While we are all proud of the class of 2024 with their record matric results, this does not mean we have a faultless education system.
Is this historically excellent pass rate achieved by the matric class of 2024 the result of excellent tuition in an improved education system or is it a matter of the class of 2024 being well coached? This is the question I ask myself.
I am on record that I predicted an 84% pass rate. After the announcement of the results, I was approached for numerous radio and television interviews. Repeatedly the first question was: are these results for real?
First the short answer: Yes, the results are legitimate. They were endorsed by Umalusi, and Prof Yunus Ballim and his council are highly respected. In Nguni the word Umalusi means “shepherd”, meaning that the body supervises the matric examination and ensures that all is above board. Parents and all those who still doubt: the pass rate of the 2024 matrics is a historical best. They gave the correct answers 87 times out of 100.
For the longer answer, I had to do an in-depth study of the results. I had to (wanted to) align them also with the Timms and Pirls studies. We dare not see the matric results as a separate entity. What happened in primary school determines the matric pass rate. A deeper look at the matric results shows a few aspects about which we should be concerned. But as you would expect from a high pass rate, the findings are mostly positive.
Covid-19
On their arrival in high school in 2020, this 2024 class was met by Covid-19, the worst pandemic that had ever hit this country. It made the initiation of the previous year’s Grade 8s look like a picnic.
Schools’ resources were exhausted by a smaller budget. Social problems such as gang violence and taxi strikes put further pressure on them. Despite these challenges, the pass rate is an increase of 4.4% on the 2023 figure.
No province had a worse result than 84%. In fact, all nine provinces improved on their previous results. Out of the 75 districts, 73 achieved a pass rate of more than 80%. Nearly half of the matrics qualified for Baccalaureus studies. This included more than 390,000 distinctions. It is a special milestone in our country’s education history, but with it comes new challenges – more about this later.
Gap shrinks between rich and poor
In the past, I was sceptical about the gap between rich and poor schools. A great plus point is thus that the gap between schools that do not charge school fees (85.8%) and schools that do charge school fees (90.3%) is shrinking.
Learners from quintile 1 to 3 schools who serve the poorest communities have made giant strides. About 67% of all matrics who received Baccalaureus passes come from these schools. This is an indication that the extra hours put in by teachers and officials have started bearing fruit.
Special schools
The results show that all children can be successful if granted the opportunity. For instance, there is an increase in the number of matrics who passed at special schools. In addition, 151 of the 161 matrics who wrote the exam in prisons passed.
More female than male learners wrote the matric exam. This is an indication that the emancipation of black women is gaining momentum: millions of young black girls no longer see themselves as maids and servants. They have their sights on higher goals.
Those who were concerned about the learners who were transferred in Grade 11 (due to matters beyond their control such as taxis striking on the day of the examinations) will be pleased to know that more than 29,000 or 54.7% of these matrics made use of this opportunity and passed. Another important point is that the matrics in 2024 were mostly 18 years old. This means that the majority had not failed more than once.
Throughput rate can improve
According to the department, our throughput rate is at 64% (my calculations show it is closer to 61.7%) and that compares well with the 60% of middle-income countries.
It is important to distinguish between the throughput rate and the pass rate. The throughput rate is the number of learners who entered the system compared with the number that left the system. Of the 1.2 million learners who started Grade 1 in 2013, 740,876 made it to matric. Of these, 615,429 passed the exam; in other words, just more than 51%.
Many critics consider this to be the actual pass rate. The pass rate is however the number of learners who passed a specific exam: 615,000 out of 740,000 indicates the pass rate is 87%.
Manipulation
Relating to the point above, Umalusi has expressed concern about the absentee rate of nearly 8%. This means that 69,309 matrics who registered for the exam never turned up. The Free State, which boasts the highest pass rate (91%), also has the poorest throughput rate (55.3%) compared with the Western Cape which has the highest throughput rate of 70%.
This has been the trend in South Africa for a number of years and causes concern about the possible manipulation of the pass rate. The true challenge for South African education is not to chase record pass rates, but an improvement of the throughput rate to give more learners the opportunity to complete matric. The government has admitted that more should be done to achieve this.
Another cause for concern is that many learners are encouraged to take the “easier” subjects to increase the pass rate at the expense of subjects which would give learners a better opportunity for further study or better job opportunities. The decrease in subjects such as business studies, accountancy and economics is cause for concern, given South Africa’s ideal to grow its economy.
The maths question
Another subject which has seen a decrease is mathematics, compared with the increase in the number of learners taking the “easier” mathematical literacy. We dare not ignore this risk. According to the 2021 Pirls study, 82% of all Grade 4 learners cannot read with comprehension; a prerequisite if you want to take mathematical literacy. Learners who have not mastered the basic skills of reading and mathematics will struggle at university.
We should all be concerned that 12,000 fewer matrics took mathematics. The importance of mathematics for further study and certain careers like medicine and engineering cannot be emphasised enough.
In this regard, the 2023 Timms results for mathematics and science, where South Africa came last among 64 countries, serve as an early warning. The Western Cape boasts the highest pass rate in mathematics (78%), and Limpopo has its priorities in place. It is encouraging that 44.1% of this rural province’s learners chose mathematics.
Technical skills
South Africa as a developing country needs more technical skills. Hospitals don’t just need doctors. Plumbers and bricklayers are also needed to build the hospital. The President’s plea that we should find ways to increase entries for technical subjects and mathematics could not have come at a better time.
Healthy system?
The class of 2024 received extraordinary learner support, and the impact is there for all to see. For that, the education department and teachers deserve our praise and gratitude. But the question remains: can we believe the director-general of the education department when he says that our education system has never been as healthy as it is now? I wish to disagree. In my view, this was a case of excellent coaching for the examination.
The results of half the class of 2024 (nearly 337,158) were supposed to give them access to Baccalaureus studies. But our 26 universities provide only 202,000 seats. While writing this, 300 students waited at the gates of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, CPUT.
Better alignment is required between the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education. The one does not know what the other is doing. More TVET colleges are needed so that more students can do a technical course after Grade 9. We also require more schools. But the budget has been depleted.
So, what can be worse than failing matric?
To work your tail off so that you pass against all expectations and to have a matric certificate giving you access to university – but nowhere is there a place for you. If we had a better education system, those 300 students who slept at CPUT’s gates would have had a well-deserved place to go.
Our government has failed them. DM
This article was first published on LitNet.