A technical report on the matric exams was created between teacher unions and the basic education department, which clearly stated that the matric rate of 2020-2021 is between 75% and 76%. The expected matric pass rate was made with comparing to achieve the rate of 81.3% in 2019.
In 2019, the total number of students registering for the exams was 607,226, but only 57,800 students appeared for the exam. Due to the progressed candidates, it was expected that the passing rate would get dropped Prof Servaas Van der Berg from Stellenbosch University told the Sunday Times, “My expectation is that the pass rate will decline, but I would be surprised if there is a decline of more than 5%.” The core reason for the problem is the impact of COVID-19 on the education system. A review site has claimed that pandemic-driven jump to online learning had slowed gains in math.
How is Covid-19 Affecting Math Curriculum?
Parents who are less equipped with solving math problems
Parents had to take matters into their own hands during the period of COVID-29 to ensure that their children are practicing and completing math homework daily. In the absence of teachers, they have no option but to be the lighting guide for them. Math is a subject that has several approaches and methods of solving. Parents might not be aware of the methods that are being taught in schools. So it can be very confusing for the students if they are stuck with two methods for solving the same math problem.
Mental stress and anxiety
Students have weighed on the disasters of COVID-19. Math is a subject that requires a completely focused and concentrated mind. But COVID-19 only magnified their stress and increased math anxiety. They dealt with housing instability, parent tensions, money troubles, illness of a family member, etc. Experts suggest teachers introduce a few anti-stress exercises in their lessons. This will help the staff members identify students exposed to trauma and stress due to pandemics.
No face-to-face interactions
Most students fear math subject, and these students require extra attention from their teachers to understand the complexities of math problems. But with online classes, students who are weak in math subject face difficulties with understanding specific concepts or logic. It is challenging even for the teachers to engage students with effective math practices.
Students can take help of online math assignment help where professional math problem solver will guide the students in their flexible hours.
Unable to understand its practical application to the real world
Teachers help students on improving their math skills by tying the mathematical concept to a real-life problem. This helps students understand the logic behind the mathematical concepts. But it becomes difficult for teachers to help students’ gain practical understanding through online classes.
Too many distractions
Students are mostly preoccupied with the constant updates on COVID-19 news. They also get to pull out from online Zoom meetings due to different reasons. No matter how much they try, concentration level will not be the same as in classroom settings. Back at home, students lack that disciplined life. They constantly get distracted by notifications or games. They get too relaxed in a home setup.
No room for improvement
Teachers build customised lessons to help with mastering mathematical skills among students. Teachers will design these lessons to help students dealing with mathematical problems. This way teacher will be able to keep track of the progress of students. By working on the customised lessons, students will easily be able to identify their weak spots. It gives students room for improvement. There will be constant progress in their mathematical skills.
But due to the complete lockdown of education institutions, students do not get the scope to improve their skills. Assignments are not enough with the development of the mathematical skills of students. Teachers do not have the scope to address the problems of each student with online learning.
Absence of one-to-one interactions
Weak students tend to attend one-to-one sessions with their teachers whenever they are stuck with mathematic problems. Teachers tend to help them individually so that they do not have to stay behind.
But with an online classroom setting, teachers are unable to interact with students individually. After each lesson, teachers also take regular tests to test their mathematical skills. On the other hand, online classes come in specific schedules or timings. Teachers plan their classes surrounding these schedules, which leads them to have less time for one-to-one sessions. While teachers move on to the next concept, students still face understanding the teachers’ previous chapter.
Students fail to grasp the concepts of mathematics properly. This creates a huge gap in their understanding, and thus, their grades suffer. You will be surprised to know how often it does happen. This facility can be easily arranged by hiring a good math problem solver.
Leads to cheating
Students do not have the scope to use calculators or use online math apps when they keep an eye on students. But with the absence of teachers, students have multiple options to solve the math problem without even understanding the process. There are several apps that can automatically generate the answer to their math problems. This shortcut becomes a reason for a major problem. It will harm their growth in learning.
Wrapping up,
Learning to solve Math problems without proper guidance is not going to be easy. Students are looking for alternate math subjects as they continue to face several troubles while solving math problems. Due to this, experts are witnessing a major drop in students in the mathematics department. They are suggesting families use math-related apps and games for integrating math conversations at home.
