While KwaZulu-Natal has been recognized as one of the best-performing provinces for the matric Class of 2022, the DA in the state asserts that this does not accurately reflect the situation on the ground and that the numbers do not match up.
“We are confident that the true matric pass mark can only be determined by analyzing the full cohort of 2022 matriculants, those who began grade one 12 years ago, or the incoming class of grade 10 students in 2020.
Imran Keeka, the education spokesman for the party, stated on Friday that leading academics have traditionally endorsed this technique of calculation.
During the announcement of National Senior Certificate (NSC) results on Thursday evening, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga singled out the province as having significantly improved, with an 83% pass rate, a 6.2% rise compared to the academic term of 2021.
Along with Gauteng, the province was recognized for increasing the national pass rate. But the district attorney stated there was nothing to write home about.
“According to the DA’s statistics from the previous year, the 2021 matriculation pass percentage in KZN was just 54.7%, not the 78.0% that was declared. In the next days, we will compute and provide the 2022 KZN matriculation pass rate.
This number will account for the full cohort and will provide a more accurate representation of the performance of this set of students.
Key districts within the eThekwini metropolitan area, like uMlazi and Pinetown, experienced a fall in performance, while rural areas, with uMkhanyakude among the highest performers, shown an unexpected improvement.
Immediately following the release of the results on Thursday evening, DA MP Baxolile Nodada congratulated the matriculants of the Class of 2022, praising them for their diligence in the face of constant loadshedding.
“The DA congratulates the matriculants of the Class of 2022 on completing their matriculation exams. These students overcame numerous formidable obstacles over the previous three years to accomplish this milestone,” stated Nodada.
“Not only did they have to endure disrupted schooling owing to the Covid lockdowns and severe floods, but many of them also had to deal with increasingly tough conditions at home due to South Africa’s economic problems and continual rolling blackouts.
“We would also like to thank the teachers who went above and beyond to ensure that students had the best possible exam preparation, as well as the parents for their support and encouragement.”
Nodada stated that the DA challenges the distributed pass percentage of 80.1%, claiming that the actual pass rate is 54.6%. The actual 2022 matriculation pass percentage is actually 54.6%, up from 50.4% in 2021. This is really troubling, said Nodada.
“Each year, the DA estimates the true matriculation pass rate by including in the number of learners who dropped out and never reached matriculation. To account for TVET learners, the DA estimates the actual matric pass rate for the 10th grade cohort that should complete matric.”
Mugwena Maluleke, general secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu), stated that the union is pleased with the results, highlighting the development achieved by the Class of 2022.
“Sadtu applauds the Department of Basic Education for releasing the results of the 2022 National Senior Certificate examination. Malululeke stated that the instructors and support staff must be praised for the improvement recorded under the most difficult circumstances.
“It is noteworthy that the Class of 2022’s graduation rate has increased from 74.4% to 80.1%, indicating that the system is gaining the necessary resilience to meet the challenges of today.”
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