The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) welcomes the announcement of the 2011 National Senior Certificate Grade 12 examination results. We also commend the Department of Basic Education for their on-going efforts and commitment to improving the matric pass rate and importantly the long-term strategy to improve the quality of education.
This year’s improvement of the national pass rate by 2.4% from 67.8% in 2010 to 70.2%, in 2011 demonstrates a positive response to the various measures undertaken by the Department of Basic Education, Government and all stakeholders towards improving education.
“We believe that among other interventions, the launch of the Strategic Planning Framework for Teacher Education and Development which places teachers at the centre of on-going development while providing for their active participation will also ensure that teachers are professional and able to impart the necessary educational skills and knowledge to learners,” says NYDA Executive Chairperson Andile Lungisa.
Lungisa says, this will not only guarantee a transfer of the best knowledge and skills to learners, but will also ensure that schools become centres of excellence where learners are encouraged to learn and teachers are able to effectively educate. Parents, Churches, Teacher Unions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), student organisations, the private sector and learners must also support the government’s vision of improving quality education to ensure the country’s developmental goals.
“We congratulate the matric class of 2011 including learners who wrote their exams under the Independent Examinations Board for co-operating with their teachers and dedicating their time to study and pass.
You have done the nation proud, you can now go and explore the many options at your disposal, priority which should be further education”, says Lungisa. It is also commendable to learn that the percentage of Grade 12 learners who qualified for Bachelors studies has increased from 23.5% in 2010 to 24.3% in 2011, thus indicating that more young people will be eligible to access university education. However, more remains to be done in ensuring that those who access university remain in those institutions and complete their studies.
All learners that did not pass matric this year can still do so in the coming year as they also have a number of options at their disposal including re-writing their exams. The NYDA also offers assistance including career guidance in all its branches across the country and young people are therefore encouraged to get in-touch with the closest NYDA branch starting from 09 January 2012.
The NYDA further wishes to implore the department of basic education to intensify on qualitative input in education to ensure that more learners are able to achieve university entry to pursue their dreams and those of their nation. We also appeal to continue focussing on the Triple T: Teachers, Textbooks and Time; teachers must be at school, in class, on time, teaching for at least seven hours a day.
We also challenge the Class of 2012 to improve on the 2011 results and to focus on achieving more than the minimum pass rate. “Lastly we wish to reiterate the important notion that education must become a societal issue that involves the broader community to ensure that young people are encouraged at all levels to make education a priority towards a better life,” concludes Lungisa.
For media enquiries contact:
Siyabonga Magadla
National Youth Development Agency
Cell: 083 686 9016
Refilwe Mphane
National Youth Development Agency
Cell: 084 308 5860
