Statement by Marius Fransman the provincial chairperson of the ANC, on a decrease in matric pass rate at schools in the Western Cape.

The provincial ANC is extremely concerned about the drop in the matric pass rate in the Western Cape and in particularly in poor schools. "It is extremely concerning that pass rate has particularly dropped at schools in Manenberg and Leiden High school in Delft. In 2012, 132 learners passed matric with only 100 passing in 2013. Another case in point is that only 46 learners passed in 2013,  taking into account that 53 matriculants passed the previous year.

"This shows that something is wrong. The Western Cape government must accept the fact that a policy of privatizing the public sector education will have disastrous consequences for our future. We are willing to engage the provincial education department to find solutions to stop this downward spiral in a province which historically benefitted from apartheid infrastructure. Ensure that proper infrastructure, equipment, learning support measures and material is in place at these schools, which all learners will benefit from.

"The provincial education department must also understand that there is a direct link between the learner's performance at school and his or her socio-economic conditions at home, which should be addressed. And reflect on the fact the Western Cape has the highest drop-out rate in the country," Fransman said.  

Statement issued by ANC Western Cape leader Marius Fransman, January 8 2014

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