a concrete statement that mathematics paper 3 is recommended for certain courses, it is going to be difficult to get more matriculants to take the extra mathematics tuition they need to write the paper, says Oberholzer.
Initially, the education department planned to make mathematics paper 3 compulsory by 2010, but Vinjevold says the department has decided against this, on advice from authorities overseas.
The examination paper would continue to be optional, because "we need a paper that pulls up the top end, but it is not necessary for all of the matriculants who opt for mathematics instead of mathematics literacy", she says.
The upshot of this is that university curricula will probably have to change to compensate, says Lötter .
'The problem is that the mathematics curriculum now offers less, content-wise, than the old curriculum'
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