- The ANC study group on basic education is “euphoric” with the enrollment results, and “appreciates” the improvement in the pass rate.
- He praised Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga, her deputy, the MECs and the department, which wants to “maintain this positive trajectory”.
- Less impressed was the district attorney, who handed Motshekga a report card, saying there is “room for improvement.”
While the ANC’s think tank on basic education praised Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga for the recent matrix results, the DA handed her a “report card”, saying there is “room for improvement”.
The ANC study group, the party’s deputies who are part of the Basic Education Portfolio Committee, said in a statement that it is “elated by the significant improvement in the performance of the enrolled class of 2022 across all provinces.”
“The enrolling class of 2022 is a historic cohort because the coronavirus pandemic significantly affected their progression in grades 10 and 11. They were also impacted by recent disruptions caused by load reduction. This cohort has demonstrated resilience and the young people’s commitment to learning.
“His performance is a testament to the tremendous work of the Department of Basic Education in ensuring the recovery of the curriculum and continued learning in difficult conditions,” read the statement from Nombuyiselo Adoons, the ANC whip on the committee.
“We commend the work of Minister Angie Motshekga, Deputy Minister Dr Reginah Mhaule, MECs in all nine provinces and department staff for their efforts and commitment to strengthening our education system.”
The study group said they “appreciate” the improvement in the 2022 National Higher Certificate (NSC) pass rate of 80.1% from 76.4% in 2021.
READ | Matrix Results: Class of 2022 in Numbers
“The department must continue this positive trajectory. We are delighted that the percentage of graduate passes for students from ‘free’ schools has increased by 13.4% since 2021. This is a qualitative improvement that signifies progress in improving the conditions of the poor through education,” it said.
“We welcome the overall increase in performance across all provinces, particularly the significant increases in KwaZulu-Natal by 6.2%, Limpopo by 5.3% and the Eastern Cape by 4.2%. We also applaud to the Free State for consistently being the best-performing province for consecutive years.”
Less impressed was the DA spokesman on basic education, Baxolile Nodada, who is also on the committee.
In a statement of his own, he said it is “fair” that Motshekga’s efforts are also being evaluated.
READ | Matrix results: ‘outstanding’ performance as IEB matrices achieve 98.42% pass rate
For “base phase results,” he gave it a D, saying: “Due to continued Covid-19 lockdowns and disruptions to education, students are up to two years behind in literacy and numeracy skills.” “.
For “teacher development”, he gave Motshekga an F.
According to Nodada, in 2022 there were 1,575 unqualified and underqualified teachers teaching in classrooms.
“A SACMEQ [Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality] A study measuring teachers’ knowledge revealed that South Africa does not measure up to its African counterparts. South African teachers struggled to pass tests in the subjects they teach with sixth grade teachers achieving results of less than 50%: 41% in mathematics, 37% in reading,” she said.
He added that the Auditor General found that the South African Council of Educators “struggled to produce credible performance reports.”
READ | Enrollment pass rate of 80.1%, but 400,000 students lost in the school system
Nodada gave Motshekga another F for “dropouts,” a perennial concern for the DA.
“Dropout remains a major problem. The actual 2022 matriculation pass rate was only 54.6%, with a dropout rate of 31.8%,” he said.
Motshekga got another F for “school safety.”
“The second quarter crime statistic for 2022/23 revealed 83 rapes and 19 murders committed in elementary, middle and high schools, day care centers, special schools and tertiary institutions,” Nodada said. “258 cases of assault/serious bodily injury and 22 cases of attempted murder occurred in educational facilities.”
Motshekga’s grades, awarded by Nodada, were improved by “native language education”, for which he awarded it a C.
“Despite numerous local and international studies showing the benefit of mother tongue education, it remains a contentious issue with comparatively few schools having only one middle school, especially in indigenous languages,” he said.
“Progress has been made towards expanding mother tongue education with IsiXhosa and Sesotho as the language of instruction beyond the initial phase in the Eastern Cape.”
For “quality of education”, Nodada gave Motshekga a D.
“Minister Motshekga has ample room for improvement. Although her department has a number of valuable initiatives, they will not succeed without a concerted focus and effort to address and resolve the many serious concerns plaguing the South African education system,” Nodada said.
