Matric results: bar has been raised, let’s keep it going

EXCITEMENT and, in some cases, tears will flow among parents and pupils as the class of 2020 gets under way tomorrow.

It is an exciting times for Grade 1s donning their big-school uniforms for the first time. The other eager beavers raring to discover a whole new world are Grade 8s, who start high school.

During this time, it is imperative that parents and teachers do not get so caught up in the euphoria that they forget the significance of the start of a new academic year.

The coming few weeks are an excellent opportunity for parents, the Department of Education and teachers to reflect on their roles.

We are coming up against the backdrop of a record 2019 matric pass rate that reached an all-time high of 81.3%, breaking the 80% barrier. The pass rate for the Class of 2019 was a 3.1 percentage point increase from the 78.2% achieved by the Class of 2018.

All eight provinces improved their results and no education district performed below 60%.

Education Minister Angie Motshekga said 409 906 candidates passed the 2019 NSC examinations, meaning four out of every five pupils who sat for the exams passed. The number of candidates qualifying for admission to Bachelor studies stood at 186 058 – an improvement of 8% from 2018.

The bar has been set high for the Class of 2020 and it is incumbent on all stakeholders to ensure the obstacles that threaten to pull down the upward trajectory are removed early.

We are excited that Gauteng has taken the initiative to fight for better results. Premier David Makhura has set his sights on improving the 87.2% pass rate to 90%.

He announced a primary school evaluation that would identify the worst of the lot, and interventions to ensure the grounding stage of future matrics is sound. The premier has also focused on township schools, telling principals, teachers, parents and pupils that the department would be improving the quality of foundation phase education in particular.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said they would be looking at modernising primary schools, especially those in townships.

The plan ticks all the boxes and it must start with empowering teachers by giving them the resources to perform to the best of their abilities.

With this type of resolve, the 90% benchmark will be achieved.