E Cape Matrics in firing line
2005-10-04 08:37
Port Elizabeth - The upcoming Matric exam in the Eastern Cape could be in the balance if the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) and Eastern Cape education department can't reach an agreement regarding issues such as the appointment of temporary teachers to permanent posts.
The union's insistence on the above and the resulting protest action by Sadtu members have caused widespread disruption at Eastern Cape schools over the past few months.
Mxolisi Dimaza, secretary of Sadtu, said on Monday his union would announce further protest action on Saturday, a mere three days before the start of the Matric exams.
About 74 099 full-time and 17 983 part-time candidates have registered in the province this year to write the final exam.
"These differences won't be resolved soon. Should the department not take action soon, further protest action might disrupt the exams and could result in more poor results for the province," Dimiza warned.
Sadtu strikes a big disruption
The Eastern Cape's pass rate was the lowest in the country last year - and was way under the national pass rate of 71.4%. Only 53.47% of the 63 426 matriculants who wrote the exams passed, compared with 60.2% in 2003.
Streis Wahl, Eastern Cape chairperson of the South African Union of Educators (SAUE), said his union also didn't have much hope Matric results would improve this year.
"The strikes by Sadtu members caused a lot of disruption. The fact this union boycotted meetings with the department means lots of important academic information didn't get through to the classroom."
Wahl said the education department's failure to provide learning material to the schools and to fill vacant posts would also contribute to poor matric results.
"The fact the department recently withdrew the vacancy list means nobody in the Eastern Cape could apply for teaching posts. At the moment, there are many schools in the province that don't have a principal," he said.
No concern papers could leak
Dimaza said Sadtu had received calls from 11 school principals in the Engcobo district between Mthatha and Queenstown who were complaining the district office of the education department had scrapped all temporary posts.
Loyiso Pulumani, spokesperson of the MEC for education in the province, Mkgangeli Matomela, confirmed the differences between the department of education and Sadtu could have a negative impact on results.
He said the department did, however, introduce a number of measures this year in an attempt to improve results. "The Matric Intervention Programme (MIP) targeted schools that had a pass rate of less than 50% last year.The programme started at the beginning of the year and extra classes were presented in problem subjects such as mathematics, science and English."
Billy Haynes, principal of Chatty Senior Secondary School, said factors such as vacant teaching positions that were never filled, the continuing protest action and poorly set papers could all have a negative effect on this year's results.
"I don't know about other schools but my school's September exam results didn't look good."
Mzimhle Mabona, head of exams in the province, said there is no concern this year's papers could leak before the exams. "Our security system was evaluated by the department of education and Umalusi, the statutory quality control body," he said.