Six years after apartheid was officially laid to rest – at least in the statute books – the country’s class of 2000 matriculants have finally showed some signs of progress. Boasting a pass rate that had gone up by 9%, Minister of Education Kader Asmal was pleased at the 57,9%, success rate compared to 48,9% in 1999. All nine provinces registered an improvement, ranging from 1,8% in the Western Cape (78,8 to 80,6%) and 13,9% in the Northern Province (37,5 to 51,4%).
There was also a 1,5% rise in the number of candidates achieving university exemptions. Asmal said the improved performance was partly due to an initiative launched by the Department of Education earlier this year to target under-performing schools. As part of the strategy, the department identified schools with pass rates between 0 and 20%. These schools were visited frequently by education authorities to give impetus to Asmal’s plan: “These efforts have paid off: the number of schools with a pass rate between 0 to 20 % has decreased from 940 in 1999 to 499 in 2000.”
However 206 000 pupils failed the examinations outright. A concerned National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa executive director, Henry Hendricks, said the failures would be unable to enter the labour market or study further. “This has serious implications for the students and their families but also has serious financial implication for the country,” he said.
Hendricks praised the strategy of targeting under-performing schools and said certain subjects have proved to be most successful, resulting in substantial improvements: “Learners are selecting more-appropriate subjects and at the correct levels, which will allow them to continue their studies at higher education institutions.”
Hendricks said his organisation congratulated pupils, parents, teachers and education officials for the hard work which brought the improvements in results, but that there was room for improvement. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union welcomed the 9% increase but expressed concern that the results continued to reflect the legacy of apartheid and unequal distribution of resources.
Director-general of education Thami Mseleku likened the results of the Senior Certificate exam to an election – free and fair – and said integrity had been maintained. While Asmal and his colleagues will no doubt enjoy credit for the success of the 2000 matriculants, one man sitting outside the country must also be chuffed. Professor Sibusiso Bengu deserves a pat on the back too; after all it was his stewardship of education in South Africa through most arduous times that laid the foundation for success.
— The Teacher/Mail & Guardian, January, 2001.