Equal Schooling members participating in a peaceable demonstration throughout fundamental training minister Siviwe Gwarube’s announcement of the matric leads to Randburg on Monday. Image: Equal Schooling
Advocacy motion Equal Schooling (EE) has criticised the division of fundamental training’s failure to handle the excessive dropout price after it was revealed that 1 222 851 learners began grade 1 in 2013 however solely 724 156 enrolled as full-time candidates in grade 12 for 2024.
“Cracks within the training system disrupt studying, have an effect on efficiency and push learners to disengage, placing them at a excessive danger of dropping out earlier than matric. The division of fundamental training should shield the potential of all learners all through their education journey,” Equal Schooling stated in a press release.
However Primary Schooling Minister Siviwe Gwarube has cautioned that the variety of learners that didn’t make it to matric doesn’t point out a excessive dropout price for numerous causes, together with learners migrating to technical vocational training and coaching faculties or non-public colleges and grade failure.
“We can not due to this fact classify all of those that didn’t enrol for grade 12 in 2024 as having dropped out. This may be a misrepresentation,” Gwarube stated throughout a press briefing on Monday, when she introduced the outcomes.
Commenting on Gwarube’s assertion, the Zero Dropout Marketing campaign stated the division ought to concentrate on “early warning indicators” to cut back the dropout price.
“Practices equivalent to ‘gatekeeping’, the place learners are repeatedly stored behind as a result of the colleges don’t have the assets to catch them and don’t need to jeopardise their go charges by progressing these learners, may be demoralising and prematurely push learners out of the varsity system,” the marketing campaign’s Siyabulela Sandi stated in a assertion.
Gwarube introduced on Monday that the category of 2024 achieved the highest grade 12 go price within the nation’s historical past, at 87.3%, an enchancment from 82.9% in 2023.
The variety of full-time candidates writing the nationwide senior certificates exams elevated from 691 160 in 2023 to 705 291 in 2024.
Greater than 615 000 learners handed the exams, with 47.8% qualifying for admission to bachelor’s research — a rise from 40.9% final 12 months.
KwaZulu-Natal led with 84,470 bachelor passes, adopted by Gauteng with 66,979 and the Jap Cape with 45,662.
Provincial efficiency confirmed enchancment throughout the board, with the Free State attaining the best go price at 91%, adopted by KwaZulu-Natal (89.5%) and Gauteng (88.4%). At district-level, Johannesburg West led at 97%.
However Equal Schooling, which held a peaceable demonstration throughout the minister’s briefing, stated they have been “intimidated and interrogated” for his or her placards highlighting the “pressing problems with training injustice”.
One of many placards learn “Cease trainer cuts”. This follows the Western Cape training division saying final 12 months that it could lose 2,400 instructing posts in 2025.
In the meantime, the Unbiased Examinations Board (IEB) achieved an total go price of 98.47% within the 2024 examinations, the best go price recorded prior to now 5 years.
In line with the board, all candidates who accomplished the exams obtained a go that qualifies them for tertiary research.
Of the cohort 89.37% achieved entry to diploma research, in contrast with 88.59% in 2023 and seven.56% certified for entry to diploma research, in contrast with 8.31% in 2023.
And 1.53% of its candidates achieved entry for research on the greater certificates degree, in contrast with 1.57% in 2023.