Durban – KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwane on Thursday welcomed the province’s improved matric results, but said it was still embarrassing to have schools where there was a zero percent pass rate among those who wrote the 2016 examinations.
Dlungwane said that a number of measures had been put in place in a bid to improve the performance of the province’s matriculants, which saw the province boost it’s pass rate from 61.6 percent to 69.5 percent.
“It is, however, with deep sense of embarrassment, disappointment and disbelief that in 2016 the province had 9 schools that obtained a 0% pass rate.
The number of 0% pass rate schools only decreased by five from the 14 schools in 2015,” he said, speaking in Durban at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.
He said it was still a concern that there were 215 schools in the province that obtained a pass rate of 30 percent or less.
He said that there were 147 646 matriculants who actually sat the exams.
There were 12 938 progressed learners who wrote the examinations, of whom only 4 495 passed, representing a 34.6 percent pass rate.
Progressed learners are those who have failed Grade 11 twice and have been pushed through to Grade 12, and who are too old to be retained in the school system.
A little under 25 percent of those who passed obtained a bachelor’s pass – or university entrance as it is commonly known.
“We are pleased to announce that the province has improved in the pass percentages in mathematics and physical sciences compared to 2015,” he said.
The mathematics pass rate in the province improved from 33.23 percent to 37.91 percent, while in science it went up to 57.76 percent from 51.81 percent.
There were 85 schools that obtained a 100 percent pass rate, which was up on the 66 schools that achieved the same feat in 2015.
“We congratulate and encourage all the candidates that have passed to pursue further studies towards their bright future.
On the other hand we wish to state that we are very worried about the number of students who failed in 2016 which is alarmingly too high,” he said.