Cape Town - Education experts predict a steady and consistent outcome with Monday’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) results, stabilising between 82-83% nationally and in the Western Cape, but have warned that the setback of the Covid-19 pandemic remains.
The national and provincial pass rates for the 2024 NSC will be announced on Monday, with individual results for Western Cape learners to be released at schools and in the Cape Argus on Tuesday.
Education MEC, David Maynier, said the province hoped to see an uptick in results compared with the outcome in 2023, which had surpassed 2022’s 81.4%, with an achievement of 82.9%.
“The national results event, which will be held in Gauteng, will also recognise individual candidates who have achieved outstanding results at the national level,” Maynier said.
“While the percentage pass rate is an important indicator when assessing the matric results, we must also consider other indicators such as the quality and quantity of passes.
“This gives a far better picture of improving learning outcomes in the Western Cape. We hope to improve our overall pass rate of 81.5% achieved in 2023 and our bachelors pass rate of 42.2% in 2023, and in both cases, we also hope to improve the number of candidates who achieved these results.”
Maynier highlighted that the same could be achieved for the class of 2024, shining in Science and Mathematics.
“In the 2023 matric exams, the WCED achieved the top Mathematics pass rate of 75.4% and the top Physical Science pass rate of 82.2%.
“Again, we would like to see improved results in these areas, but will also focus on the quality of passes for these subjects.”
Professor Michael le Cordeur, Faculty of Education at the University of Stellenbosch, said the results would remain anchored, but the focus should be on other grades who also faced the impact on literacy and legacy of the pandemic.
“It was a quiet year with no reason at all for any decrease. On the other hand, the lack of resources in many poor schools will prevent any further increases. Any out of the order increase will be mere superficial and an act of results engineering. It is also time to realise that the matric results are no longer a fair indication of our educational stance.
“Rather, the focus should shift to the poor literacy results in the lower grades, which is a more precise indication of where we are educationally.”
Professor Kobus Maree of the Department of Educational Psychology, University of Pretoria, agreed that there would be an uptick in results, but said much work had to continue to keep the momentum going.
“We have observed an upward trend in the pass rate over the years, but predicting outcomes remains extremely challenging. “I anticipate a marginal increase in the pass rate, primarily due to interventions in teaching and learning, improved curriculum delivery, and strengthened early intervention strategies,” he said.
He said Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube had already showcased her fresh ideology by introducing initiative in coming years.
“These may include bolstering teacher training and recruitment, addressing infrastructure backlogs, and, importantly, implementing targeted strategies to support under performing schools, particularly in rural areas,” he said.