Tough measures against underperforming schools

THE Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) will take tough measures against schools that underperformed in the 2015 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

The province recorded a pass rate of 84,22 per cent in the NSC examinations which is a 0,4 per cent drop as compared to the 84,69 per cent pass rate in 2014.

Nine independent schools performed below a pass rate of 40 per cent. The department will ensure that these nine schools account for their poor performance.

Three of these schools recorded a pass rate of 0 per cent which the department views as completely unacceptable.

The head of the department (HOD), Edward Mosuwe, will send all nine schools notice of the department’s intention to withdraw their registration on the basis that there is a threat to the continuation of the provision of education services by the owners of these schools. All independent schools are required to provide education standards that are not inferior compared to public ordinary schools. In this instance, there is no public secondary school that has obtained a pass rate that is less than 50 per cent in the 2015 NSC examinations. Underperformance is one of the grounds on which the registration of independent schools can be withdrawn.

The schools will be required to make a representation to the HOD as to why their registration should not be withdrawn within 30 days. The HOD will then make a decision based on these representations whether to close the school or not.

Once the schools have been closed the department will place learners from said schools in public ordinary schools with the consent of their parents.

With regard to public ordinary schools, the department has over the past years considered schools which performed under 80 per cent as priority schools which require strict targeted and sustained interventions. These interventions include the provision of extra classes by expert teachers on Saturdays and during school holidays, specialised curriculum intervention programmes as well as performance targets.

Depending on the extent of the underperformance of a public ordinary school, the department might take a decision to review the management structure of a school in line with Section 58B of the South African Schools Act which requires accounting officers to manage underperforming schools.