Penguin Tutoring Blog

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of private tuition in South Africa. Our tutors are specialised, screened and trained to give your child the best possible academic support in the comfort of your own home.

Due to some of the learning difficulties being experienced under Outcomes Based Education, Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga announced yesterday that next year would see yet more changes to the national curriculum.

According to The Star newspaper, those changes are designed to improve the application of OBE, in schools throughout South Africa.

Some of the changes include:

Giving teachers less administrative work to allow for at least 7 hours a day in the classroom
Introducing English earlier than Grade 3
Giving fewer subjects to learners in Grades 4-6, allowing for greater depth of understanding
Reducing the number of projects produced by pupils during the school year and stopping matric portfolios altogether, which accounted for a percentage of the overall matric mark.

The result of these changes will mean a shift in focus back onto exams and the pressure on learners to “perform during exams or else” will inevitably return.

These changes are due to come into effect at the beginning of the 2010 school year in January.

So, if you battle with exam preparation or technique, be responsible about your education and take steps to deal with those issues, so that your matric does not fall victim to government policy changes.

One way to cope is to get a tutor early on, so that you can dedicate the necessary time to improving your exam technique and slowly building your confidence.

If you need help, don’t hesitate to contact Penguin Tutoring at any stage during the year. Once we know what your specific needs are, we can allocate the perfect tutor for you, who will provide you with the school support you need to achieve consistent academic success, regardless of the turbulence surrounding you.

Visit www.penguintutoring.co.za for more information.