64th ISI World Statistics Congress - Ottawa, Canada

64th ISI World Statistics Congress - Ottawa, Canada

A Reflection of Statistics Education in South Africa.

Conference

64th ISI World Statistics Congress - Ottawa, Canada

Format: IPS Abstract

Abstract

In South Africa, much of the teaching and learning of statistics has been at the level of higher institutions of learning. It is only in recent times that a small section in the mathematics curriculum devoted to basic statistics has been introduced and made compulsory in the final exit mathematics examination. Hence, only a small number of students leave school to study a statistics three-year major at higher institutions of learning. In a sharp contrast, statistics education has become a requirement in a number of fields, with its understanding being crucial in the day-to-day understanding of reports in medicine, economics, or psychology. Consequently, this has introduced some educational and economic challenges, including the increased debate on the purpose of statistics education at the school level and higher institutions of learning; and the type of graduate the country needs. We reflect on the experiences gained, strengths and challenges, the gaps and lessons learned from statistics education in South Africa.