The performance of primary schools in Limpopo will be taken to task... This was revealed by Limpopo’s MEC for Education, Dickson Masemola, during his address at Banking South Africa’s Teach Children to Save South Africa campaign held at Letlotlo Primary School in Seshego Zone 1 outside Polokwane last Tuesday.

“We will need between 10 and 20 years to get our education right in this country. To rectify that, serious major steps have to be taken and performance of our education cannot be based on Grade 12 results only,” said Masemola.

Masemola said there were concerns from best-performing schools in matric, who complained about their standards going down, because of the Grade 7 learners from their feeder schools, who were not well groomed enough to deserve being in Grade 8 or at secondary level. “Because of this, Grades 3, 6 and 9 will be important levels to be used in assessing if the education system is working. From next year, we will assess pupils in Grade 3 and if they can´t read and write, their results will be published, so that it must be known by the public. Their principals will be also be taken to task,” said Masemola.

Masemola said primary schools that performed well would also receive publicity and be praised, so that they could be encouraged. “In this province, we have embarked on what we call an ‘education revolution’. Things are going to be difficult for these primary schools that are not performing as we are going to take a different attitude. You are going to be assessed. In one of the primary schools that I visited in Capricorn district last week, I was shocked to find that a Grade 6 pupil could not read or write.

“The principal of that school is going to be pardoned for now, but come next year, principals like these will have to choose if they still want to continue as head or not,” said Masemola.

Masemola said problems of education could not be resolved at Grade-12-level only. “Schools cannot perform without good leaders. Gone are the days where people go to work just to collect salaries,” said Masemola.