Matriculating against these odds, and still left jobless

The matric results released this week were met with relief by many, including basic education minister Angie Motshekga. And, despite the wellknown weaknesses of our schooling system, it would indeed be churlish to ignore the achievement of the class of 2020. The pupils who wrote their exams last year faced unheard-of challenges in preparing for them. In addition to coping with disruptive lockdowns, they had to very quickly acclimatise to new ways of learning. These included a reliance on communication technologies. They had limited contact with their teachers, who themselves had to adapt.

Therefore, given the obstacles presented by the pandemic, the lower pass rate of 76.2%, from 81.3% the previous year, is to be commended. We say this while cognisant that the pass rate on its own remains an inadequate educational yardstick.

This year’s results happen to have been released in the same week as the national unemployment statistics, confirming the persistence of our stubbornly high jobless rate, now at 32.5% (42.6% on the expanded definition). The unemployment numbers are a reflection of an economy that was in the doldrums even before the advent of Covid-19. They also show young people to be hardest hit by joblessness.

Indications are that many of the pupils who have just matriculated will not be able to find jobs or study further. It is also apparent that universities do not have the capacity to absorb a large number of those who have applied for tertiary education.

Taken together, the two sets of statistics highlight the need for increased focus on preparing school-leavers for the world of work and providing the economy with the technical skills it requires. Historically, our society has tended to emphasise the importance of academic education at the expense of technical or vocational training, an important gateway to employment opportunities.

Evidently, apart from the negative personal impact, our high level of youth unemployment, referred to by some as a ticking time bomb, is a recipe for socio-political instability. It demands of us as a society a redoubling of our efforts to address it as a matter of urgency.