Matric pass rate inaccurate due to early school leaving rate, while Bela casts further shadow over future, says AfriForum

[Nat Quinn]

AfriForum congratulates everyone who passed matric in 2024 and thanks the teachers who made it possible with their dedication and hard work despite many challenges in the education sector.

At the same time, this organisation also expresses concern about the matric pass rate that has just been announced. On an overview, this sounds like an excellent achievement, but AfriForum is concerned about the group of learners who disappeared from the school system before they could even complete the matric examinations. According to the Department of Basic Education’s technical report, the number of matriculants who wrote the exam is 36% less than the number who were in Grade 1 in 2013.

This trend is seen annually and proves that the lowering of pass requirements does not convince learners to continue going to matric school. Unfortunately, however, this has a detrimental effect on the employability of a large number of matriculants. The department’s assurance that the 36% dropout rate is “normal” compared to other countries similar to South Africa does not reassure when looking at comparative education polls’ findings.

According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, the Department of Basic Education’s performance and ability to improve remains a bottleneck. “International performance measurements such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) and the 2024 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) findings prove that the majority of South African schools are underperforming to be internationally competitive at all. This will create major challenges for the country’s economy and social stability in the future.”

Bailey referred to the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA) and mentioned that its content was not going to address this failure. “It poses a threat to mother-tongue education, contains vagueness about discipline in schools and places a greater administrative burden on teachers,” she said.

With regard to the leaked matric results, AfriForum expresses further concern. “The fact that the results could leak and financial benefit was also derived from gullible matriculants is unacceptable. AfriForum welcomes the fact that the Hawks are leading the investigation and hopes that those responsible will be held accountable,” Bailey concludes.

source:Matric pass rate inaccurate due to early school leaving rate, while Bela casts further shadow over future, says AfriForum – AfriForum

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