'I am not satisfied'

2005-12-29 16:25

Cape Town - Education Minister Naledi Pandor was disappointed on Thursday at the 68.35 pass rate recorded by the 2005 matric class.

"I'm not satisfied," she told a media briefing in Cape Town where the figure was announced. "How can anyone be satisfied when more than 30% of our children are failing? Surely you can't have that. I'm not happy."

However, she said that given the standard of this year's exam papers, plus the quality assurance report by overseeing body Umalusi, and the fact that cognitively the bar was being set much higher, those who had passed had performed well, and should be congratulated.

"I can't be saying to young people, you achieved 68%, bad on you. I hope and intend to continue working for better," she said.

The 2005 figure - which is for both state and independent schools, as well as candidates who wrote part-time, including an 84-year old man from Gauteng - is down on the 2004 figure of 70.7, itself down on 2003's 73.3.

Unlike last year when irregularities in Mpumalanga marred the end-of-year results, the 2005 matric examinations were declared credible, fair and reliable.

"This year there has been an exceptionally good management of these examinations and there have been no leakages or any other kind of incident which would suggest compromising the integrity of the examinations," education director-general Duncan Hindle said in a technical briefing at Parliament on Thursday.

- SAPA