Reference: Published by SABC, 11 April 2024

https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/grade-9-certificate-little-value-job

In a recent statement, education specialist Stephanie Allais criticized the Department of Basic Education’s new initiative to pilot a general education certificate at the end of Grade 9. According to Allais, this certification is unlikely to enhance employment prospects for graduates.

The Department of Basic Education has promoted this certificate as a potential milestone in students’ academic journeys, but experts like Allais are expressing concerns. They fear that the introduction of this certificate may lead to a decline in academic standards. Allais is particularly skeptical about the certificate’s value in the job market.

“It’s an incredibly costly enterprise and I don’t see any value that it would add,” Allais commented. She highlighted the harsh realities of the job market, where even those with higher qualifications, such as matriculation certificates, are finding it difficult to secure employment. “There’s no reason to believe that people would get a job with a Grade 9 certificate because the labour market is really not absorbing people at that level.”

Allais firmly believes that the introduction of the Grade 9 certificate will not address the underlying issues in the education system or the job market. “The certificate itself isn’t going to solve anything,” she concluded, casting doubt on the effectiveness of this educational reform in its proposed form.