Worst-performing Eastern Cape 'moving ahead'
2013-01-03 22:33
Johannesburg - The Eastern Cape's 2012 matric results were "one step backwards and two steps forward", provincial education MEC Mandla Makupula said on Thursday.
"The 2012 matric results depict one thing: we have taken one step backward and two steps forward, moving along with ordinary people," Makupula said in a statement.
He was proud of the improved pass rate for the province, the worst performer in South Africa, to 61.6%, from 58.1% in 2011.
He said the last time the province got more than 60% was in 2003, when it managed 61.1%.
Several districts showed big improvements, in particularly Libode with a pass rate of 59.4%, up from 19.5% in 2011.
Butterworth had an increase of 8.1% to 53.9% in 2012. Sterkspruit improved 8% to 56.1%.
The top performing districts were Cofimvaba, with a pass rate of 72.5%, Cradock with a pass rate of 72.3%, and Maluti with 71.9%.
The three worst performing districts were Fort Beaufort with 44.7%, Qumbu with 49.1% and Mt Frere with 49.6%.
Makupula said while several districts improved their passes, other saw substantial drops. The largest of these was Qumbu, dropping 10.3% to 49.1%.
Makupula said there were 30 schools in the province with a 100% pass rate.
Eleven schools had a pass rate of 10% or below. The three lowest performers were Dlulisa Senior Secondary School in Butterworth, with 4.5%, Mpingana in Lusikisiki with 4.7%, and Dilizintaba with a 5.3% matric pass rate.
"For the first time in many years, there are no schools with a zero percent pass rate," Makupula said.
- SAPA
