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30 December 2008

Eastern Cape Premier Mbulelo Sogoni has expressed dissatisfaction with the 50.6 percent pass rate that the province attained in the 2008 matric examinations. Premier Sogoni was speaking during the matric examination announcement ceremony held in East London today. He said “While we sincerely congratulate all our achievers in the 2008 matric class, we are certainly not happy with the overall 2008 Grade 12 results. 50 percent is not good enough for the Eastern Cape. We do not deserve to be last all the time.”

Premier Sogoni urged all education stakeholders in the province to put their efforts together to ensure that the class of 2009 does better than the 50 percent pass rate. “We need to do proper planning and resource deployment for effective teaching and learning to take place on day one and all days of the school year across all grades,” he said.

Of the 60 297 learners who wrote the exams in the Eastern Cape, 30 494 passed, which constitutes 50.6 percent. The province has significant improvements in terms of statistical highlights for this year. For instance, 8 662 learners met requirements for admission to study for a bachelor’s degree, which makes up 14.3 percent of the total number of this year’s learners; this is a marked improvement from last year’s 9.3 percent mark for endorsed learners. Also for the first time in the history of education in the province, a student from the historically disadvantaged schools has made it to the top three provincial overall achievers.

Premier Sogoni encouraged all the learners who did not pass this year to try again next year. “You are still the architect of your own future and master of your own destiny. You still have the opportunity to pick up the pieces and try again; with more tenacity and wisdom of doing better and correcting what you did wrong,” he said.

Meanwhile Eastern Cape Education MEC Mahlubandile Qwase cautioned against the comparison of this year’s results to that of last year. "This exam has been a benchmark. This has been a new curriculum; we can not therefore compare these results with those of previous years." MEC Qwase announced that unsuccessful learners would be allowed to return back to class next year. "As government we have a responsibility to ensure that we assist these learners to complete their studies. I know this will not go down well with our principals but it is the right and noble thing to do."

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Issued by: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
30 December 2008
Source: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www. ecprov.gov.za)