Matric results tell a story of inequality in our schools that must be addressed
06 January 2015
An analysis of the 2014 matric results released yesterday evening tells the story of an unequal education system under extreme pressure, with the poorer provinces and schools performing worse than the more affluent.
Minister Motshekga must admit that two education systems exist in South Africa - one for the poor, and one for the rest, and she must take full responsibility for this problem.
The matric pass rate alone does not tell the full story of the quality of education our learners are receiving.
A more accurate picture of the state of the education emerges when you consider that:
The retention rate (or percentage of learners who remained in the system from the beginning of Grade 10 to the end of Grade 12) was 50.0% nationally, with a low of 38.7% provincially in the North West. This means that 532 469 pupils nationally either did not make it to matric or dropped out of the system entirely.
78.5% of learners in "quintile five" (more affluent) achieved an average of more than 80% yet only 31.8% of learners in the poorer "quintile one" achieved this.
12.5% of learners in "quintile one" did not achieve an average above 40% yet only 1.5% of those in "quintile five" schools fall into this category.
Almost a quarter, or 23%, of the total bachelor passes were produced by schools considered most affluent, while only one in ten, or 11%, of the total bachelor passes were produced by schools in the poorest quintile.
The "real pass rate" measured as the percentage of learners who started Grade 10 in 2012, and who achieved their National Senior Certificate in 2014, was just 37.9% nationally.
It is possible to achieve greater equality in our schooling system through sustained interventions that improve the quality of education in poorer schools. Every South African learner deserves the opportunity to get a good education that will enable them to get a job one day and live a successful life.
The DA has proven this where we govern by being the only province where all education districts, regardless of differences in income levels, achieved a pass rate of over 80%.
The number of learners from poorer schools in the Western Cape who pass matric has also increased by 25%. A good example of this is Khayelitsha, where the number of candidates passing matric has gone up by 1000 learners per year since we came into office.
The overall effect that a focus on quality education, rather than narrowly on pass rate numbers alone, is evident in this year's results.
On three important indicators of quality, the Western Cape was rated highest in SA - retention rate (65.2%), bachelor's degree passes (38.8%) and the critical subject of mathematics (73.9% pass rate).
To address the systemic crisis in our public education system Minister Motshekga is faced with some crucial interventions she must make.
1. The competence of teachers, generally, is widely accepted as sorely lacking. The Minister has little option but to require competency tests for entry to the profession, and on a regular basis to ensure that knowledge keeps pace with curriculum developments. We strongly suggest that all matric teachers write the exam papers their 2014 learners had to write. All teachers of Grades 1 to 6, and of Grade 9, should be required to write the annual national assessments to measure literacy and numeracy levels. The results of the tests will provide the Minister with a very clear picture of training needs;
2. Formal education starts in Grade 1. The first three years of schooling are critical. But research has shown that, by the end of Grade 3, our children have fallen behind the numeracy and literacy levels expected of them. This learning deficit must be addressed in the first three years. The Minister cannot fix foundational problems in the last three years of school;
3. Every aspect of education, and every person involved in education must have excellence as a goal. Mediocrity cannot suffice.
The largest teachers' union, SADTU, has become the vanguard of mediocrity. It is poorer schools that suffer the most from the destructive influence of this union. The Minister has not challenged the union in her demand for excellence. She simply has no choice any longer.
Only once the Department of Basic Education starts demonstrating a real commitment to addressing inequality in our schools will South Africa finally see an improvement on the most crucial indicators of quality education. As concerned South Africans we must hold them to it.
Statement issued by Annette Lovemore MP, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, December 6 2014
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
