A proposal for the two matric exam systems consisting of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) to be amalgamated to form a single system in order to promote equality and eradicate a class-based schooling system has been dismissed by education analysts.
The issue was raised by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi on Tuesday. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he called for “one country, one matric examination”.
Lesufi, who is the former MEC for Education in Gauteng, questioned why the country had two matric exams – one for public schools (NSC) and the other for private schools (IEB), adding that the time has come for all children to write the same exam, like they do at universities and colleges.
“Everything is the same, besides the name of the exam. The pass mark is the same, the curriculum is the same. The standard bearer is the same (Umalusi).
We can’t continue to separate exams on the basis of class, with the rich, semi-rich and poor having different examinations,” said Lesufi.
But education experts dismissed Lesufi’s views, saying vast inequalities in the country’s education sector made it impossible to implement one matric exam system.
Professor Labby Ramrathan, from the School of Education Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said if things were relatively equal in the country, then there would be some merit to what Lesufi is saying.
“The difference between the public schooling system and the independent schooling system is so vast and therefore warrants a differentiated system to match learning experiences.”
Education expert Professor Mary Metcalfe said the country’s education and training system has a rigorous quality assurance process which ensures that qualifications that are awarded by different examining bodies are equivalent in standard.
“This means that the ‘marks’ received, for example, in the IEB NSC and in the DBE NSC are comparable once they have been quality assured by Umalusi.”
Metcalfe added that a change in the matric exams was neither necessary nor desirable.
“The legal frameworks in education have made careful provision for different examining bodies to be permitted to offer the NSC examination – subject to meeting the quality assurance requirements of Umalusi.
Any politician, or member of the public, who believes that there should be only one examination body, needs to know that this would require a change in the legislation which they should initiate.”
Professor Mbulu Madiba, dean of the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University, said combining the two exam systems did not make sense.
“IEB comprises just a fraction of the total number of matric students and merging it with NSC won’t make much difference. What we need is to improve our NSC system to produce enough students who qualify for higher education institutions.”
Madiba added that there was a difference between IEB and NSC standards and expected students’ competencies.
“IEB produces more bachelors than in the NSC system. IEB has more high order questions than the NSC exam papers. In English, for example, IEB has only 20% low order, 40% moderate and 40% high order questions whereas NSC has about 40% low order and moderate questions and only 20% high order questions. Many students in the NSC would struggle to pass the IEB exams.
Bifurcation might not be ideal, but it reflects the reality of our society.”
Professor Michael le Cordeur, vice-dean Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education, at Stellenbosch University, said education in future will become continuously less dependent on exams.
“We are moving towards individual assessments based on individual strengths. So the issue of exams will become less and less important as the world moves towards an exam-less education.”
Umalusi said it would not engage in discussion on having the same matric exams for IEB and NSC.
“Every education entity is according to the Constitution and legislation of South Africa and has a role to play in education.”
When contacted for comment by “The Mercury”, the IEB said it would respond at an appropriate time.
The Mercury