Matric results praise for Khayelitsha, Manenberg
MOST high schools in the impoverished Western Cape township of Khayelitsha recorded improvements in their 2013 matric results, the provincial education department said on Tuesday.
The Western Cape recorded a pass rate of 85.1%, up from the previous year's 82.8%.
Like the majority of schools in poor communities in the country, those in Khayelitsha, a sprawling township on the outskirts of Cape Town, are generally underresourced and understaffed - factors that affect academic performance.
The department says it invests most of its resources in poorer communities such as Khayelitsha. The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape has in the past accused the Democratic Alliance-led provincial government of "neglecting" poor schools since taking over the province in 2009.
Western Cape education MEC Donald Grant said on Tuesday that the pass rate in the 21 schools in Khayelitsha had improved from 53.6% in 2009 to 74.2% in 2013 - an increase of more than 20 percentage points in five years. In the past year, the pass rate had improved 4 percentage points, from 70.2% in 2012.
He also said the number of bachelor's degree passes in Khayelitsha had gone up from 305 in 2009 to 821 in 2013. The average percentage of bachelor's degree passes has increased steadily, from 12.3% in 2009 to 25.1% last year.
Mr Grant said the number of underperforming schools in Khayelitsha had dropped from 15 in 2009 to four in 2013. Schools achieving a matric pass rate of less than 60% are considered to be underperforming.
"One school in Khayelitsha that has done particularly well in 2013 is Intlanganiso Secondary," he said. "The school achieved a 94.1% pass rate, up from 69.6% the previous year." The school also increased its percentage of bachelor's degree passes from 14.1% to 27.4%.
The Centre for Science and Technology, a specialist maths and science secondary school in Khayelitsha, achieved a 100% pass rate.
Manenberg successTwo schools in Manenberg also recorded higher pass rates. As gang violence spiralled in the Cape Flats last year, the provincial government took the "extraordinary" decision to temporarily close schools in Manenberg, fearing for the safety of pupils.
"These three schools - Manenberg High, Silverstream High and Phoenix High - were all affected by prolonged gang violence that impinged on, and disrupted, teaching and learning time," Mr Grant said.
He said the provincial education department had arranged for learners from these schools to receive additional tuition and implemented additional support measures.
Manenberg High recorded a 63.9% pass rate, slightly lower than the 64.6% it achieved in 2012. Silverstream High reached a 69.1% pass rate, up from 34.2% in 2012, and Phoenix High had 68.9%, up from 60.7% in 2012.
"While we saw a very slight decrease in Manenberg High's results, the other two schools had significant increases, particularly Silverstream High, which improved its results by 100%," Mr Grant said.
In 2012, Silverstream High achieved the lowest percentage pass rate in the province.
"I admire the determination of the learners and educators at these schools to improve on their results even under very difficult circumstances," the MEC said.
DA, ANC reactionMeanwhile, DA leader Helen Zille on Tuesday called for an independent audit of matric results.
"The government must act urgently to independently verify the credibility of the National Senior Certificate examination results and of all future matric results," she said.
Ms Zille said provincial education departments are solely responsible for appointing markers and marking matric exams. "Exam papers are not marked by a central national body. This means the quality of marking cannot be guaranteed and is not adequately or comparatively standardised around the country."
She said matric markers were not tested for their competency, their subject knowledge or for their ability to interpret answers phrased differently from the exam memorandum.
"The Western Cape is the only provincial government that conducts rigorous competency tests for its matric markers," Ms Zille said.
She said the investigation the DA was requesting should have the authority to determine whether marking in the various provincial departments was done competently, whether the quality of marking across the country was sufficiently standardised, and whether there was any evidence of schools and provincial departments engaging in "culling" - the practice of pushing academically weak students out of the system before they reach the Grade 12 exams.
The Western Cape ANC said on Tuesday that it was disappointed that the province had "again slipped back and could not even make it among the first three provinces in the country on the result list of the matriculation".
"The Western Cape lost its first place of 2011 to Gauteng in 2012 and now ended in fourth place," said ANC provincial leader Marius Fransman.
"The facts are that under the ANC the Western Cape had the highest matric pass rate (85% with an average of 82% over the five years) and under the DA it fell to 76% (2009 and 2010)."
Mr Fransman added: "The ANC agrees that more than just mere numbers in the pass rate is important. The ANC would like to see more critical indicators in especially poor areas to be taken into consideration ... Far too many learners fall behind in the lower foundation-phase grades and are never assisted to catch up again to learn to properly read, write and calculate."
He said this was mainly due to the "fact that two educational worlds still exist in the province ... in the leafy areas, elitist former model-C schools thrive with every possible amenity, while on the other end are those that serve people trapped in poverty with little - if any - support."
Mr Fransman said the Western Cape was still plagued by the "highest dropout figure in the country and the DA failed to produce a provincial plan to ensure especially rural learners stay in school longer in order to improve their lives too".
http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2014/01/07/matric-results-praise-for-khayelitsha-manenberg