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2023 matric class gets a B for improvement, but is the education department making the grade?
At face value, the 2023 matric class who wrote the National Senior Certificate exams have a reason to celebrate.
The pass rate went up from 80.1% in 2022 to 82.9% in 2023, making it the highest in the history of the NSC exams.
More pupils attainted bachelor's passes in 2023 from 38.4% to 40.9% - another historic achievement.
Provinces like KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo produced more quality passes from no-fee schools.
The maths pass rate jumped from 55% in 2022 to 63.5% in 2023, and the number of pupils who passed the subject with a mark of 50% or more climbed from 22% to 27.5%.
But before the education minister, her department, and teachers around the country take a bow, there are still some worrying issues.
According to the The Outlier, only 262 016 pupils wrote maths in 2023. This is about 1 500 more than 2022. If the government wants to meet its target of having 450 000 pupils eligible to study maths and science at university by 2030, a lot more legwork will need to be done.
Another concern raised by The Outlier is that only 30% of 2023 matrics took science. Of that number, only 17% achieved the 60% needed to study a science degree at university.
This year marks 30 years of democracy, where many pupils still don't have access to quality education. Due to this, matriculants often find it difficult to navigate tertiary education, leading to them dropping out at university.
In this week's Friday Briefing, we ask if the 2023 matric results show that the education department is finally on the right track to improving the country's education outcomes, or whether it is still finding its way.
We have submissions from the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Professor Labby Ramrathan, who writes that while we should welcome more pupils getting bachelor's passes, less than half of them will be able to access university education.
University of Stellenbosch's Professor Mbulu Madiba considers whether it is necessary to still have the National Senior Certificate and the Independent Examinations Board, in light of the improved NSC matric pass rate.
Finally, Dr Stephen Taylor from the department of education breaks down why the real matric pass rate is 82.9%, despite some critics saying otherwise.
We hope you enjoy all the contributions in this week's edition.
Best,
Vanessa Banton
Opinions Editor.
More bachelor's passes, but fewer opportunities to access university education
Labby Ramrathan asks why SA continues with the NSC pass grades, knowing that the majority of matriculants won't be able to access post-school learning opportunities
From disparity to unity: The evolution of South Africa's national examination system
The much-improved quality of the NSC 2023 has reignited the debate regarding the necessity of maintaining the National Senior Certificate and the Independent Examinations Board, writes Mbulu Madiba.
The real matric pass rate is 82.9%. There's nothing secret about it
The percentage of all youths completing an NSC or equivalent has been steadily increasing over the years and, in a way, that is narrowing historical inequalities. While the pundits may debate the "real pass rate", this positive trend is not ambiguous, argues Stephen Taylor.
