IRR report puts matric maths marks under spotlight
The IRR noted that just 26% of black African children who sat for the 2015 matric maths exam obtained 40% or better, in contrast to Caucasian children who achieved 84.9%
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On Thursday, South Africa will roll out the ol’ razzle dazzle for the 10th State of the Nation Address (Sona) by President Jacob Zuma in parliament.
Behind the glitz of designer outfits there comes a note of caution about the education system from the “classically liberal think-tank”, SA Institute of Race Relations (IRR).
In its Fast Facts January edition, the IRR’s chief operating officer, Gwen Ngwenya, noted that just 26% of black African children who sat for the 2015 matric mathematics exam obtained 40% or better.
By contrast, 84.9% of Caucasian children achieved the same results.
“It is not clear how continuing to enforce ever more stringent racial equity and other targets in the economy will overcome the problem of poorly performing schools,” Ngwenya said.
It’s not all bad, noted the report, stating “racial transformation of the South African workplace, asset ownership and state institutions has been significant and continues to improve”.
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