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Many eyes on matric results
27/12/2006 14:24 - (SA)
Cape Town - As Grade 12 pupils around the country brace themselves ahead of the release of the 2006 matric results on Thursday, theirs will not be the only eyes poring over the outcome of the all-important examination.
Given South Africa's massive skills shortage, particularly in the fields of science and technology, big business and the government are also likely to be keenly scrutinising the latest maths, science and chemistry scores.
This is in line with President Thabo Mbeki's well-received "Age of Hope" state-of-the-nation address earlier this year in which he said the lack of suitably qualified technical personnel was one of the most-pressing challenges facing the country.
Focusing on the government's accelerated and shared growth initiative (ASGISA) programme, he said South Africa would "have to pay particular attention to the issue of scarce skills that will negatively affect the capacity of the public and private sectors to meet the goals set by ASGISA".
Pass rates have been poor
Among other things, this would include "targeting 529 schools to double the maths and science graduate output to 50 000 by 2008".
Almost 550 000 full-time candidates and 200 000 part-timers wrote the 2006 senior certificate examinations around the country in October and November, for a total of 742 289 candidates - compared to 729 878 in 2005.
Less than 10% of 2006 candidates took maths and science on the higher grade, and pass rates in the past have been equally poor.
On the brighter side, however, higher-grade maths passes rose from just more than 24 000 in 2004 to 26 383 in 2005, and higher grade science from just under 27 000 to 29 965.
Recent international surveys of maths- and science-proficiency levels at South African schools underscored the seriousness of the problem.
According to the third International Maths and Science Study (IMSS) of Grade 8 pupils, South Africa ranked bottom of the 50 countries that took part.
A Unesco numeracy study showed that South African Grade 4 pupils were seriously lagging behind their counterparts in countries like Mauritius, Senegal and Malawi.
Available on department's websites
Education Minister Naledi Pandor will release the 2006 matric results officially at parliament on Thursday with a live SABC TV broadcast starting at 13:00, after the provinces have released their results.
While results will be published as usual in newspapers on Thursday or Friday, depending on the province, they also will be available on the various provincial education departments' websites.
This year, 11 subject papers were set nationally, whereas in previous years, only five were set nationally and the rest at provincial level.
This year's results were approved for release by Umalusi - the council of quality assurance in education - last week.
Council chairperson Professor John Volmink said: "Umalusi ensured that examination irregularities were managed strictly in accordance with the applicable policy and regulations of the senior certificate and Umalusi policies, guidelines and requirements."
'Challenge level improved'
The class of 2006, known as "Madiba's Children", because they started school in a newly democratic South Africa in 1995, were also the first batch of students to be introduced to outcomes-based education (OBE).
Volmink said: "It is clear from internal moderators' and chief markers' reports that the challenge level in the 2006 question papers was of an improved standard."
Last year, the matric pass rate declined for the second year in succession to 68.3% for the class of 2005, compared with 70.7% in 2004, and 73.3% in 2003.
Meanwhile, the SA Depression and Anxiety Support Group (Sadag) has its counsellors ready for the calls that come through to the group's suicide crisis line - 0800 567 567.
"This is a tough time for matriculants, and their parents. There's a lot of pressure and high expectations to perform, and those learners who don't do as well as hoped can feel dejected and hopeless", said senior counsellor and trainer Janine Shamos.
- SAPA
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