5.2. Background of Commerce Teachers’ Association
5.2.2. The reasons for the formation of Commerce Teachers’ Association
Some studies in the South African context show evidence that teacher learning communities that are initiated by teachers themselves aim at supporting teachers in the absence of support from the Department of Education (Jita and Mokhele, 2012). The Constitution of the Commerce Teachers’ Association (2009) shows that the Commerce educators who are in a rural district of KwaZulu-Natal were concerned about the low pass rate in Commerce subjects, and the lack of adequate knowledge, methodological and technical skills, motivation in addition to the low morale among Commerce educators. All the four participants who were interviewed highlighted that the Commerce Teachers’ Association was formed in order to
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improve learner performance in Accounting, Business Studies and Economics. Mrs Mathe explained the purpose:
The main idea is to improve results. We network with other subject advisors from other districts who already had this association. BCM teachers formed an association in order to develop educators to become knowledgeable in their subjects, methodologically, technically skilled and highly motivated thereby developing of the professional competences of its members (Interview with Economics subject advisor, 20/07/2014).
From the teachers’ and the subject advisor’s views about the reasons for the formation of the Commerce Teachers’ Association, it appears that poor performance in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) grade 12 results was a major concern in this district. According to the District Analysis report of the 2009 National Senior Certificate Results, the overall pass percentage of grade 12 was 45.13% and the district was placed in position 11 out of 12 districts in the comparative pass rates of 12 districts in KwaZulu-Natal (Department of Basic Education Examination and Assessment Services Reports (2009 – 2013). Drawing on Engeström (2001, p.137) this situation suggests a historically accumulating structural tension within and between activity systems. This structural tension is a contradiction between the subjects (teachers), the object (pass rate) and the community (consisting of learners, Department of Education, parents, and mediational means or curriculum materials). The contradiction of subjects, object, mediational means and community brought teachers and subject advisors to collaboratively engage in different activities to enact the object to produce the outcome which they say is improvement in Grade 12 results.
Another reason for the formation of the Commerce Teachers’ Association is highlighted in the circular dated 10th October 2014 which was issued at the annual general meeting held on the 16th of October 2014 “ ( Department of Basic Education: Zethembe District). The association was formed due to the need (situational analysis) to develop BCM and EMS
educators methodologically and technically” (Deputy Chief Education Specialist).
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SUBJECT 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Accounting 62,08 67,76 64,73 71,86 71,75
Business Studies 60,98 74,40 74,97 89,44 84,20
Economics 73,15 81,91 75,44 85 79,00
Table 18: District National Senior Certificate pass rate in three BCM subjects from 2009 to 2013 (extracted from the Department of Basic Education Examination and Assessment Services Reports (2009 – 2013).
Table 18 illustrates the percentage pass of these three BCM subjects in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) from 2009 to 2013 as per Department of Basic Education Examination and Assessment Services Reports (2009 – 2013). The table shows that there was an improvement in NSC Grade 12 results from 2009 – 2012. However, in 2013 the results decreased. The improvement in the NSC results may be due to different strategies that were used in the district, although the Commerce Teachers’ Association and the District Officials maintain that the learning taking place in the Commerce Teachers’ Association has led to the improvement of the results in the district. For example the Chief Education Specialist commented on the Economics workshop held on 27th August 2013:
The Commerce subjects form the base of the pass percentage of our district. The last three years have shown improvements, the district is on the top 3 of the subjects in KZN, Economics is 85%.The South African policies are mainly covered in Economics and they are very important.
Teachers must become change agents (Observation of workshop held on the 27th of August 2013).
According to the Chief Education Specialist (community), improvement in Grade 12 Economics results is the outcome that emerged from the subjects (Commerce teachers) enacting the object (economics learning) through mediating artefacts (Revision workshops) enacted by the community (Commerce subject advisors, external facilitators) within their division of labour. In other words, the objective was to get teachers to learn from the workshops and these workshops were mediating means, Economics learning was the object enacted by subjects (Economics teachers).
Nonetheless, improvement in Grade 12 results of the district may also be due to the overall increase in all the Matriculation results over the five years as shown below in the table showing the KwaZulu-Natal provincial pass rate.
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Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Percentage obtained
60,6 67,8 70.2 73,9 78.2 75,8
Percentage changes
+7,2 +2,4 +3,7 +4,3 -2, 4
Table 19: KZN Provincial Pass Rate (From 2014 KZN Analysis of NSC Grade 12 Results)
Table 19 shows that there was an increase in grade 12 results from 2010 to 2013. In 2014 the Grade 12 results dropped, which is also reflected in the result of the Commerce subjects in Table 18. The drop in Grade 12 results suggests contradiction again between subjects (teachers), object, (teaching) outcome (high pass rate) and community (DBE, parents, and learners). While this could suggest that teachers may not have enacted the object teaching effectively, there could be several other reasons that may have affected the outcome involving the entire activity system. Hence, this decrease in Grade 12 results does not necessarily mean that it was due to poor object enactment by subjects in 2014 or to the Commerce Teachers’ Association as subjects failing to enact according to the division of labour.