No change likely for EC matric results
MINISTER of Basic Education Angie Motshekga will today announce the matric results of the two-millionstrong class of 2016.
For the past three years the Eastern Cape has been sitting at the bottom of the class and education stakeholders in the province said the latest results would not be different.
The 94 000 Eastern Cape candidates include 24 000 matric hopefuls repeating the exam and so-called “progressed learners” who have been given the option of splitting their subjects and sitting for the exam over a two-year period.
Sadtu provincial administrator Sindisile Zamisa yesterday said the department’s policy around “progression and modulating” (splitting the subjects ) was a shortcut which was doomed to fail.
“We are waiting patiently to see how the department will ensure that learners who did not pass in previous phases but were allowed to progress will pass matric,” said Zamisa.
Last year, for the first time, the department offered qualifying students an opportunity to modulate their Grade 12 subjects.
Basic Education national spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said the opportunity was given to a few students who had been “progressed” from certain grades who felt they would not cope with all the exams in one year.
“The percentage of the students who have taken the option are very few and they will not affect the [pass rate] percentage,” said Mhlanga.
He said he could not confirm the actual percentage before the minister made her speech.
Zamisa said the union never supported the idea of allowing learners to split their subjects because they viewed it as a mitigation of a problem created by the department.
“We are worried about the quality of learners that are allowed to sit for matric exams. If they have been allowed to progress in all the previous phases, where will they get capacity to pass Grade 12?” asked Zamisa.
Last year the province managed to obtain a 56% pass rate but this dropped when this year’s June results came in at a 44.9% pass rate.
However, in September there was a slight improvement of 4%, which took the percentage to 48.3%.
Early in 2016 premier Phumulo Masualle vowed to deal with the provincial education crisis.
Yesterday, the office of the premier spokeswoman, Mandisa Titi, said the premier would only speak on the matter once the results had been released.
“As is the norm, as soon as the matric results are officially announced, the premier will host a special media engagement session. This is where the media will be accorded an opportunity to raise relevant queries.”
The DA’s Edmund Van Vuuren, who sits on the provincial education portfolio committee, said the number of students who had been “progressed” was worrying.
“There is quite a large number of learners who have been just progressed to Grade 12, and only 12% of progressed learners passed last year,” said Van Vuuren. —