Abstract
The release of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Information Technology Report 2014: Rewards and Risks of Big Data in June has received varied responses in South Africa. The Report's central focus is, as it states, global information technology - and the readiness of countries to avoid the risks, and benefit from the very considerable rewards, associated with 'big data'. As part of the analysis presented in the Report, the general quality of education systems, and of maths and science education in particular, are scored - a small part of the overall assessment, but (of course) telling in themselves. The Report placed the general status of South Africa's education system at 146 out of 148 countries, and the maths and science education at 148 out of 148. By comparison, Swaziland was placed at 81 and 91, respectively, and Zambia at 38 and 76.
Highlights
The Report is not a credible or accurate reflection of the state of education in South Africa
That the findings are ‘grossly inaccurate’. He suggests that many people agree that the average quality of education in South Africa is abysmal
The original source of the education data used in the Report – the WEF’s Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 (October 2013) – shows, that the methods used by the Executive Opinion Survey are spelled out with care, as are the techniques used to determine data outliers
Summary
He suggests that many people agree that the average quality of education in South Africa is abysmal. South Africa is not one of the adjunct countries covered by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s wide-ranging Programme for International Student Appraisal, but has been included in the Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS). The test, based on each country’s own curriculum, was conducted for Grade 8 learners in 42 countries, and for Grade 9 learners in 3 countries – including South Africa.
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