ANC STATEMENT ON THE 2013 MATRIC RESULTS
The African National Congress welcomes the results of the National Senior Certificate announced by the Minister of Basic Education, Comrade Angie Motshekga, today. According to the results, the Class of 2013 has delivered a sterling performance attaining a 78,2% overall national pass mark, a 5% improvement on 2012. These results reflect an increase not only in the number of schools passing but also in the quality of passes. We are particularly pleased by the improvement in the outcomes in the key gateway subjects of Mathematics and Science.
The success of the Class of 2013 is an affirmation of the positive results yielded by our transformative and decisive interventions in education; a commitment we had made in the 1994 and reaffirmed in 2009 when the African National Congress declared Education as its apex priority. Consistently, as a result of our unwavering commitment to dynamic and quality education, we have made significant strides in transforming an unequal and separatist education system and built on the solid performance of the last four years.
We are particularly proud of and congratulate the Free State and North West Provinces which were ranked 1st and 2nd best performing provinces respectively. These provinces, which are largely rural and under-resourced, occupy pride of place in our national schooling system; a strong testament to the excellence that may be achieved through the commitment, determination and discipline of all stakeholders in the education accountability chain - parents, learners, educators and the community at large. We applaud them for being a beacon of hope for other provinces that may be struggling with ensuring quality education in the midst of prevailing challenges.
While indeed these results are a course for celebration, there is still much more work to be done. Our education system must ensure that no child gets left behind in our quest to develop a knowledgeable and skilled citizenry. Provinces which still continue to face challenges and have not done well must place additional effort in the coming years.
The Department of Basic Education should also maintain the momentum of previous years, ensuring adequate provision of the necessary infrastructure, learning materials and resources - human and otherwise - to ensure that our prime political mandate as encapsulated in our political programme of action, the Freedom Charter, to open the doors of learning and culture to all is achieved.
The African National Congress congratulates the Ministry and the Department of Basic Education, educators, parents, the Class of 2013 on these sterling results. The National Senior Certificate outcomes of 2013 go to show that nothing is impossible when united around a common goal i.e. making education a societal priority.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, January 6 2013
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
