Strike could affect matric results

2007-12-23 19:47

Carien Kruger

Pretoria - South Africa must not expect miracles when the matric results for 2007 are announced this week.

Some experts are saying the results could be poorer than last year, and others predict they'll be more or less similar to 2006.

Last year some 66% (two-thirds) of the 528 525 candidates who wrote, passed their final matric exam. That was down 1.7% on 2005, when 68.3% of the 508 363 candidates managed to pass.

The results of the 563 191 pupils who wrote matric this year will announced on Friday.

Strike

But the drawn-out teachers' strike earlier this year could well have an impact on this year's results.

The national Department of Education was apparently not keen to adjust candidates' points by too much. Plans were put into action to help candidates make up for time lost.

Professor Johan Volmink, chairperson of the quality assurance body Umalusi, said that as in previous years points had been adjusted upwards and downwards, but in no subject did this exceed the maximum allowable 10%.

Vijayen Naidoo, also of Umalusi, added that average adjustments had been about 2%, either way. He did not want to specify which subjects were adjusted by how much.

Naidoo explained the process of standardising points was aimed at eliminating discrepancies in exam standards, over a period of time.

Nothing earth-shattering

Mark Potterton, formerly of Umalusi and currently the national director of the Catholic Institute for Education, also expected results to be more or less similar to last year, but perhaps a bit on the down side.

DA education spokesperson George Boinamo said he didn't expect anything earth-shattering from this year's matriculants.

Besides the teacher strike, he said, factors such as too few teachers in certain subjects, too few classrooms, textbooks that weren't delivered, schools that lacked running water and problems with transport, were not conducive to good education.

But those who passed the exam could rest assured about the standards, said Potterton.

According to him research had shown that the exam standards compared well internationally, even if the results achieved weren't necessarily as good.

Boinamo said a matric certificate could help one to gain admission to further studies, but it didn't mean much in terms of job opportunities.

- Rapport