Drastic new changes to the matric qualification, proposed in a report by a ministerial commission, could result in lower pass rates and negatively affect the “psyche” of pupils and teachers, parliament heard yesterday.
In 2012, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga requested an investigation into the quality of the matric certificate, the much criticised 30% pass mark and other factors affecting the National Senior Certificate. It was completed earlier this year and considered by parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education yesterday.
Chief director of national assessments and public examinations Rufus Poliah said the commission had made 22 recommendations, of which eight were already being implemented.
Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty told the committee that “broadly, we are in support of the views of the technical committee”.
However, in making the presentation, heavy emphasis was placed on the lowered pass rate as an implication of the changes. The report suggests changes to the required pass rates for the various types of National Senior Certificates, the removal of life orientation as an examinable Grade 12 subject and an increase in the standards and requirements for the language of learning and teaching.
Maths literacy should remain available, but a third, technical maths subject should be introduced, the committee also heard. Pupils writing for the Higher Education Certificate, the Diploma Certificate and the Bachelor’s certificate would all need to score higher marks under the new recommendations.
Poliah said the removal of life orientation as a subject “will affect the pass rate” and the changes to the higher certificate, diploma and bachelor marks would result in less pupils attaining these qualifications.
The report also found that proficiency in the language of learning and teaching, which in the majority of schools in South Africa, is English, needed to be increased.
To do this, pass marks would need to be revised and the “cognitive challenge”, or difficulty of testing, would need to be revised.
Poliah said that currently, testing was designed to include 40% of lower order type questions which involved “direct recall”, 40% middle order or “comprehension” style questions and 20% higher order questions which test evaluation, application and synthesis.
Under the new recommendations, testing would consist of only a total of 30% lower and middle order questioning and 70% higher level questions.
Proposed reforms ‘could lower matric pass rate’
In 2012, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga requested an investigation into the quality of the matric certificate, the much criticised 30% pass mark and other factors affecting the National Senior Certificate. It was completed earlier this year and considered by parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education yesterday.
Chief director of national assessments and public examinations Rufus Poliah said the commission had made 22 recommendations, of which eight were already being implemented.
Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty told the committee that “broadly, we are in support of the views of the technical committee”.
However, in making the presentation, heavy emphasis was placed on the lowered pass rate as an implication of the changes. The report suggests changes to the required pass rates for the various types of National Senior Certificates, the removal of life orientation as an examinable Grade 12 subject and an increase in the standards and requirements for the language of learning and teaching.
Maths literacy should remain available, but a third, technical maths subject should be introduced, the committee also heard. Pupils writing for the Higher Education Certificate, the Diploma Certificate and the Bachelor’s certificate would all need to score higher marks under the new recommendations.
Poliah said the removal of life orientation as a subject “will affect the pass rate” and the changes to the higher certificate, diploma and bachelor marks would result in less pupils attaining these qualifications.
The report also found that proficiency in the language of learning and teaching, which in the majority of schools in South Africa, is English, needed to be increased.
To do this, pass marks would need to be revised and the “cognitive challenge”, or difficulty of testing, would need to be revised.
Poliah said that currently, testing was designed to include 40% of lower order type questions which involved “direct recall”, 40% middle order or “comprehension” style questions and 20% higher order questions which test evaluation, application and synthesis.
Under the new recommendations, testing would consist of only a total of 30% lower and middle order questioning and 70% higher level questions.
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