Reference: Published by The Conversation, 27 January 2024
South Africa’s matric (grade 12) class of 2023, which took final school-leaving examinations late last year, has been praised by the country’s basic education minister for producing “extraordinary” results. Of the 691,160 applicants that took the National Senior Certificate exams, 82.9%, or 572,983, passed, up from 80.1% in the class of 2022. And more candidates than ever before achieved the necessary marks to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
All nine provinces improved their 2022 pass rates. This is despite the impact of the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when this class was in grades 9 and 10, respectively. The findings also show a consistent increase in the total national pass rate, which rose from 60% in 2009 and has remained above 80% for the past two years.
As this overview clearly shows, the dissemination of the findings was heavily centered on the numbers. As a former teacher, school principal, education circuit manager, academic expert in curriculum studies, and current vice-dean of teaching and learning at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, I would strongly advise against this method. South Africans should not mistake quantity and quality.
The fanfare and bustle surrounding the findings risk masking the overall picture, which is that the actual pass rate, when dropouts are factored in, is significantly lower and has been for several years. This speaks to major issues in the school system.
‘Real’ numbers
This year, as in previous years, politicians and education experts have engaged in heated dispute over the quality of the results.
Some analysts publicly claim that the government prioritizes quantity over quality. For example, a matric class in a township (underdeveloped, primarily urban regions populated by Black South Africans) will have an 80% pass rate. However, only a small percentage of those matriculants qualify to attend university.
The crux of the issue revolves around what some refer to as the “real” pass rate, which is calculated as the number of matriculants who passed divided by the number who began school together 12 years ago.
In 2012, 1,208,973 students began the first year of school, grade one. In 2023, only 928,050 were in grade 11, with 740,566 enrolling in grade 12 (matric). As a result, 468,407 students (almost 40%) disappeared into the system. Given this attrition, some researchers and politicians believe the actual pass percentage is just over 55%.
The issue of “real pass rates” is also reflected in the unhealthy competition between provinces. There are nine provinces in South Africa. Eight are administered by the African National Congress (ANC), which also has national authority. The Democratic Alliance (DA) governs just one province, the Western Cape. Each year, when the results are revealed, there is a competition to see whose province’s matrics performed the best.
The Free State province has had the highest pass rate for the past five years. However, it has the highest dropout rate of any of the nine provinces, prompting charges from the DA and other experts that officials keep back underperforming students in order to boost the matric pass percentage. Some of these students will eventually progress to grade 12, while others may drop out entirely. For example, over half of Free State students in grade 10 in 2021 did not advance to matric in 2023.
In contrast, the Western Cape only finished fifth best but has a relatively high throughput rate.
Educationists strongly believe, and I entirely agree, that a province’s “pass rate” should be disclosed alongside its “dropout rate” to provide a clear picture of the issue.
What’s gone wrong
The excitement over the results overlooks the numerous problems that the majority of students confront on a daily basis.
Overcrowding is a major issue, particularly at the primary school level. The average grade 6 class size in Limpopo is 61, 59 in Mpumalanga, and 54 in KwaZulu-Natal. This pales in comparison to certain neighboring countries, including Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Effective education, particularly in basic abilities like reading and writing, is impossible due to the lack of personalized attention.
When you combine that with the fact that many schools lack libraries, it’s easy to see why only one out of every five fourth-grade students, aged 9 or 10, can read with understanding.
A second issue is that most South African schools lack the physical resources required to establish an environment conducive to learning. One example is the absence of libraries. Another issue is that many poor-community schools lack science or computer labs. However, students are highly encouraged to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) topics because they are thought to provide young people with the best employment opportunities.
A glimmer of hope
However, all hope is not lost. There are obviously reasons to rejoice, including the accomplishments of top performers. Hardworking teachers deserve recognition for the work they undertake, which is often overlooked, especially in underserved rural communities.
One particularly wonderful narrative is that of the Khayelitsha Centre of Science and Technology. This school, located in one of the Western Cape’s poorest residential areas, has a 99% pass rate for 2023 and 107 distinctions (a mark of 80% or higher), including ten in mathematics.
After carefully reviewing the results, I am happy to note how many distinctions emerge from schools in underprivileged communities that charge no or extremely cheap fees. It is also encouraging to learn that students growing up in poverty are increasingly contributing to the pool of brilliance.
These examples demonstrate the need of excellent governance in schools, which fosters learning even in the absence of resources.