The country’s prisoners who wrote the 2015 matric exams have improved their pass rate by four per cent to an overall pass rate of 73 per cent, says correctional services national commissioner Mr Zach Modise.
Modise said the inmates also registered a series of improvements, such as an increased number of candidates who got bachelor passes for university admission – from 16 in 2014 to 33 in 2015.
The Department of Correctional Services on Wednesday said the other improvements were that the number of inmates who had passed mathematics improved from 0 in 2014 to 14 in 2015, and everyone passed mathematical literacy.“Two additional full-time schools for offenders, Tswelopele in the Free State-Northern Cape region as well as Brandvlei in Western Cape wrote the matriculation examinations, achieving 92 per cent and 67 per cent pass rates respectively.
“The Cradock offenders’ school had a turnaround by achieving a 60 per cent pass rate after a consecutive zero per cent pass rate over four years, and the total number of distinctions obtained also increased by 25 per cent, from 24 in 2014 to 30 in 2015, 19 of which are in life orientation, which in itself assists in the rehabilitation of offenders,” said the department.
