Celebrating another lost year in education
There was plenty of self-congratulation when the department of basic education presented South Africa’s 2011 matriculation results earlier this year. In a less-than-polished presentation minister Angie Motshekga revealed that 70.2% of candidates had passe
Soon seven in every 10 of South African pupils (or learners if you prefer the politically correct label) were celebrating their apparent success. Should they be partying? And should government be blowing its proverbial trumpet? A brave Fin24.com reader reckons that rather than celebrating mediocrity government should realise it has some work to do before it can claim that the current education policy is bearing fruit. We find a thread of conscience in the minister’s comment on the result too: “I am really encouraged, but I can't say that I am absolutely happy. There are still lots of areas where we have concerns.” One of these concerns is the obvious disconnect between the country’s education budget and performance. Despite boasting one of the largest per capita budgets of any of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, we produce among the poorest results.
A closer look at the numbers
Another concern is with the thousands of children who “disappear” from the schooling system as evidenced by the discrepancy between Grade I and Grade 12 enrolments. The Solidarity Research Institute’s South African Transformation Monitor notes that only 38% (552 073) of the 1.44 million pupils registered for Grade 1 in 1998 sat the National Senior Certificate (NSS) in 2009. This statistic fairly reflects the 2000 intake versus 2011 matriculation result.
The department reports that some 496 090 full-time pupils sat the 2011 NSS, down 41 443 on the previous year. Of the 348 117 candidates who passed only 84 592 achieved university exemption. Imagine the chaos at the country’s tertiary institution if this number were higher! How did the provinces fare? The top positions in the provincial rankings are occupied by the Western Cape (82.9% pass rate), Gauteng (81.1%) and North West (77.8%). On the other end of the scale the Eastern Cape emerged as the worst performing region, with a mere 58.1% pass. Difficulties in the province’s education department are well documented and national government was forced to intervene in March last year.
For a tougher measure of the country’s education achievements we should consider performances in the important fields of mathematics and science. Of the 180 585 pupils who sat the mathematics exam only 46.3 percent achieved the minimum 30 percent pass mark (or higher). The science performance was poor too. Only 53.4% of pupils in this subject achieved 30% or better. Of greater concern was the decline in the number of pupils who sat the mathematics exam, down from 220 882 pupils in 2009 to just 180 585 today. It appears that the successes our education department is celebrating are due to a combination of lower pass requirements, “free” marks being awarded to certain categories of pupil and a migration from subjects perceived as more difficult.
The trouble with engineered results
We are celebrating an engineered result… Yet the minister, her department and government seem unconcerned with the quality of education meted out. And why would they be? The measure of their performance is the 70.2% and the easiest way to lift this number has been to fiddle with standards and inflate test scores post-exam. The public can see through this ruse. A Fin24.com reader opines: “The government’s approach is to lower the standards and quality of education in order to boost a performance measure so that it seems as if things are improving.”
Every system has its shortcomings. A major problem with our system is that the department of basic education – which is judged annually on the matriculation outcome – has a hand in determining this outcome. They mark the student’s exams and polish the results before presenting them as a measure of the department’s performance. The danger in lowering the matriculation pass mark, whether by reducing the percentage required or inflating the students test result, is that the student has an inflated view of his/her abilities. Apart from sacrificing quality for quantity the current system is responsible for a generation of young citizens who believe they are educated when they are anything but! What can be worse than issuing a matriculation certificate to an illiterate?
We have created a system where only 23.4% of matriculation candidates achieve university exemption despite the system leaning over backwards to accommodate them. Even worse – the youngsters who achieve this exemption are more often than not ill prepared for the education demands of a first year university course.
Business throws in the towel
Against this backdrop we shouldn’t be surprised that business is disillusioned. “The National Senior Certificate pass rate and the quality of education provided at public schools is a key determinant of South Africa’s ability to grow its economy,” said Neren Rau, CEO of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “Although the improvement in the pass rate is welcomed, it is questionable whether it is sufficient to support a strong economic growth rate trajectory.” He said there was growing concern (in business) about the ability of public education to create employable school leavers. A matriculation certificate is no guarantee of a job – and the class of 2011 will find precious few employment opportunities.
Editor’s thoughts: Although the department of education’s narrow focus on improving the pass rate is commendable the consequences are dire. It makes no sense to churn out thousands of high school graduates by simply lowering or removing academic standards. What can we do to stop the continuing slide in education standards at our schools? Please add your comment below, or send it to [email protected]
