release of the 2007 senior certificate examination results, Sol Plaatje,
Pretoria
28 December 2007
Umalusi has approved the 2007 senior certificate examinations. In their
report Umalusi notes that "generally the papers were of a high standard and
conformed to national policy and guidelines".
The report points to a few concerns that require attention.
These include poor translation of papers, and some basic errors in the
format of question papers.
The examiners, moderators and advisers must be commended on their diligent
efforts at ensuring that from the question paper perspective, South Africa can
claim a high quality process.
On the moderation of internal assessment Umalusi reported that moderation of
internal assessment covered all eleven national subjects. Learner and educator
portfolios from the nine Provincial Departments of Education and the two
independent assessment bodies were moderated. The report finds that ; "some of
the assessment bodies are making remarkable strides in improving the conduct
and management of the internal assessment system as well as its implementation
while others are still experiencing significant challenges at some levels of
implementation". The findings of Umalusi will be used to assist the system to
strengthen this very important part of the Senior Certificate assessment.
The report also covers registration, moderators, marking and other important
aspects of this national exam. We will carefully consider the advice of the
quality assurer and take the steps necessary to enhance the progress achieved
in the last decade.
The report concludes: "On the whole, Umalusi is satisfied that the 2007
examinations were conducted in a manner that renders them fair, valid and
reliable. Umalusi wishes to acknowledge that there were a few reported
irregularities but these were addressed appropriately, and therefore Umalusi
endorses the fact that the credibility of the 2007 examinations is above
reproach."
The teachers, schools and candidates of this year's exam must be
congratulated for having received such a positive report from Umalusi. As you
are all aware, the national pass percentage for 2007 is 65,2%. This is 1,4%
below the pass rate of 2006. It is another decline in the pass rate; a fact
that must cause us all to worry and spur us on to exert even greater effort in
2008 to ensure that many more young people achieve quality passes.
Nevertheless, I offer our congratulations to all those who have passed their
Senior Certificate examinations. To those who did not achieve a pass this year,
I urge you not to despair; I call on you to join us in 2008 in our national
tutorial programme for candidates who did not pass in 2007. Details of each
provincial programme will be announced in all media in the next few weeks. If
you wish to succeed we will provide you with all the necessary help.
The 2007 pass rate is positive in some respects and still negative in a
number of our key performance criteria. While we should celebrate the
successes, our primary response must be our assertion that we will continue to
give emphasis to the implementation of effective strategies that will support
increased success at all levels of schooling. It is clear from various studies
and these results, that quality learning needs to be our concrete objective at
all grades in our schools. A great deal of energy is devoted to grade twelve by
all of us, however all the evidence is pointing much lower and we have to
return our focus to the basics.
Before reflecting on what should happen from January 2008 it is useful to
report on the detail of this year's results.
As I indicated, the national pass rate has declined to 65,2%. There are
several reasons for this. One is that teachers are not yet teaching with the
expectation that we will have tough papers that test high-level cognitive
skills. All of us need to take learning and teaching far more seriously from
grade R to grade 12.
Another is that national and provincial education departments are not
administering or supporting the system with the high levels of administrative
efficiency and service that should accompany a demanding curriculum and a
high-stakes examination. An illustration of this is the fact that many schools
spend two to three terms without textbooks, teachers get very little curriculum
support, and teachers in grade 8 and 9 do not view their teaching as part of a
skills-development continuum feeding into grade 12 and beyond.
Third, teaching time was lost during the public sector strike. While many
schools and teachers made an excellent effort to recover, it is very difficult
to retrieve lost learning time. While the recovery plan seems to have helped,
not all of us took it seriously, and we missed the gains it could have brought
to the learners.
A fourth point is that the poorest schools continue to perform badly. We are
not giving sufficient impetus to the strategies necessary for the eradication
of inequity. The gateway subjects are not being treated as key priorities by
the provinces. We have unqualified teachers in some classrooms, inadequate
laboratories, and negligible support to schools.
Fifth, we still do not have a national challenge to mediocrity and a
commitment to the pursuit of quality outcomes. If all South Africans resolved
to make schools work, South Africa would have a much higher rate of success. We
must get learning and teaching right.
The most striking feature of the grade 12 class of 2007 is that it is the
largest in our history of examining at this level. A total of 564 775
candidates sat for the exam, and 368 217passed. Some 85 454 candidates passed
with endorsement, 376 less than in 2006.
This is a worrying decline as we need to increase the number of candidates
for entry to higher-education programmes. I have directed the Department to
analyse the results of every school to establish exactly which schools are
serial under-performers and also to find out which of our more able schools
have begun to decline into complacency and mediocrity.
I am initiating such a review because there may be some schools that
previously had endorsement passes and now no longer enter candidates to achieve
endorsements.
I also note with some alarm the inadequate progress in our higher grade
passes in mathematics and science. However, as the table below illustrates
there are encouraging signs of progress.
2001
Passed: 277 206
Maths HG: 19,504
Maths SG: 72,301
Total: 91,805
Science HG: 24,280
Science SG: 45,314
Total: 69,594
2002
Passed: 305,774
Maths HG: 20,528
Maths SG: 101,289
Total: 121,817
Science HG: 24,888
Science SG: 70,763
Total: 95,651
2003
Passed: 322,492
Maths HG: 23,412
Maths SG: 104,707
Total: 128,119
Science HG: 26,067
Science SG: 75,693
Total: 101,760
2004
Passed: 330,717
Maths HG: 24,143
Maths SG: 109,664
Total: 133,807
Science HG: 26,975
Science SG: 73,943
Total: 100,918
2005
Passed: 347,184
Maths HG: 26,383
Maths SG: 112,279
Total: 138,662
Science HG: 29,965
Science SG: 73,667
Total: 103,632
2006
Passed: 351,217
Maths HG: 25,217
Maths SG: 110,452
Total: 135,669
Science HG: 29,781
Science SG: 81,151
Total: 110,932
2007
Passed: 368,217
Maths HG: 25,415
Maths SG: 123,813
Total: 149,228
Science HG: 28,122
Science SG: 87,485
Total: 115,607
These results cause the alarm bells to ring very loudly. Our dinaledi
schools initiative must be given focused attention and support by every
province, as must our priority of ensuring that every child studying
mathematics and science has a qualified and competent teacher in their
classroom. As I have stated before we will achieve success in these gateway
subjects once we offer quality maths and science in every secondary school in
South Africa.
The provincial outcomes reveal several negative features and some reasons
for celebration. The Eastern Cape achieves a 57,1% pass rate and 6,466 (9,4%)
endorsement.
Some of you may recall my concern earlier this year at the promotion of
learners who had failed grade 11. We will study the Eastern Cape results with
the province to understand the impact of the grade 11 failures. The Eastern
Cape improved its performance in 2006, and in 2005 I believe that this decline
is a temporary reversal. We will work closely with the province and all
stakeholders to ensure it is a temporary reversal.
Limpopo achieves a pass rate of 57,9%, a slight increase on the 2006 pass
rate of 55,7%. The endorsement passes are 11 333 (11,7%). The province
experienced a significant movement of staff and continues to have gaps at
senior and management levels. These gaps must be addressed and stability
encouraged. Limpopo has traditionally provided a significant number of
endorsements. Thus, the lower number of these passes in 2007 needs to be
attended to in 2008.
Mpumalanga achieves a pass rate of 60,7%, a decline of 4,6% as compared to
2006. Of these 6 561 (12,7%) candidates obtained endorsement, a positive
increase on the 2006 outcome.
North West achieves a pass rate of 67,2%, a 0,2% increase on the 2006
result. Of these 5 061 (15,9%) candidates obtained endorsement, a further
increase on the 2006 performance of candidates in the province.
KwaZulu-Natal achieves a pass rate of 63,8 % a decline of 1,9%. Of these 21
443 candidates (14,5%) obtained endorsement
Free State achieves a pass rate of 70,5%, a decline of 1,7% on the 2006
result. Of these 5 776 (18,9% ) candidates obtained endorsement.
Free State is one of the provinces that seems to consistently do well. We
will be drawing on lessons from their learner-support programme and their
twinning and management mentor initiatives.
Northern Cape achieves a pass rate of 70,3%, a decline of 6,5% on the 2006
result. Of these 1 208 (11,9%) candidates obtained endorsements - this is an
increase on their 2006 endorsement passes.
Gauteng achieves a pass rate of 74,6%, a decline of 3,7% on the 2006 result.
Of these 17 307 (20,4%) candidates obtained endorsement. Gauteng must be
congratulated for the number of endorsements.
Western Cape achieves a pass rate of 80,6%, the top pass rate of all
provinces, yet still a decline of 3,1% on the 2006 result. Of these 10 300
(24,7%) candidates obtained endorsement.
The national pass rate requires concentrated analysis, reflection, and
responses that directly address the inadequacies that are suggested by these
results.
It would be dishonest to attach all blame to the strike, but the lost time
is surely a factor in that time lost was not retrieved in all schools.
Nevertheless, we must admit that the heroic effort and commitment shown by
teachers, officials, and learners during the recovery programme illustrated the
potential we have to achieve high levels of success in education. My thanks and
congratulations to all who joined the effort to support learners to recover
learning time lost during the industrial action. Thanks too to the teachers who
ensured they returned to school to carry on teaching in record time.
One of the key lessons of the post-strike period is the clear indication
that focused attention to learning, teacher presence in class and teaching,
consistent provision of quality learning material, and learner concentration on
learning and studying are key ingredients in achieving success in
education.
If it were possible to replicate the commitment, purpose and effort we saw
during the Saturday programmes, our learners would definitely benefit
handsomely.
However, as I indicated earlier, one event cannot fully explain the results
we have noted this year. The recovery initiatives helped us to avert a
disaster, but they are not the answer to our challenges.
A permanent infusion of quality requires dedicated attention to early
childhood development (ECD), grade R to 9 and grade 10 to 12. It is important
for South Africa to agree that the pursuit and achievement of quality education
is a national priority that we must pursue as part of our joint national
agenda. Every person older than six must have the will and ambition to do well
in school.
All adults should make education their issue. Every stakeholder every person
must begin to ask their local schools to report on progress. Parents must take
a keen and deep interest in success and district offices, teachers and school
principals must internalise the fact that learner performance has to be one of
the key performance measures in education.
Every school should commit to ensuring that basic skills for learning are
provided to every child. Foundation skills of reading, writing and numeracy
must become unambiguous objectives of every primary school. We must eliminate
curriculum jargon that is diverting us from understanding these simple truths.
Learning begins with reading, writing and numeracy. Advanced learning is made
possible through our building on these core skills. Each level, each grade must
emphasise the foundations and significantly add more complex cognitive skilling
as learners rise in the education system.
We have begun to assert these truisms and to implement the necessary
strategies and interventions.
I think that we sometimes take too long debating self-evident practical
things that should be done.
All of us know that the most successful schools use all teaching time
effectively. We know that teachers who know their subjects and strive each year
to improve and renew their knowledge produce the best candidates in our system.
It is well known that well-managed schools that have full stakeholder
participation are the most successful. Further, it is an established fact that
districts that have able professionals who support schools with accurate
information on the curriculum and who provide informed curriculum workshops and
support material assist schools to excel.
Beyond this, support through efficient administration, efficient procurement
and general responsiveness also affects schools positively.
Clearly, then, as we reflect on the 2007 results we must acknowledge this is
a system that still needs increased levels of support and planning if we are to
expand success.
In conclusion, it is fair to comment on the possible impact of the learners
who joined Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and Northern Cape as a result of
cross boundary changes. Each province exerted great effort toward supporting
new schools. As the Northern Cape has indicated, a great effort will be
directed at assisting poorer schools to improve their results in 2008.
The Department should also respond concretely to the recommendations of
Umalusi. We are very appreciative of the work the Council does in assuring
quality. We will work hard at ensuring that the learners of 2008 achieve
increased success at all levels of our system of education; let us make 2008 a
year of quality opportunity and quality outcomes for every learner in every
school.
Issued by: Ministry of Education
28 December 2007
