AS the debate on the marginalisation of the Matabeleland rages on, the deputy provincial education director for Bulawayo, Emmanuel Mugomba, yesterday revealed that none of the three provinces in the region has recorded a pass rate of more than 20% in Ordinary Level Mathematics over the past five years. Report by Blondie Ndebele Own Correspondent
“Pass rate for Maths at ‘O’ Level has never been more than 20% in the three provinces of Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South since 2007,” said Mugomba during a presentation at a regional educational indaba at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) on Wednesday.
The indaba was organised by the Regional Centre for Social Responsibility. “The pass rates for ‘A’ Level is very high, but the symbols are relatively poor,” he said.
Mugomba said the region’s average ‘O’ Level Mathematics pass rate since 2007 had ranged between 10,3% and 16,6%. He attributed the low pass rate to shortage of textbooks and qualified teachers.
“We have 244 qualified Mathematics and Science teachers, 83 with university degrees and 161 diploma holders in Bulawayo province,” Mugomba said.
“The number of degreed qualified teachers is very low.”
Speaking at the same occasion, Nust’s School Enrichment Centre leader Senelani Hove-Musekwa said the low pass rate in Mathematics and Science subjects at ‘O’ Level had contributed to the low enrolment of students from the region into the university.
