Reacting to the 2013 Matric results IFPYB National Chairperson, Mkhuleko Hlengwa MP, said “The IFPYB congratulates the class of 2013, particularly those who have defeated mountainous odds to attain excellent results. We wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”
He continued, “However, we cannot ignore the grave realities confronting our education system in that 30% remains the baseline pass. Therefore, we cannot celebrate quantity at the expense of quality. We must, as a matter of urgency, rise above the fixation of percentages and aspire to achieve a qualitative pass.”
Hlengwa added that the 78,2% pass rate, in the face of the low standards of the education, at best gives the country a ‘feel-good’ syndrome that things are hunky-dory, whereas they are not.
“We are doing our future a major disservice by continuously resisting quality education. Our education system needs a serious overhaul, and doing away with maths-literacy would be a good start,” said Hlengwa.
The IFPYB supports the efforts of the Department of Basic Education seeking to improve the educational plight of learners living with disabilities, while it maintains the view that the issue of drop-outs must receive urgent attention because it continues to be a major problem particularly for nation building.
Said Hlengwa, “We are confronted with a sad situation where the number of matric candidates are always half of those who had started grade 1, twelve years earlier. This speaks to an education system with a poor learner retention capability.”
The IFPYB congratulates the Class of 2013 and we wish to thank all teachers, parents, and all communities who have ensured that young South Africans go to school and prioritise their school work.
“To those who did not make it please know that this is not the end. Very often in life a “fail” at anything is a first attempt at learning. Seize the challenge, and do not give up,” concluded Hlengwa.
Congratulations to Matrics but we still have a long way to go