Matric pass probe long overdue - DA

2012-11-05 14:19

Matric pupils writing their exams. (File, Beeld)

Cape Town - An investigation into the standard of the matric pass benchmark was welcomed by the Democratic Alliance on Monday.

The party was responding to an announcement by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga that an inter-ministerial committee would be established to look at, among others, a comparative study with other countries on the standards they used to promote pupils.

"The department must be commended for its willingness to engage with a range of stakeholders on the Senior Certificate exams... and making recommendations on how the matters impacting on the standard of the National Senior Certificate can be addressed," DA MP Annette Lovemore said.

The fact that the study was being undertaken brought into focus the efficiency of exams standards authority Umalusi.

"The DA calls for the credibility and competence of Umalusi to form part of the committee’s review," said Lovemore.

The probe followed a report released last week by the World Economic Forum (WEF) which rated South Africa last out of 62 countries on the quality of maths and science education.

South Africa was placed at 140 in a global competitiveness report released by the WEF in August.

Lovemore linked the standard of education with the level of support provided to the country's pupils.

"Increasing the standards of exams without providing learners with the support and opportunities to meet the standards of excellence is simply setting them up for failure," Lovemore said.

- SAPA