The premier of Mpumalanga province, David Mabuza, has announced a range of interventions to stop the rot within the provincial education department’s examinations unit.
Delivering his state of the province speech this month in Nelspruit, Mabuza said his government has earmarked education as an instrument through which it could enhance the skills and human resource base within Mpumalanga.
Over the last 10 years the province’s education department has been notorious for matric examination paper leaks which have cast a shadow over the overall credibility of the entire examinations.
In 2008, 9000 learners did not receive their results timeously as the province failed to submit their results to the national department due to missing information. However, a document in the possession of the Teacher reveals about 15 problems encountered by the province including the wrong calculations of marks.
In 2004 the results were withheld due to irregularities, while in 1998, when Mabuza was an MEC of education , the province was in the news after it was discovered the matric results were inflated by 20%.
The 2009 exams saw investigations into leaks in maths, science and accounting exams papers and learners there faced a threat of receiving their results late, until a last minute clearance by exams watchdog body, Umalusi. The province’s grade 12 pass rate was 47.%.
Mabuza has now conceded in his speech that the provincial department of education has difficulty in administering matric examinations. “Our name and the integrity our examinations were compromised by some unscrupulous elements responsible for the management of grade 12 examinations.”
He said his government will establish a new examination centre and, in collaboration with the ministry of basic education, will reconstitute the examination unit ensuring that all officials appointed are vetted before assumption of duty.
Some of the interventions include:
– Improving overall learner outcomes in key learning areas to 60% at exit grades, namely, grades three, six and nine.
– Doubling the number of candidates attaining university entrance requirements from 6 552 to 13 112 by 2014.
– Improving performance in numeracy, literacy, mathematics and science.
– Improving school governance and teacher development programmes.
– Addressing infrastructure backlogs and ensuring that a culture of discipline and learning is instilled in all schools.
– Eradicating schools housed in mud and shack structures, including farm schools.
– Getting all principals to participate in capacity building programmes, focusing mainly on managerial skills.
– Introduction of Saturday and Winter school classes for matric learners from schools that have obtained a pass rate below 50%.
– Ensuring that scholar transport and nutrition programmes are run by schools with governing bodies.