Latest news with #boys
Mail & Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- Mail & Guardian
Calls grow to address marginalisation of boys in education system
With youth month around the corner, education support networks have raised the alarm on the persistent underperformance and marginalisation of boys in the education system. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) With youth month around the corner, education support networks have raised the alarm on the persistent underperformance and marginalisation of boys in the education system. 'Girls are now outperforming boys in National Senior Certificate results and bachelor's degree graduations, which is a positive achievement, but why are boys not matching up to that percentage?' asked former Gauteng education minister, Mary Metcalfe. Malose Langa, the author of Becoming Men, said: 'Boys are underperforming and there is no light shed on this issue — we need an equal society in the workplace and out in the community.' Recent Moreover, the 2023 National Senior Certificate results indicate that although boys and girls had similar pass rates (82.92% and 82.88% respectively), boys are more prone to dropping out before completing grade 12. Kathryn Kure of Data Myna, an analytics platform, describes the issue as 'complex', emphasising that boys are particularly at risk of falling behind during their early schooling years. 'Gendered norms play a significant role. Boys are often expected to be dominant, self-reliant and emotionless. These expectations clash with the demands of modern learning environments,' she said. A report by the Zero-Dropout Campaign highlights that boys are dropping out of school at higher rates than girls, largely because of entrenched gender norms and social expectations. The report, titled, The research suggests that from an early age, boys are socialised into rigid and often violent forms of masculinity, making them more susceptible to bullying and less likely to feel a sense of belonging at school. According to the report, this emotional detachment contributes to a gradual withdrawal from learning. 'Dropout comes at the end of a long process of disengagement in which learners are pushed or pulled away from school because of factors at home, at school and in their communities,' said the campaign's communications director, Colin Wardle. 'When educators, school leaders and decision-makers are aware of the factors driving disengagement and drop-out, they will be in a better position to implement drop-out prevention strategies.' The study also links dropout to socio-economic pressures, particularly for boys in single-parent households who may be expected to take on provider roles. Other contributing factors include gang involvement, substance abuse and experiences of corporal punishment, all of which compound the problems boys face in staying in school. 'Boys can become easily pressured into harmful acts which will jeopardise their future all because they did not have school-based initiatives that encouraged boys to express emotions and challenge harmful gender norms,' said Langa. During the department of basic education's commemoration of International Day of the Boy Child, TT Mbha, the founder of the men's wellness network Amatyma Brotherhood Circle, emphasised the need for community-based support networks to address the feeling of isolation among boys. 'Young boys often do not have strong father figures in their lives, and that is where community members should step in and guide them to make good choices to raise confident and capable young men,' Mbha said. A According to the report, in 2022, the out-of-school rate for South African children and adolescents of primary and secondary school age was 10.54% for boys, compared to 8.17% for girls. In response to these issues, the department of basic education said it has committed to improving foundational learning for all children. 'Through our global efforts to uplift women, and the girl child in particular, there is the unintended consequence of leaving the boy child behind in our classrooms and our communities,' said Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube during the commemoration of International Day of the Boy Child. 'Boys are either disengaging in schools or they are repeating grades. This has a societal impact, and we need to make sure that we are supporting boys and giving them space to be vulnerable to become positive male models, and to grow up to be responsible men, citizens and leaders, not engaging in violence.' The department said it has launched initiatives which include the implementation of programmes aimed at enhancing reading, writing, and maths skills among primary pupils. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to ensure that no child is left behind in the pursuit of quality education. But advocacy groups such as Equal Education argue that more comprehensive measures are necessary. 'We need to establish the importance of addressing systemic issues such as unequal resource allocation and the need for inclusive policies that cater to the diverse needs of all learners,' said Equal Education's Noncedo Madubedube.
New York Times
5 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Why Boys Are Behind in School From the Start
Girls have been outperforming boys in American schools for decades, from elementary school through college. But the gender gap in education starts even earlier: Boys enter kindergarten less prepared than girls, and this early deficit can compound and help explain some of the recent struggles of boys and young men. Across measures of kindergarten readiness — including reading, math, motor skills and behaviors like socializing, paying attention and regulating emotions — girls score higher than boys. Girls Outpace Boys in Kindergarten Skills Share of U.S. children ages 3 to 5 considered on track for kindergarten in 2022 and 2023 combined. Source: National Survey of Children's Health By The New York Times These are averages, and researchers emphasize that there are many boys with strong skills and girls with lagging skills. Other factors also contribute — the gaps in kindergarten readiness by family income and by race are larger than they are for gender. But over the last two decades, as those gaps have narrowed, the gender gaps have become more consequential. Kindergarten has become significantly more academic because of a national law passed in 2001, with children expected to spend more time sitting still and learning math and reading — and many boys do not enter with the skills to meet those expectations. Adding to that, childhood has changed in recent years in ways that could have set back boys further. The isolation of the pandemic delayed young children's development, parents are increasingly stressed, and children are spending more time on screens. These factors affect all children, but they may have been particularly hard on boys, who scientists have shown are more vulnerable to hardship. Race and Kindergarten Readiness Share of Ohio kindergartners demonstrating kindergarten readiness in fall 2024. Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce By The New York Times Less Art and Play, More Math and Reading Share of kindergarten teachers who agreed in 1998 and 2010. Source: Daphna Bassok, Scott Latham and Anna Rorem By The New York Times Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
British schools are teaching young boys to aim low
Some of the gardens which were on display at Chelsea Flower Show last week will now be en route to schools and colleges around the country. One of them will live at Uxbridge College, based in a London borough ranked one of the worst for education. I should know, given that I went to school in the area. The theme of the garden now zooming its way to Zone 6 is one of resilience, with seeds sprouting up through difficult conditions. Sponsored by the King's Trust, designer Joe Perkins has said his garden represents optimism and hope for the future. It's a great project, but let's not forget that Britain's state education system can be just as inhospitable for young people as the hardy soil these seeds are sprouting from. And it can be a particularly harsh place for boys. The challenges are widespread. For a start, boys are much more likely to have identified special educational needs than girls (22pc compared to 12pc, according to official data) and so many will not be getting enough social or educational support in large classrooms. Boys are also far less likely to go on to higher education (40pc of boys compared to 54pc of girls), particularly if they are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Only 13pc of white British boys eligible for free school meals go on to progress to higher education compared to 23pc of girls who are. Girls do better across all headline Department for Education (DfE) measures than boys, who are also nearly twice as likely as girls to be suspended and more than twice as likely to be permanently excluded. Even before high-school, the chasm is clear – by the end of reception, at around the age of five, just less than two thirds of boys are said to have a 'good level of development' compared to three quarters of girls. The problems are clear, yet still the issue persists. Generation after generation, British schools are teaching young boys to aim low. Boys' behaviour and influences are now 'a defining issue of our time', Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, said in a speech last month. Her words echoed a similar sentiment from Sir Gareth Southgate who used to encourage his players to discuss their emotions during his time as England manager. One male high school teacher tells me he's trying to encourage male students in his school to open up with each other more and recognise that there's more than one way to be considered 'masculine'. He's concerned that a 'laddy, sports teacher stereotype still survives', mirroring a dynamic which replicates into wider society as boys struggle to find vulnerable but strong versions of masculinity. The absence of male role models in the classroom is an urgent issue – the proportion of secondary school teachers who are male is now at its lowest proportion since records began. As the Education Secretary has pointed out, just one in four teachers in UK schools are men (and only one in seven at nursery and primary school level). In her speech, Ms Phillipson highlighted that while the number of teachers in the country has increased by 28,000 since 2010, just 533 are male. That's a big problem given that there is evidence that pupils have higher learning outcomes when they have 'a teacher like me' in the classroom. The fix won't just be filling classrooms with more men, but making sure that those men show an active interest in inspiring those who might otherwise be left behind. The maths teacher I spoke to says one idea could be to 'actively involve more boys in some of the things we've shoved down into primary school – in play, to some extent, and socialising in a way which is not purely competitive and activity-based'. But where are all the male teachers? Experts have blamed the decline on men in the staffroom on a perception that teaching is a lower status job with low earning potential. I've certainly spoken to men who admit that they are tempted to sack off teaching for a better-paid life with shorter hours. And as men abandon the profession, boys are left searching for someone to look up to. This is a particular issue for boys growing up in single-parent households. Some 2.5 million children in Britain have no father figure at home, according to the Centre for Social Justice. Amid rising concerns that a lack of real-life male role models could lead boys towards toxic online influences (more than half of schools and colleges in England are concerned about online safety) there is a drastic need for change. A recent report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute said a 'boy-positive' learning environment needed to be developed in schools, warning that under-educated men could veer towards political extremes. Yet despite rising concerns about male under-achievement, ministers have rejected calls to introduce a minister for men and boys. There's no doubt that the UK's current epidemic of youth unemployment starts in the classroom. A report by charity Impetus showed last week that young people from underprivileged backgrounds are 66pc more likely not to be in education, employment or training (Neet) than average. The issues have grown far worse since the Covid crisis, with the number of 16-24-year-old male Neets up 40pc since Covid, compared to just 7pc among women. Our education system, and with it the culture of low expectations for male students, is in need of a shake-up. As British men give up on work faster than anywhere else in the richest parts of the world, the seeds being sown at school must not be ignored.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- BBC News
Police appeal after runner hit by motorbike
A woman has been left with serious injuries after being hit by an off-road motorbike in victim, in her 40s, was running through Poolsbrook Country Park in Chesterfield when struck, police said it was believed the motorbike was being ridden by two boys who failed to stop at the boys, both aged 15, have been arrested in relation to the incident and have been released on bail pending further enquiries. Police have appealed for anyone who saw the collision, or was in the area at around 19:30 BST on 15 April, to come forward.
Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
‘Misogyny is real — but I hate the term toxic masculinity'
It's now official: there is a crisis in masculinity. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, used the phrase in Westminster last week at the launch of a think tank devoted to scrutinising the troubles of men and boys — and he made sure to thank Richard Reeves, Nick Clegg's former director of strategy at No 10, for helping to 'force' conversations about masculinity 'into the mainstream'. A journalist turned policy wonk, Reeves is the chairman of the new Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CPRMB), having two years ago set up the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM). When we meet for a coffee in a London hotel before he flies back to his home in the American Appalachians, he points out there
