Some universities have expressed concern about the loss of teaching time in the recent public servants’ strike in which teachers participated. They believe that if a catch-up plan is not implemented effectively, it might affect this year’s matric pass rate.
There is concern that weaker matric learners who are borderline university candidates might fail the exam, resulting in a low university intake; or, if the results are ‘tweaked”, would-be failures might get into universities and will not cope and might drop out or fail.
A senior official of a Gauteng university, who declined to be named, said: ‘There is a potential risk on the number of people who qualify to go to university. The average matric learner finishes classes at the end of September. What does this mean for the learner who has had three weeks of disruptions and how are teachers going to be forced to make up for the loss of time?”
He questioned how many parents were available to oversee their matric learner children during the strike and asked why education was not viewed as an essential service — so that teachers would not be allowed to go on strike. ‘The education department could massage the matric results” resulting in weak learners slipping into the system and not being able to cope. ‘Universities won’t cope. A lower intake of students affects government subsidies. A poor cohort of students affects throughput [pass] rates,” reducing a university’s government subsidy allocation.
Dr Sanette Boshoff, head of academic planning at the University of Pretoria, said: ‘The university is concerned about this year’s [matric] results. However, the university is aware of the strategies that are being put in place by the national and provincial departments of education — the two-pillar National Recovery Plan for Education — to counter the damage done by the strike. And also that schools will be required to ensure that mid-year exams are completed as soon as possible or rescheduled for the beginning of the third term.”
Regarding matriculants’ admission into university in 2008, Boshoff said ‘conditional admission is based on the results obtained in the final grade 11 examination. Final admission is based on final grade 12 results.”
Professor Martin West, vice-principal of the University of Cape Town, said applying to UCT did not depend on an applicant’s June results. ‘Earlier results may result in early offers, but admission is always subject to the final matric result at the end of the year. Our applications for various programmes do not close until October 31 for South African applicants and September 30 for international applicants.”
West said the effect of the strike on learners was ‘a concern for us, but we are hopeful that schools will make concerted efforts towards catching up”.
Dr Derek Swemmer, registrar of the University of the Witwatersrand, said there were matric learners who could not submit their June or grade 11 results with their applications because of the strike. ‘They were told that the university makes a judgement on final results. Such learners were told to submit their applications as soon as possible and their marks later. The university will in no way prejudice these learners.”
Meanwhile, the education deparment said: ‘Pupils have to date lost a maximum of 15 days of learning, out of a total of 200, and we remain convinced that intensive use of the remaining schooldays, as well as of holidays and weekends for self-study, will ensure success for learners.”
The department said it encouraged and supported winter schools, Saturday classes and any other catch-up programme offered by NGOs, schools or teachers.
Penny Vinjevold, deputy director- general of further education and training, told Higher Learning the department is concerned about grades 10 to 12 but is ‘heartened that winter school started immediately after the June exams”. She said last year’s matric exam results had created a sense of urgency around work on this year’s matric cohort and the strike had disrupted the momentum.
The department has cancelled extramural activities at schools and is urging ‘learners to put their heads down and work”.
Vinjevold said the department is not pessimistic about the effect the strike could have on the matric exam results and that about 630 000 learners have enrolled to write the exam. ‘This is the highest ever and 70 000 more than last year.”