KZN 2022 matric results: ‘Biggest improvement’ title is misleading the people of our province

20 January 2023

The DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) welcomes the release of the 2022 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results in the province and congratulates both learners and teachers on their efforts.

The DA also acknowledges the trying times that this group of learners have had to face. As the Grade 10 class of 2020 they lost a significant amount of learning time due to the unprecedented Covid-19 hard lockdown and its initial effect on teaching.

Add to this the KZN floods, chronic load shedding, inconsistent water supply at many schools and the failure of the Learner Transport Programme (LTP) and it is easy to see how some 2022 matric learners did not make it. The DA urges these learners to consider the options of rewriting supplementary exams in a few months’ time or even enrolling for matric again. Above all, they must not give up hope.

According to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, KZN’s 2022 matrics achieved an 83% pass rate and was the province with the biggest improvement with an increase of 6.2%.

The DA would like nothing more than for this to be the case. Regrettably, we do not believe that this is a true pass mark.

We firmly believe that the real matric pass mark can only be achieved by looking at the entire cohort of 2022 matriculants – those who started school in Grade 1, twelve years ago – or at the intake for the Grade 10 class of 2020. Leading academics have long supported this method of calculating the numbers.

Last year, the DA’s calculations revealed that the 2021 matric pass rate in KZN was only 54.7%, rather than the 76.8% announced.

We will, in the coming days, calculate the 2022 KZN matric true pass rate and make this figure public. This figure will take into account the entire cohort and will demonstrate a more accurate figure and reflection of the performance of this group of learners. This is also the figure that KZN Education MEC, Mbali Fraser and her Department must acknowledge in order to deal with the issues that persist.

KZN’s 2022 matric pass rate improvement also cannot be claimed by the MEC. While her predecessor, Kwazi Mshengu tried to turn this Department around, under the so-called Taliban ANC in KZN the DoE has now become an excuse for cadre deployment rather than merit-based appointments.

In order to create real improvement in terms of the matric pass rate, the DA’s triad of good education must apply. This includes;
- Proper leadership within schools, KZN’s Education Department and an accountable political leadership
- Proper infrastructure within schools and;
- Proper parental involvement within schools.
If any one of these elements is missing there can be no proper classroom environment in place.

Sadly, our province and our country’s education system continues to be systematically destroyed by this ANC-run government while the many promises it makes will come to nothing without funding. This means ensuring that money stays in the state coffers and not in the pockets of the politically connected.

The DA will form part of provincial Legislature oversight inspections next week to ensure the functionality of KZN’s schools as the academic year begins. We will report back on our findings to the people of our province.

We remain committed to holding MEC Fraser and her Department to account. KZN’s learners must receive a quality education.

Issued by Imran Keeka, DA KZN Spokesperson on Education, 19 January 2023