The bitter and the sweet of matric passes

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We are not talking here about a delicious sweet and sour pork dish, but along with a 75.8 per cent pass rate, there is also plenty of room for negative reflection.

Remember, of the 532 860 public school matrics who wrote as full-time candidates in 2014, 128 986 failed.

That is a significant number of young people who will either try to rewrite again or who will be absorbed into the market place that is already under enormous pressure.

While the Advertiser congratulates all the local matrics who endured a year of toil and struggle to obtain their certificate, and also a university exemption, one has to be realistic by questioning the quality of our education system.

Take note bachelor degree entrance passes dropped to 28 per cent from 30.6 per cent in 2013, and the percentage of mathematics and physical science passes declined significantly.

The number of matrics who passed mathematics dropped from 59.1 per cent in 2013 to 53.5 per cent.

Only 3.2 per cent – or 7 216 – of matrics achieved distinctions in this critical subject.

The physical science pass rate dropped from 67.4 per cent in 2013 to 61.5 per cent. Only 3.3 per cent – or 5 513 – achieved distinctions.

Does this all sound like a healthy system?

The government’s plan to push up the matric pass rate no matter what is quite transparent , even if it means sacrificing quality in favour of quantity.

It remains absolutely ridiculous and ludicrous that the pass rate remains 30 per cent, and you have to question the introduction of menial subjects like life orientation, life sciences and even Cat (computer applied technology) which drags many students over the line.

The pass rate simply means that if a pupil barely passes, then the pupil is only one third competent or educated to tackle the real world.

But of course it seems the government is hardly bothered about creating an illusion of a healthy education system that is barely spluttering along on one cylinder, very much like our energy giant.

We shoot ourselves in the foot by creating a fool’s paradise where the youth is duped into thinking they are fully equipped to handle the global village where skill and competency is a rare commodity.

If our education system is truly an illusion of quality, then sadly those who wish to embrace the global village beyond our choppy seas will soon find their lofty ideals shattered.

It is therefore no wonder that the latest matric results have come with a chorus of negativity and criticism, bemoaning the fact that the miraculous increase during the Zuma administration remains a farce.

In 2009 the pass rate was 60.6 per cent, and rose to around 78 per cent in 2013.

On paper it looks great and it sounds wonderful, but this fool’s paradise is held together by wishful thinking.

Questions have been raised.

Is the education system truly healthy if 50 per cent of those who passed achieved less than 50 per cent for their individual subjects?

Also take into consideration that at least three schools in Limpopo and another three in the Eastern Cape have obtained a zero percent pass rate in the 2014 matric exams.

Granted, these schools are predominantly in rural areas were ongoing textbooks shortages and resources over the years remain a problem. But still, zero pass rate?

Over the last 20 years our beloved democracy has chopped and change the curriculum quite often, which has been cited as a possible reason why the education system is not as stable as it should be.

The class of 2014 is the first to write the final examination that is Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (Caps) aligned.

The newest curriculum has apparently presented serious challenges, with the verdict being that the 2014 matric results could have been much better had teachers mastered the new curriculum.

The high number of school dropouts have also been presented as a case for a failing education system, with apparently 50 per cent of pupils dropping out of the school before they even write their final exams.

The question that remains as the new matrics prepare for 2015: is the National Senior Certificate sufficient to adequately prepare students for post-school life, the workplace and further education?

Apart from those who failed or dropped out, many of those who did pass still face great uncertainty in a skills-intensive economy marked by high levels of unemployment.

And one has to wonder how tertiary institutions are coping with the continuous influx of students.

Will the level of education finally get a boost or does the fool’s paradise only receive a fresh makeover?

After all, if our education system is an illusion, how many of these matrics who go to varsity or college will even graduate?

So while we do celebrate with the matrics for reaching a wonderful milestone, let us not be blind to the reality that maybe our education system serves only to be a plaster trying to cover an ever enlarging festering wound.