TEACHERS are meant to teach. They are not testers.
I am a retired primary school teacher and am involved in rural and township schools, and I am still in touch with ex-Model C schools. I hear many complaints from teachers who say that they have no time to teach because they are so busy doing tests, adding up marks, writing reports and doing so much paper work.
Many teachers tell me that they just finished tests last term and now after only about four weeks of teaching, they must start testing again.
Testing will finish on November 15, and thereafter the vast majority of pupils will not return to school even though school only closes on December 12. A whole month of teaching down the drain.
The rationale behind this is that results need to go through departmental procedures.
The sad part of all this is that even when a child fails to meet the required standard, he or she does not repeat the year as inspectors visit schools and “pass” the pupils anyway.
No wonder only 50% of our pupils get to matric. Recently I met a boy in Grade 7 who could not read or write. If he had been held back a year in his early career he might have had a chance of making something of his life.
So what is the point of all this testing every term?
Let the teachers teach and not waste precious time as so many of the pupils are way behind in their studies.
I am involved in running libraries in these schools and have to collect books a month from the end of term because pupils will not go back to school after their tests and books will go missing.
A waste of six weeks of reading!
Please allow teachers to teach not test.
BETH DRENNAN
Amber Valley
Howick