Nervous wait for matric results

2005-12-27 22:38

Alet Rademeyer

Pretoria - The results of the "guinea pigs and victims" of outcomes-based education (OBE).

This is how many school principals and educationists choose to refer to this year's matric results and achievements. Even people in the provincial education departments are reluctant to be too optimistic about this year's results, which will be announced on Thursday.

Everyone's greatest concern is that this year's candidates could be detrimentally affected because they were the first group of pupils who began their school career with outcomes-based education (OBE) and then had to revert to the "old curriculum" in 2003 because the department was not ready to introduce OBE from Grades 10 - 12. The poor achievement of the pupils who were in Grade 10 at the time, caused an outcry; people in some circles even referred to them as the "lost generation".

Limpopo education MEC Dr Aaron Motsoaledi worried that Umalusi might have to adjust candidate's marks drastically this year.

Departments 'not smiling'

The pupils seemed to struggle in particular with subjects such as mathematics and accountancy. For example, this group of pupils took business economics up to Grade 9 and then in 2003 had to study accountancy for the very first time.

"We'll be exceedingly happy if the pass rate remains above 60%," Motsoaledi said. His province prided itself last year on a pass rate of 70,6%. "Maybe it'll be just a little lower. But it's a fact that this year's pupils had a more difficult time," he said.

Gauteng education MEC Angie Motshekga thought "the results are not going to be brilliant, but not too bad either".

She said the reversion to the old curriculum could have negatively affected pupils, but the results also related to teachers who were not equipped for OBE.

She added that it might seem that the quantitative achievements were poorer because everyone focused on better quality in key subjects such as mathematics and science.

Western Cape education spokesperson Gert Witbooi affirmed this view.

"We won't be too seriously worried if the pass rate is lower." He thought it was more important for achievement to begin stabilising in this province and for a greater focus on better achievement in mathematics and science, and on pupils with exemption who could gain access to higher education.

North West education MEC Reverend Johannes Tselapedi was worried that pupils would do worse, largely because they had had to revert to an old curriculum.

A KwaZulu-Natal education department official, where the pass rate was 74% last year, did not think "any of the provinces were smiling too broadly".

Eastern Cape education department spokesperson Loyiso Pulumane said this province fared worst last year with a pass rate of 53,5%. He added that they had other problems such as those with teacher trade unions and many backlogs in resources and infrastructure.

Northern Cape education MEC Archie Lucas thought matriculants' achievements might not be fantastic but should be satisfactory.

- Die Burger