Mary Metcalfe
Because the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results have great significance in the lives of individuals and families, SA celebrates the release of the results. We know that futures are determined by this rite of passage that makes an absolute difference to life chances, to opportunities for further study and any hope of employment.
But the annual ritual of the matric results announcement has assumed an exaggerated significance and is a distraction from our real education challenges
Whether the pass is 77%, 79% or 81%, the real figures to which we should be holding ourselves accountable for the improvements on which our future so crucially depends are 22%, 35%, 46%, 61%. We must expect regular high-profile reports to the nation on progress relative to these four figures.
There are four key distractions in the annual NSC ritual.
First, education improvement is a long, hard process and expectations of sudden shifts are unrealistic. Between 2010 and 2017, the range of the overall pass mark was between 68% and 78%, and the average was 73%. The 2018 pass mark topped this range at 78.2%.
Second, the national matric pass rate does not tell the story of all our children but of only the 60% (at most) who stay long enough to write the NSC – and with a pass rate of 80% the celebrations are for no more than 46% of our children. All children should leave school with a certificate indicating some form of achievement, but more than 50% leave with a sense of failure and an uncertain future.