Johannesburg - The DA in the North West congratulated the Matric Class of 2022 for their 79.8% pass rate, which is 1.6% up on last year, however, it says the figure does not take into account the 27 243 pupils who dropped out of the school system in Grade 10 in 2020.
“The official North West matric pass rate as announced by the Department of Education is recorded at 79.8%, a 1.6% increase from the previous year. However, this pass rate does not account for the 27 243 learners who dropped out of the school system in Grade 10 in 2020.
“Considering the high drop-out rate, the real matric pass rate in North West is actually 49.2%. This means that half of the 71 066 pupils who began Grade 10 in 2020 failed to complete matric.
“The province further dropped in its provincial ranking from being in the fourth position in 2021 to fifth position in 2022, ” said the DA.
The DA will be engaging the North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi, to establish a system to account for all pupils who drop out of the school system before completing their final matric exams, so as to develop a support plan for these pupils to assist them with completing their studies towards obtaining their National Senior Certificate qualification.
“MEC Motsumi, along with the relevant stakeholders, should prioritise school infrastructure maintenance, so that North West schools can become centres of excellence to capacitate learners with the knowledge and skills they need to live successful and productive lives in adulthood,” said the DA.
The party also hopes to tackle the issue of high youth unemployment in the North West, believing quality education for all is the first step towards prosperity.
“The DA congratulates each North West matriculant in the Class of 2022 who passed their final examinations despite the odds of the Covid-19 pandemic, the extended lockdowns which disrupted education and the extended Eskom rolling blackouts stacked against them,” said the DA.
IOL