Two districts in the Eastern Cape – Graaff-Reinet and Cradock – emerged as the surprise packages when we announced the National Senior Certificate exam results this week.
Yes, this is from a province that is listed as the worst performer with a pass rate of 63.3% – a less than desirable position to be in compared with the Free State, which saw 93.2% out of the 26 786 Grade 12 learners that sat to write the exams passing to make it the best performing province.
When progressed learners are included, the pass rate for the Eastern Cape stands at 59.3%, which is an improvement of 2.5% from the 2015 pass rate of 56.8%.
Out of the 82 902 candidates who sat to write exams in the Eastern Cape, 14 289 of these were progressed learners – resulting in an increase of 1 985 progressed learners.
The other two provinces that featured at the bottom three are Limpopo, with a pass rate of 62.5%, down from the 2015 pass rate of 65.9%, while KwaZulu-Natal achieved a pass rate of 66.4% – an improvement from the 60.7% Grade 12 learners who passed the year before.
The Free State was the best-performing province with a pass rate of 88.2%, up from the 81.6% that was achieved in 2015. Just under 27 000 Grade 12 learners sat to write exams in the province.
The Western Cape was the second best- performing province with 85.9% out of the 50 869 learners who sat to write exams passing Grade 12.
This is an improvement from the 84.7% who passed in 2015.
In Gauteng, 85.1% of the 103 829 students who wrote exams passed in 2016, a 0.9% improvement from 2015. Of significance is that Gauteng produced 37 582 bachelor passes in 2016 – the largest number of bachelor passes produced nationally.
Overall, the pass rate for the 2016 National Senior Certificate examinations stands at 72.5%, including progressed learners – which is an improvement from the 70.7% pass rate for 2015.
Out of the 82 902 students who wrote exams in the Eastern Cape, 15 645, or 18.9%, achieved attained bachelor passes.
Approximately 16.3% achieved a higher certificate pass, while 24.1% of the Grade 12 learners got a diploma pass.
Nationally, the number of learners qualifying for admission to bachelor studies is 162 374, while the number of passes with a diploma is 179 619. Approximately 100 486 passed with a Higher Certificate qualification, while 68 passed with a National Senior Certificate.
It is perhaps encouraging that while a lot clearly still needs to be done to improve the quality of learning and teaching in the province, the interventions that have been rolled out are starting to bear fruit.
While the improvement is encouraging, a frank assessment needs to be done if the situation in the Eastern Cape is to be turned around.
The Eastern Cape remains a province with districts that have not performed well.
While the Free State and the Western Cape have produced the most number of best-performing districts, the Eastern Cape does not feature in the top 10.
There were five districts which performed below 50%, and all of them are in the Eastern Cape.
There are eight districts that performed between 50% and 59.9%. Four of these are also in the Eastern Cape.
It is for this reason that I was surprised and impressed by the achievements of Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, because we also tracked reports of mathematics, physical science, accounting and life sciences.
Cradock was the best-performing district in the Eastern Cape with a pass rate of 81%.
And we were surprised that Graaff-Reinet, on the other hand, led nationally in terms of physical science passes.
So even in the midst of those difficulties in the province, there are schools and districts that really fought very hard.
The usual culprits like Butterworth did not do very well but we will support them.
I am very hopeful this time around for the Eastern Cape. I think they are really starting to settle down and recommit themselves to do things vastly differently.
This goes to show that there are green shoots in the Eastern Cape.
Districts have fared better this time around and this is due to the amount of support programmes and interventions from the national department.
We have adopted a much more hands-on approach wherein, over the past two years, the national department undertook to work directly with districts to support them so that once the province provides support, we also provide extra support.
So this coordination at district level is very helpful.
Districts are an important support mechanism to schools, and their continued growth in performance will continuously be monitored at provincial and national levels.
The Eastern Cape received the best learner support interventions, with an increased focus on progressed learners and high achievers, with the department also tracking learner performance.
The province also received specific and targeted programmes ranging from the Start-up campaigns to the Last Push campaigns directed at Grade 12 learners.
The national department intensified its monitoring and accountability sessions with provinces, districts and schools.
While what happened with the Cradock and Graaff-Reinet districts is encouraging, we need to do much more to improve the learner outcomes in the province.
Motshekga is the Minister of Basic Education
Islands of excellence in EC
Yes, this is from a province that is listed as the worst performer with a pass rate of 63.3% – a less than desirable position to be in compared with the Free State, which saw 93.2% out of the 26 786 Grade 12 learners that sat to write the exams passing to make it the best performing province.
When progressed learners are included, the pass rate for the Eastern Cape stands at 59.3%, which is an improvement of 2.5% from the 2015 pass rate of 56.8%.
Out of the 82 902 candidates who sat to write exams in the Eastern Cape, 14 289 of these were progressed learners – resulting in an increase of 1 985 progressed learners.
The other two provinces that featured at the bottom three are Limpopo, with a pass rate of 62.5%, down from the 2015 pass rate of 65.9%, while KwaZulu-Natal achieved a pass rate of 66.4% – an improvement from the 60.7% Grade 12 learners who passed the year before.
The Free State was the best-performing province with a pass rate of 88.2%, up from the 81.6% that was achieved in 2015. Just under 27 000 Grade 12 learners sat to write exams in the province.
The Western Cape was the second best- performing province with 85.9% out of the 50 869 learners who sat to write exams passing Grade 12.
This is an improvement from the 84.7% who passed in 2015.
In Gauteng, 85.1% of the 103 829 students who wrote exams passed in 2016, a 0.9% improvement from 2015. Of significance is that Gauteng produced 37 582 bachelor passes in 2016 – the largest number of bachelor passes produced nationally.
Overall, the pass rate for the 2016 National Senior Certificate examinations stands at 72.5%, including progressed learners – which is an improvement from the 70.7% pass rate for 2015.
Out of the 82 902 students who wrote exams in the Eastern Cape, 15 645, or 18.9%, achieved attained bachelor passes.
Approximately 16.3% achieved a higher certificate pass, while 24.1% of the Grade 12 learners got a diploma pass.
Nationally, the number of learners qualifying for admission to bachelor studies is 162 374, while the number of passes with a diploma is 179 619. Approximately 100 486 passed with a Higher Certificate qualification, while 68 passed with a National Senior Certificate.
It is perhaps encouraging that while a lot clearly still needs to be done to improve the quality of learning and teaching in the province, the interventions that have been rolled out are starting to bear fruit.
While the improvement is encouraging, a frank assessment needs to be done if the situation in the Eastern Cape is to be turned around.
The Eastern Cape remains a province with districts that have not performed well.
While the Free State and the Western Cape have produced the most number of best-performing districts, the Eastern Cape does not feature in the top 10.
There were five districts which performed below 50%, and all of them are in the Eastern Cape.
There are eight districts that performed between 50% and 59.9%. Four of these are also in the Eastern Cape.
It is for this reason that I was surprised and impressed by the achievements of Graaff-Reinet and Cradock, because we also tracked reports of mathematics, physical science, accounting and life sciences.
Cradock was the best-performing district in the Eastern Cape with a pass rate of 81%.
And we were surprised that Graaff-Reinet, on the other hand, led nationally in terms of physical science passes.
So even in the midst of those difficulties in the province, there are schools and districts that really fought very hard.
The usual culprits like Butterworth did not do very well but we will support them.
I am very hopeful this time around for the Eastern Cape. I think they are really starting to settle down and recommit themselves to do things vastly differently.
This goes to show that there are green shoots in the Eastern Cape.
Districts have fared better this time around and this is due to the amount of support programmes and interventions from the national department.
We have adopted a much more hands-on approach wherein, over the past two years, the national department undertook to work directly with districts to support them so that once the province provides support, we also provide extra support.
So this coordination at district level is very helpful.
Districts are an important support mechanism to schools, and their continued growth in performance will continuously be monitored at provincial and national levels.
The Eastern Cape received the best learner support interventions, with an increased focus on progressed learners and high achievers, with the department also tracking learner performance.
The province also received specific and targeted programmes ranging from the Start-up campaigns to the Last Push campaigns directed at Grade 12 learners.
The national department intensified its monitoring and accountability sessions with provinces, districts and schools.
While what happened with the Cradock and Graaff-Reinet districts is encouraging, we need to do much more to improve the learner outcomes in the province.
Motshekga is the Minister of Basic Education
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