By Director-General Mathanzima Mweli
This year over 800 000 candidates wrote the National Senior Certificate exams. The finals began on October 26 and ended in the last week of November.
On the whole the exams proceeded without major glitches, apart from an exam paper leak in Limpopo. The Department of Basic Education is investigating the leaks and has promised that swift action will be taken against those implicated.
That the leak was uncovered quickly is testament to the processes that have been put in place to assure the integrity of the exams.
The National Senior Certificate exams are the pinnacle of a schooling career that stretches over many years, and are a yardstick of the progress made by individual pupils. However, they are but one component of the education system in South Africa.
Many of the pupils who this past month set down to write their exams no doubt have their sights set on higher education, while others may opt for the entrepreneurial route or take up learnerships and apprenticeships.
Whatever they decide, it is our duty as a nation to ensure that hard-working and ambitious young South Africans are given every opportunity to realise their dreams. We are fortunate to have a very young population which should be regarded as a positive indicator.
This presents a tremendous opportunity for the development of our country. The National Development Plan itself singles out our youthful population as an opportunity to boost economic growth, increase employment and reduce poverty.
One sure way to give every young person a chance of success is through quality and affordable education.
The protests at higher education institutions are a timely reminder that we must do more as a nation to ensure that education is accessible to all deserving students no matter their financial circumstances. If we are to truly move our nation forward we require the intellectual capital of all South Africans and we must therefore find creative ways to ensure that more people can access higher education. The Funza Lushaka Bursary Scheme is but one example of government's commitment to provide funding, especially to those young people wishing to pursue a career in teaching.
At the other end of the spectrum we must continue to prepare pupils for their future by building strong foundations throughout the schooling system. Since 1994 education has been a priority for successive administrations and we have made great strides in ensuring accessible, affordable and quality education to all South Africans. More than 80 percent of our schools (out of 25 000) are no-fee paying schools, an indication of government's commitment to investing in education to ensure that everyone, no matter their circumstance, can rise to the top.
The National School Nutrition Programme now provides more than 9 million pupils daily with a nutritious meal to get them focussed and ready to learn.
There has also been steady progress in dealing with infrastructure backlogs through the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) build programme. To date, the ASIDI programme has delivered 123 state-of-the-art schools. A further 520 schools were provided with water, 395 were given decent sanitation and 293 were connected to the power grid. These interventions have been life-changing to the pupils and teachers at these schools.
All over the system there are genuine signs of education being on the up. This assertion is backed up by upward trajectory of National Senior Certificate results since 1996. The number of students who obtained admission to Bachelor studies in last year’s final exams was over 150 000.
The government is confident that our nation stands poised to reap the benefits of an ever improving education system. However, we must ensure that promising students are empowered to make the leap from basic education to post-school education. The increase in the number of matriculants this year is testimony that the Department of Basic Education's National Learner Attainment Strategy is beginning to yield positive results. There is desire among young people to remain in the schooling system at least until they finish matric.
Whether it be studying at a University or at a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college, taking up an apprenticeship or embarking on entrepreneurial ventures. Whatever students choose we must be prepared to assist so that they can realise their dreams and help to move our economy forward.
At university level enrolments are also on the up. We expect to have enrolments totalling 1.1 million in 2019, up from 983 698 students in 2013. We are also confident that we will achieve the target of 1.6 million students by 2030 as per the National Development Plan.
The government is particularly positive about the role that TVET colleges can play in transforming our economy. Research and experience have shown that skills shortages in South Africa are often linked to a mismatch between education and the required skills that business need. We strongly believe that these colleges can deliver the skills and training that are essential to addressing the skills gap in the economy.
Since 2009 enrolments at TVET colleges has increased from 340 000 to well over 700 000 this year. We are encouraged by this trend and will continue to work to ensure that they become institutions of choice for many young people so that they can obtain the skills needed by our economy. We hope to increase enrolments to about 2.5 million in 2030.
In addition, we have seen the launch of the first two new universities built since 1994. The Sol Plaatje University in the Northern Cape and the University of Mpumalanga are exciting new editions to the higher education landscape. While the Sefako Makgatho Health and Allied Sciences University is a welcome new edition in the medical field.
The government believes there is greater room for the private sector to play a more active role in supporting students through bursaries, financial help or internships. The burden of educating our next generation of leaders must not fall on government or institutions of higher learning alone. By harnessing the collective power of all South Africans we can ensure that students are ready to join the world of work and can do their bit to grow our economy and create jobs.
Mathanzima Mweli is the Director-General of Basic Education.
