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I have great pleasure in releasing the national Senior Certificate results for 2000. Through the commitment, dedication and drive of all key actors in education, under the leadership of my Ministry's programme Tirisano, we have proved the sceptics wrong and achieved what some believed to be unattainable; an overall improvement of 9 percentage points in the pass rate, from 48,9% to 57,9% for 2000. This significant improvement proves to all that education has never really been a 'basket case' and what was required from all of us was that extra determination to ensure that our schools could indeed turn the corner. It also shows us that through the collective efforts of all South Africans we can and shall make a difference.

The performance of our students this year represents a clear break with the past. Last year's results continued to be unsatisfactory and clearly there was need for improvement. In this regard, last year I set a target of a 5 percentage point improvement annually on the national pass rate. This announcement was aimed at focusing the mind and concentrating our efforts on the improvement of learner performance. Today we can celebrate, as we have gone well beyond the target and exceeded all expectations.

This is a remarkable achievement. In 1998 there was an improvement of 1,9% and in 1999 a drop of 0,4%. 2000 is however a year of significant upward movement which is indeed encouraging for education in this country.

Increase in matric endorsement

Over and above the increase in the overall pass rate, there has been a 1,5 percentage point improvement in the number of candidates that passed the Senior Certificate Examination with endorsement. In 1999, 63 725 candidates (12,5% of the total number of students) obtained university admission as compared to 68 626 (14,0% of the total number of students) in 2000, despite the fact that 65 465 fewer students sat for the university admission examination this year. This means that 4 901 more candidates now qualify for university entrance.

The achievement this year has not been accidental. It is not unusual for opposition politicians, the media and independent analysts to hold the national Department and me responsible for the delivery of education in South Africa when, in reality, the delivery takes place in the provinces under the auspices of my provincial colleagues. The gains we have made this year have been possible due, in a large part, to a strong commitment by both the national and provincial ministries and departments to the principle and practice of co-operative governance. In this respect I must pay tribute to the enormous effort made in all our provinces this year where strategic interventions were instituted to ensure improvement.

All provinces have recorded an increase

It is therefore gratifying that all the nine provinces have recorded an improvement in the pass rate and this improvement ranges from 1,8% to 13,9%. The pass rates are as follows:
* Gauteng :67% (1999: 57%)
* Northern Province : 51,4% ( 1999: 37,5%)
* KwaZulu Natal: 57,2% (1999: 50,7%)
* Eastern Cape: 49,8% (1999 : 40,2%)
* Free State: 52,7% (1999 : 42,1%)
* Mpumalanga: 53,2% (1999 : 48,3%)
* Northern Cape: 71,2% (1999 : 64,3%)
* North West : 58,3% (1999 : 52,1%)
* Western Cape : 80,6% (1999 :78,8%)

Breaking the cycle of under-performance in schools

Not only have we improved the overall pass rate, but we have also broken the cycle of under-performance in a number of schools. The 1999 results indicated that a significant number of our schools were under-performing. These schools which are predominantly located within disadvantaged communities, are confronted with a multitude of problems inherited from our shameful apartheid past. Our efforts over the last year, were therefore focused on improving the quality of learning and teaching in these schools.

As part of our improvement and intervention strategy, dysfunctional schools with pass rates between 0% and 20% were targeted for sustained support. In addition, we targeted specific subjects where learners were under-performing, namely Accounting, Biology, Mathematics, Physical Science and English Second Language.

These efforts have paid off, the number of schools with a pass rate of between 0% and 20% has decreased from 940 in 1999 to 499 in 2000.

With respect to subject specific interventions the following improvements were recorded:

* Accounting has improved from 64.4% to 69.7%
* Biology has improved from 52.2% to 59.9%
* Mathematics has improved from 43.4% to 45.1%
* Physical Science has improved 63.9% to 68.7%
* English Second Language has improved from 88.2% to 92%

We shall build on these achievements and continue with these initiative in 2001.

I should also mention that the number of repeaters dropped from 62 697 last year to just 6 326 this year. It is notable that the success rate of repeaters (from 41% in 1999 to 56,5% in 2000) was more or less the same as that for those writing for the first time.

Why this improvement?

As with any large scale movement or improvement in performance we need to be sure that we understand the reasons for the improvements we have achieved this year. Therefore I now wish to reflect on some of the factors that have made this improvement possible:

* This year we witnessed relative stability within the education system. I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all principals and teachers who remained in their schools and classrooms and focused on the tasks at hand.
* Learners, teachers and the management of schools rallied behind the President's call for 'teachers to teach, learners to learn and managers to manage'. Indeed we can confidently argue that we are a 'nation at work' building an education and training system that is fit for the 21st Century. In this respect the President called me yesterday to say that he was 'very encouraged' by this year's results.
* More students registered as Standard Grade candidates, as a result of the comprehensive student support services provided, which in turn enabled students to make more informed choices with respect to both subjects and grades offered.
* In the past, many learners encountered a three-hour paper for the first time in their matriculation examination. This clearly impacted negatively on student achievement. Therefore for the first time all Provinces instituted preparatory, what we knew previously as "trial", examinations in order to prepare learners sufficiently ahead of the final examination.
* Extra tuition, in form of Winter and Saturday schools, were provided in all Provinces to Grade 12 learners, to bolster exam preparation. Included in this extra effort were provincial initiatives such as Gauteng's Education Action Zones which paid specific attention to clusters of schools. In the case of Gauteng this has paid dividends as we see from their results.
* A dedicated National Forum for Learner Improvement, consisting of National and Provincial officials as well as teacher organisations, was established to drive and monitor our learner improvement strategy. As part of the Forum's work, visits to districts and schools were carried out in order to assist with school improvement plans and to provide ongoing professional support to school managers and teachers.

These interventions have paid off. While we celebrate our achievements today, we shall not rest. In fact our efforts will be re-doubled in the future to ensure continuous improvement in the performance of our schools.

Towards a single national examination

I also wish to draw your attention to the fact that this is the second year in which we have been able to announce all results in the same year that the examinations were written and the first time ever that all results have been announced on the same day. This forms part of our concerted effort to improve the quality of the Senior Certificate examinations and the professional manner in which they are conducted. I therefore wish to commend officials in my Department and all their Provincial colleagues who, with dedication and commitment, worked very hard to make this possible.

In addition, a truly national examination with national standards, in line with our cherished values of fairness and equity, will be introduced in 2001. The notion of a national examination system as well as that of national standards has been augmented by the establishment of a single examination in five subjects, namely Mathematics, Physical Science, Biology, Accounting and English Second Language at higher and standard grade. These question papers have already been set and are currently with the independent South African Certification Council (SAFCERT) moderators.

Where do we come from?

This year as we announce the results, we also celebrate the fifth year of non-racial examinations in our country. In celebrating, it is however important to assess the gains that we have made collectively with our Provincial colleagues.

There is a perception amongst certain sections of the public that standards have fallen since the advent of a common non-racial examination. I want to categorically state that standards are not only improving, but are also improving for all students across the system. The standards to assess performance have been equalised for all students regardless of race.

The apartheid system which supposedly intended to ensure the equivalence of standards and uniformity in the issuing of certificates, in fact widened the gap between learners of different races. The different racially structured examining bodies applied different norms and the statistical adjustment of marks were done in terms of these norms. South Africa could not talk of a national norm with regard to a national pre-higher education exit qualification.

Today as South Africans, we can proudly claim that our examination system no longer discriminates and all our students are assessed equally.

Quality Improvements

In the last five years we have introduced appropriate measures not only to maintain standards, but also continuously to improve our examination system.

First, the standards of examination have improved since 1996. Lower Grade question papers, which were a feature of the old system, are now only set for special schools. All candidates write Higher and Standard Grade question papers, although candidates can pass on the Lower Grade.

Second, since 1999 the South African Certification Council (SAFCERT) is responsible for assuring the quality of the entire examination process, a task they have undertaken with determination and commitment to international best practice. Examining Bodies can only release their results after they have been certified by the Council, based on reports verifying the integrity of the examination - this is the case with the results we are announcing today. SAFCERT is a statutory body whose Board is representative of all groups and interests. It exercises its mandate of ensuring the fairness, validity and reliability of the examinations with growing skill and confidence. The Board has duly certified the results as fulfilling the criteria laid down.

Third, in the area of marking, examining bodies have shown considerable improvement. Under-qualified and inexperienced teachers have now been excluded from the marking process. In addition, no marker is allowed to mark more than 300 scripts for the entire duration of the marking session. This prevents markers from marking a large number of scripts to ensure a healthy remuneration package, at the expense of quality marking. Furthermore, every single script is checked to ensure that it is marked completely and that the marks are accurately totalled.

Fourth, as part of our strategy to improve learner performance, we are ensuring that our qualifications are internationally comparable through benchmarking our question papers against those of other countries. This year my Department has entered into a contract with the Scottish Quality Authority (SQA) to benchmark our 1999 question papers against the Scottish equivalent qualification.

In conclusion I wish to congratulate those students that have succeeded, their teachers who worked tirelessly to ensure this success, the Provincial staff that provided support to schools as well as the parents that assisted and guided their children through this challenging period. I also want to thank the various teacher trade unions with whom we have had constructive co-operation during the year, including some robust engagement. I look forward to continuing to build this relationship as we develop a common vision for education in South Africa.

To those candidates that have not succeeded, do not be discouraged. With hard work and perseverance you too will achieve success.

Let us remember that changes take place in an incremental way and it is only over some time that the full effects are felt. I believe that we have reached the end of the beginning and in our new democratic society we are starting to see the fruits of our labours. Now we must consolidate and deepen the gains that we have made!

Siyabonga!

Issued by the Ministry of Education

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