Clash over ‘uninspiring’ pass rate target

EDUCATION MEC Mandla Makupula wants this year’s Grade 12 class to achieve a 66% pass rate – a meagre 1% increase from last year’s pass rate.

As a result, a war of words between Makupula and the portfolio committee has erupted as the MEC has stuck to his guns, saying setting this year’s class a 70% matric pass rate, which the committee adopted, was unreasonable.

But portfolio committee chairman Mzoleli Mrara said the committee was tired of the province being at the bottom of the country’s pass rate for seven consecutive years, and wanted the targeted pass rate to be at least 70%.

“Generally targets set for passing are very low; the matric pass rate target for this year is 66% from 65% last year which represents an increase of 1%.

“The department of education must set targets that will improve the pass rate in the province and that target should be 70% instead of the 66%,” Mrara said during a sitting.

Makupula, obviously angered by the committee’s demand, wasted no time to fire back at the committee and the legislature which has adopted the committee recommendation for a 70% target.

“The upward trajectory over the past three years continued with the class of 2017 improving by 5.7% . In fact, honourable members, when I was looking, the province in front of the Eastern Cape is Limpopo in eighth place with 65.4% and we follow with 65% – and I think we are getting there,” Makupula said.

The portfolio committee was not only angered by the uninspiring matric pass rate targets, but by the continued lack of skilled and specialist professionals for special schools despite huge amounts of funds set aside annually for the recruitment and appointment drive in this regard.

“The department must furnish the committee with a detailed report on the whereabouts of the unused funds that were budgeted for vacant posts, as well as on plans to address this challenge,” Mrara said. – DispatchLIVE