EFF STATEMENT ON MATRIC RESULTS FOR THE CALSS OF 2015
05 January 2016
The EFF congratulates all the learners that have achieved their National Senior Certificate this year. In particular top achievers like John Sibanda, Dimpho Phalane and Mangaliso Dobe, Enerst Molelle, Kukhokuhle Tsengwa and Hamandishe Mathivha, Carel Coetzee, Simone Heenop, Tala Ross, William May, Andrew Tucker. In addition we congratulate best achievers among those students who learn with special abilities like Selby Rihlapfu, Ntsusheko Maluleko, Noziphiwo Mdingi.
In a country that is increasingly anti-women, in particular for the girl child, we commend the fact that the girl child continues to achieve more than the boy child. Girls have generally passed more and (243 108 girls, as opposed to 212 717 boys), got more distinctions than boys (90 227 girls as opposed to 76 236 boys). This demonstrates resilience and best of character in the girl child which must be nourished to the end. We pass gratitudes to all the parents and teachers who have made this possible; many under difficult conditions in poor townships and rural areas.
The EFF, however expresses deep regret at the falling pass rate which the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, confirmed in spite of the fact that the class of 2015 was the largest in South African history of basic education. The Minister reported that the overall pass rate has decreased by 5%, and despite the 9% of the progressed learners, it was still going to degrees by more than 1%.
What the minister does not tell the nation is that in reality her pass rate is actually 43.7%, if we take into consideration that in 2004 there were 1 303 016 learners who registered for grade 1. Yet, only 801 688 of them sat for matric exams. It means more than 500 000 learners are lost and cannot be accounted for. This is much so this year than any other taken into consideration the policy of progressing the failing learners to sit for the NSC exam. This is a whole generation of people the country has condemned to precariousness.
These statistics make the chest-beating self-congratulatory attitude of the Minister false and misleading. The EFF will never celebrate that the total number of leaners who sat for exams, 65 671 were progressed leaners. This is not an achievement at all, because an efficient system that takes care of leaners should in any way not only take care of those who are progressed, but also the more than 500 000 that got lost from the system. The Minister even finds the audacity to blame the large part of the drop in total pass rate (5%) from last year on them, with KZN standing at 9% drop rate.
The calculation of matric outcomes and pass rate should always tell the full story which must start from grade 1 of enrolment to grade 12. Not doing so gives a false picture of our performance as a country.
The programme giving failed learners a second chance that the minister has announced still does not address the reality that more than 500 000 of this generation is unaccounted for, and until that is so, the department of Basic Education remains a negligent Department.
The EFF would like to encourage all those who have failed their National Senior Certificate to know that it is not the end of the world. We call on parents, teachers and society at large to support these learners and make sure we do not loose them to precariousness and wretchedness as the rest of more than 500 000 who started with them in Grade 1.
The EFF is of the view that the Department of Basic Education should bring to finality the issue of curriculum, to avoid the chopping and changing of curriculum like it has been the case in the past 10 years. Curriculum should be certain and consistent and only adjust to changing times, not in a disruptive and unplanned way that defined the last 10 years.
The agreed upon curriculum should also be accompanied by constant re-skilling of educators and measured, but decisive introduction of technology as an important instrument for education. No learner should leave Matric without the requisite basic technological skills and capacity.
The EFF also calls for the Department of Higher Education to ensure that all learners who wrote Matric, passed or failed, should be integrated and absorbed into some for of post secondary education and training in order to give them skills, education and expertise. We make this call because the TVET colleges should be able to absorb students who could not pass Matric for some form of vocational and technical training. We also make this call because we believe that no learner should be disallowed to access higher education due to lack of registration fees.
All learners that wrote Matric should be absorbed into post secondary training and education system, because during the course of 2015 Parliamentary questions, the department of higher education and RSA Deputy President kept on making commitments that the post secondary and education system, in particular TVET colleges have adequate capacity to absorb all students that exit secondary education system. #AllFeesMustFall
Statement issued by the Economic Freedom Fighters, 5 January 2016
