The Western Cape delivers the best education in mathematics and science in South Africa, a study has shown.
In a statement on Tuesday, Western Cape Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the province came out on top in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which the Human Science Research Council conducts every four years with a nationally representative sample of pupils in grades 5 and 9.
“For Grade 5 pupils, our province achieved a score of 441 for mathematics, 67 points above the national average and 31 points above Gauteng in second place,” Schäfer said.
“For science, the score was 415, which is an incredible 91 points above the national average and 36 points above Gauteng.”
The study on Grade 9 pupils saw the province score 441 for mathematics, 52 points higher than the national average and 20 points clear of Gauteng, while in science it scored 69 points above the national average and 17 points above Gauteng.
The province joined six other cities and regional entities across the world as benchmarking participants at Grade 9 level.
The Western Cape ranked eight places higher than South Africa as a whole on the international ranking for mathematics and six places ahead for science.
The province has seen an improvement in Grade 9 results since 2011, with a 37-point increase for mathematics and an 18 point increase in science.
“This is a testament to the excellent work that the department and our schools have done to continuously improve education standards across the province,” Schäfer said.
“We now set our sights on achieving the TIMSS centre point score of 500. I have no doubt that the incredible officials, school staff and learners across our province can achieve this.”
