Presentation to portfolio committee

1
Presentation to portfolio committee
Joint PC meeting on Basic Education Expectations
from Universities on the quality of learners
produced by our schooling system Date 24 April
2012
2
Barriers for entrance into higher education

• Academic Preparation of learners
• Combination of subjects choices
• Performance in Maths and Science
• Mathematic literacy not appropriate for
  qualifications such as Engineering, Natural
  Science, Health Sciences
• Overall academic performance in relation to the
  APS (admission point score for entrance)
• Foundational and content (discipline related)
  knowledge
• Language proficiency
• Academic literacy - eg study methods and skills
  approach to learning

3
Barriers for entrance into higher education

• Career Guidance, life skill orientation and
  preparation of learners to cope with further
  studies and life at University
• Career choices and assistance with applications
  for university places and funding
• Perception of matric endorsement for bachelor
  and / or diploma studies
• Misconception of the perceived higher value of
  degrees vs a certificates and diplomas
• Time management
• Conflict resolution
• Inability to work independently vs working in
  groups
• Rote learning and thus no application of current
  knowledge
• Transition from school to university life

4
Expectations from FET Colleges on the quality of
learners produced by our schooling system Date
24 April 2012
5
Motivations for the transition from school into
the FET College environment

• To
• Pursue a vocational or occupational pathway,
  based on informed choices through career,
  parental, professional or other guidance
• Undertake further learning following exclusion
  from school based on age
• Improve opportunities for employment
• Seek an opportunity outside the schooling system
  to pursue learning for personal interest or
  development (vertically or horizontally)

6
Overarching expectations and prerequisites

• Transition from school into the FET college
  system is preceded by appropriate career guidance
  and awareness of the college learning
  environment (i.e. admission into college is a
  choice rather than a last resort)
• Foundational literacy and numeracy at either
  grade 9 or grade 12 equivalent (dependent on
  qualification at point of entry)
• Evidence that the young learner can accept
  responsibility for his/her own learning
• Awareness that learning in the VCET environment
  also involves reading, writing, analysing and
  the application of cognate skills to meet the
  demands of the 21st century workplace not only
  about manual/mechanical manipulations

7
Some crucial considerations for the transition
from school to college

• Ideally the learner should have successfully
  completed grade 9
• Emotional maturity (although difficult to measure
  outside of professional services) is important
  given that the college learning environment is
  less rigorous in notable respects (attire,
  attendance, discipline)
• Credibility and reliability of achievement as
  reflected in the school report not always a
  correlation between the achievement level in the
  report and the learners demonstrable competence
• Achievement of 60 (aggregate) at the GET level
  appears to provide a good prognosis for success
  in further learning

8
THANK YOU !