Suffer the children

IN 2014, the Eastern Cape recorded a provincial matric pass rate of 65.4%, up from 64.9% in 2013. While it was one of the few provinces which showed an improvement in results, it remained the worst performing province.

This week, two education stories caught the eye – the one being a call by education MEC Mandla Makupula on principals to ‘resuscitate teaching and learning at schools.’

This followed on the same day that the department indicated that a total of 13 200 pupils had been condoned to this year’s matric class – a practice heavily slammed by principals last year as a contributory factor to their declining pass rates.

The other education story which made headline news was Makupula’s admission that corruption, policy confusion and a lack of money had prevented the Eastern Cape government from providing transport to all pupils who need it.

Ironic was Makupula’s plea to the Grahamstown High Court that the department needed a chance to ‘get his house in order.’

Second chances are what life is all about, but the education department has had more than its fair share.

Condoning pupils is also about second chances, but realism needs to be applied. If a pupil fails a few times during his school career and remedial teaching (if available, which is another factor to be considered) has little impact, then government has to find alternative ways to help these children find their niche in education without putting undue pressure on teachers and principals to ensure that pupils who may not have the capacity, do pass.

As for not providing transport to children in dire need to get to school, this problem is not new. The Eastern Cape education department has a sad history of failing to deliver such transport, to the detriment of children desperately in need of a better future.

Telling schools to up their game for the 2015 matric exam is one thing, but maybe the department of education should be practising what it preaches.