Which is stronger, Matric or EGCSE?
MBABANE – Education authorities have a mammoth task to bridge the gap in the value of certification between the locally offered EGCSE and South Africa’s Matric.
This follows an outcry from education stakeholders that government devotes resources in promoting its own school leaving certificate, only for institutions of higher learning to prioritise pupils with Matric, because it is considered to be of a higher standard.
Suggested
Secretary General of the Eswatini Schools Committees and Parents Association (ESCAPA), Cyprian Dlamini, has suggested that Form VI must be introduced in all high schools to match the Matric certificate.
Pupils in Form VI write A Level/As Level examination, which is an internationally considered bridging course in most tertiary institutions.
ESCAPA made this recommendation amid concerns that most pupils who completed their higher education in the country were not automatically admitted to SA universities, yet those who wrote Matric were accepted without a need for a bridging course.
Dlamini said government must not take this matter lightly because it was bound to explode in future.
“The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) needs to sit down and do something in as far as the education system is concerned. We are saying, let government introduce Form VI in all local schools,” said Dlamini.
He said government needs to act speedily because it was costly to pay for the education needs of a pupil studying towards Matric in SA.
“Some of our children fall for wayward habits in SA because they are not in their parents’ custody,” he said.
He challenged the ministry to act speedily in ensuring that the education system was elevated to high quality.
“The school leaving certificate must be at par among the two countries,” he stated.
He said, ordinarily, Form V was no longer of value in the country, but Form VI. “Let us do the right thing if we want to meet other countries’ standard of education,” he said.
Chairperson of the Education Portfolio Committee in the House of Assembly Noah Gama, said it was frustrating to see emaSwati learners expected to take bridging courses before being admitted to the neighbouring country’s universities.
He said this was evident that the country’s Form V certificate was of a lower quality compared to Metric.
He said the bridging courses were mandatory to put the two certificates at par in terms of standard.
“To prove what I am talking about, most parents are now taking their children to SA’s schools, starting from Grade VIII until Grade XII so that they can automatically gain entry into our higher institutions. When these children come back, they don’t struggle to get a place in universities of their choice. It is so unfortunate for those students who completed high school in our public schools, unless they are enrolled to A’ level education to boost their certificate,” said Gama.
Mkhiweni Member of Parliament (MP) Ndlelayekuphila Micheal Masuku wanted to know from Eswatini Higher Education Council (ESHEC) the reasons that led to the downfall of the county’s education system. He said before SA’s independence, in 1994, Eswatini’s level of education was of a higher standard compared to that of the neighbouring State.
“We used to see children from other countries enrolling in our local schools, not only because of the apartheid government, but because of the confidence they had in our education system at that time. However, things have changed, as we no longer have the foreign pupils. I just want to know from ESHEC (where have we lost it)?” asked Masuku.
ESHEC Chief Executive Officer Dr Loretta Mkhonta, said her organisation was currently working on harmonising programmes in all the institutions.
She indicated that a lot was being done to ensure that the local certificate met the standard of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).