DA says pass rate in Standerton is much lower
If you consider the statistics, the real Mpumalanga 2023 matric pass rate is 54.5% pass rate, not 76.95%.
The DA congratulated Mpumalanga’s successful matriculants for their performance in the 2023 academic year.
According to a press release from Jane Sithole, spokesperson on education, they faced challenges such as the ongoing Eskom load-shedding but achieved an official overall pass rate of 76.95%, an 0.2% increase from 76.8% in the previous year.
They also thanked the teachers who went the extra mile to ensure that learners had the best possible preparation for their examinations and the parents for their support and encouragement.
The DA, however, is concerned about the number of learners dropping out of school and ending up not writing the matric final exams.
Sithole gave an example. In 2020, 94 077 learners registered for Grade 10 in Mpumalanga schools, but only 67 367 wrote the 2022 matric final exams.
“What happened to the other 26 710?” she asked.
“This is a 28.4% dropout rate and must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
According to the statement, for the 2022 school year, 71 369 learners registered for matric, but only 67 367 wrote the final matric exam.
“Where are the other 4 002 learners?”
In the 2023 school year, 67 902 learners registered to write matric in Mpumalanga, but 65 534 wrote.
“What happened to the 2 535 learners who registered but did not write?”
The DA also voiced concern about the 92 596 learners who registered for Grade 10 in 2021, saying only 65 534 learners wrote the 2023 matric exams.
“What happened to the other 27 062?”.
If you take into consideration the above statistics, the real Mpumalanga 2023 matric pass rate is 54.5% pass rate, not 76.95%.
The party urged the Mpumalanga Department of Education to focus on improving learner retention and ensure that learners get support from the time they begin school to when they complete Grade 12.
Together with abolishing rotational timetables, the department should find a way of tracking the learners who drop out of school.
The DA congratulated the 33.3% of Mpumalanga matriculants, who qualified for entry to tertiary education.
They also urged the matriculants who did not obtain the required results not to despair, but to put more effort into trying again.
The statement concluded by congratulating the 21 819 learners who qualified to enrol for bachelor’s degrees.
