No more designated subjects, but standards remain same
Until March 2018, the minimum requirement for admission to degree studies at a higher education institution was subject to a list of 20 credit subjects known as the “designated subject list”.
In order to gain entry into degree studies, pupils had to obtain a national senior certificate (NSC) with a minimum of a 50% achievement rating in four designated subjects.
However, on March 2, the designated list was revoked through a Government Gazette from the department of higher education and the minimum admission requirements for degree study are expected to be changed to require an achievement of 50% or more in any four subjects from the recognised 20 credit subject list. (The only NSC subject that does not have 20 credits is life orientation.)
In addition, pupils need to pass one official language at home language at 40% or more, pass two subjects at a minimum of 30% and meet the language requirement for entry to degree studies.
The removal of the designated list of subjects from the requirements for the achievement of a NSC pass that allows entry to bachelor degree study is a significant move and has some major implications. The change is applicable to the current Grade 12s who will write the NSC during the October/November examination session; more significantly, perhaps, will be its impact on the subject choices of Grade 9 pupils who will enter the further education and training (FET) phase in 2019.
This new development poses challenges for pupils and those who advise them on subject choices. There has always been a need to know the entry requirements of both the universities and the faculties at which pupils might want to study.
It’s important to understand that this change does not mean that any three electives will be acceptable for entrance into a course of study at a university, as each university and each faculty within an institution may set its own entrance criteria.
These criteria often specify a set level of achievement in specified subjects.
Does this mean standards have dropped?
No, is the short answer. It will not mean a pass for anyone who would have failed the NSC. The relaxation that increases the number of subjects in which a 50% pass will contribute to meeting the minimum admissions requirements for entry into degree studies will lead to an increase in the number and percentage of NSC candidates qualifying for admission to degree studies (and a corresponding drop in the number who qualify for admission to diploma studies).
The change has no impact on the standards which are being assessed in each subject. The actual examination papers, which embody the standards of the qualification and the specific subjects, still go through the stringent processes of moderation to ensure that they are of the standard required to assess competence expected of pupils who have completed 12 years of study at school and a minimum of three years of study in a specific subject in the FET phase.
The standard of the NSC has not been modified in any way.
Impact on the current Grade 12 cohort
The change follows long-standing criticism of the “designated subject list”. The key criticism was that it excluded subjects that should probably have been included in the list and skewed subject selection by pupils.
It is likely that there will be a greater number of pupils who qualify for entry to degree study. But it is crucial that all pupils realise that meeting the statutory minimum for entry to study a degree does not mean they will be admitted automatically into an institution, or into their chosen course of study.
The pressure on institutions to accept first-year students is enormous and it is reasonable to expect that admission will still be reserved for the higher NSC achievers.
It is also important to remember that each university and possibly each faculty within the university have set minimum requirements for entry to study in that institution or in that faculty.
In most instances, the requirements are more stringent than the minimum requirements for a NSC pass with entry to degree study.
The more testing courses, such as medicine, engineering and actuarial sciences, have stringent entrance requirements and achievement of the minimum requirements will never open the doors to these areas of study.
This does not mean that there are no other options. In fact, in many cases, following the university pathway is actually not in the best interests of the pupil.
It is crucial that schools and parents provide sound career guidance and appropriate opportunities for Grade 12 pupils to explore alternate pathways.
Impact on the current Grade 9 cohort
The removal of the designated list of subjects opens up the curriculum and accommodates a far broader range of subject offerings to pupils.
While all subjects in the NSC were considered by universities in the admission points scores, the designated subject list to a large extent dictated pupils’ subject choices for Grade 10.
A number of worthwhile subjects were ignored in favour of offering an additional designated subject.
At the Independent Examinations Board, we were often told by schools that they were dropping computer applications technology or design in favour of a designated subject.
Both computer applications technology and design are very useful subjects and the fact that they are no longer sidelined by not appearing on a designated list is a welcome improvement in the system.
By the same token, the fact that there is no longer a list of designated subjects means that pupils run the risk of selecting a package of subjects that lacks direction or purpose and does not provide the pupil with the subjects and disciplines needed to develop the kind of thinking and information processing strategies they need to thrive in an academic or other learning environment.
The importance of career guidance in choosing subjects in Grade 9 is even more critical now than it has been in the past.
While the NSC is by now a well-established qualification, SA institutions of post-school learning have been severely challenged by a changing society.