With excitement hard to contain, MEC of Education in Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi could not stop smiling as colleagues and guests congratulated him on the great result achieved by Gauteng.
Lesufi, along with other MECs and Deputy Ministers were delighted by the news of the Matric results, for the Class of 2014, when Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced that the Matrics of 2014 had achieved a 75.8 per cent pass rate nationally.
Although the pass rate is 2.5 per cent lower than last year, Lesufi believes, “This is the first benchmark, after South Africans complained about the quality of matric, and we have strengthened that quality, which makes these learners the best in the history of this country.”
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His comments come after the Department of Basic Education had hosted the first matric learners to have written the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS)-aligned final examinations for the National Senior Certificate.
Motshekga explained, “Essentially CAPS is the strengthening of the National Curriculum Statement and clearly specifies what should be taught, which topics should be covered per subject, grade, and per quarter of the school calendar year.
“It also provides guidelines on how assessment must be carried out including adding more content to some subject such Mathematics and Business Studies. In some instances certain aspects were replaced by others.”
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Motshekga said CAPS is the strengthening of the National Curriculum Statement and clearly specifies what should be taught, which topics should be covered per subject, grade, and per quarter of the school calendar year.
Plainly explained by Lesufi, “Out of things the older generation has only learned in University, these learners are already learning in matric.”
Speaking about the future in Gauteng, the MEC said his energy is focused on ‘getting rid of the chalkboard’. He said, “On January 14, seven schools will be going live operating in the following manner; one learner one tablet and one teacher, one laptop in classrooms.”
The top five provinces are as follows
Gauteng – 84.7 per cent
North West – 84.6 per cent
Western Cape – 82.2 per cent
Mpumalanga – 79 per cent
