With just three weeks before Grade 12 pupils write their final matric exams, the Eastern Cape department of education is pulling out all the stops in its quest to achieve a 75% pass.
After years of coming last in the matric pass rate in the country, the province achieved a 70.6% pass rate – a 5.6 percentage point (or 8.5%) increase from 2017, the largest improvement in the country.
Provincial education spokes-person Malibongwe Mtima told the Daily Dispatch the department has organised learner camps at schools where pupils attend weekend and extra classes, as it hopes to keep improving their matric pass rate.
The exams run from October 23 to November 28. Mtima said the study camps would take place after school and on Saturdays.
“The additional support is provided by external agencies employed by the department. We will also provide live broadcasting lessons, TV lessons and radio lessons.”
Pupils would practise past question papers.
“This is to ensure that all school-based assessments and practical assessment tasks have been moderated and are ready for handover for resulting,” he said.
The department faced several challenges this year, including inadequate sanitation facilities.
The Dispatch reported last week just under 1,600 of the 5,400 Eastern Cape schools had been red-flagged for having inadequate pit sanitation structures.
A leaked internal provincial education infrastructure report from August revealed toilets in 1,598 schools in the province were sub-standard. The confidential report shows the struggling provincial education department supplied only 169 public schools with sanitation facilities in the 2018/19 financial year.
Mtima defended the department, saying it was running sanitation and infrastructure rollout projects building proper toilets in schools.
A contractor is expected to start building toilets at Lutholi Junior Secondary School in Libode, where a six-year-old Grade 1 pupil was rescued by pupils and teachers after he fell into the hole at the school.
Eastern Cape keen to repeat last year’s matric success
Image: FILE
With just three weeks before Grade 12 pupils write their final matric exams, the Eastern Cape department of education is pulling out all the stops in its quest to achieve a 75% pass.
After years of coming last in the matric pass rate in the country, the province achieved a 70.6% pass rate – a 5.6 percentage point (or 8.5%) increase from 2017, the largest improvement in the country.
Provincial education spokes-person Malibongwe Mtima told the Daily Dispatch the department has organised learner camps at schools where pupils attend weekend and extra classes, as it hopes to keep improving their matric pass rate.
The exams run from October 23 to November 28. Mtima said the study camps would take place after school and on Saturdays.
“The additional support is provided by external agencies employed by the department. We will also provide live broadcasting lessons, TV lessons and radio lessons.”
Pupils would practise past question papers.
“This is to ensure that all school-based assessments and practical assessment tasks have been moderated and are ready for handover for resulting,” he said.
The department faced several challenges this year, including inadequate sanitation facilities.
The Dispatch reported last week just under 1,600 of the 5,400 Eastern Cape schools had been red-flagged for having inadequate pit sanitation structures.
A leaked internal provincial education infrastructure report from August revealed toilets in 1,598 schools in the province were sub-standard. The confidential report shows the struggling provincial education department supplied only 169 public schools with sanitation facilities in the 2018/19 financial year.
Mtima defended the department, saying it was running sanitation and infrastructure rollout projects building proper toilets in schools.
A contractor is expected to start building toilets at Lutholi Junior Secondary School in Libode, where a six-year-old Grade 1 pupil was rescued by pupils and teachers after he fell into the hole at the school.
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