South Africa’s 50% matric pass mark proposal is just a dream

When I wrote my matric many years ago, I knew exactly what the requirements were to pass matric so that I could be admitted to university, which at that time would have been a first for my family.

First, I had to pass my home language with 50%. I also had to pass a second language (English) with 40% and three other high credit subjects with 40% (for me, these were biology, mathematics and accounting). I could also pass one of my six subjects (history) with just 33⅓%.

Now compare that with a Bachelor’s pass today (required to go to university).

Essentially, there is very little difference between the university admission requirements 49 years ago and the requirements today. The main difference is that back then, we could pass one subject with one-third (33⅓%) compared with two subjects, which you can now pass with 30%.

A matric learner can also pass matric with a Diploma, Higher or National Certificate. It is important to note that for these qualifications, matric learners may pass more than one subject with 30%, BUT you cannot pass ALL subjects with 30%. It is much more nuanced. Any qualification is subject to other requirements, such as 40% for the home language and 40% for at least three or two other subjects. Also, note that this does not provide admission to university.

The debate stems from a resolution proposed by Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane to raise the pass rate to 50%. He argued that South Africa had to set higher expectations for its matriculants if we wanted to build a competitive generation. Certain political parties like the EFF and MKP even linked the 30% pass rate to a return to “Bantu education” and “Apartheid education”. However, Parliament rejected the motion by a large majority.

Misinformation

We must be vigilant against the spread of misinformation on social media. As can be seen in the tables above, it is not true that a student can pass all their subjects with 30% and still write matric behind their name. A pass mark of 30% is also not a new fad of the ANC government. As mentioned above, it has always been (and is widely accepted) that you don’t have to pass all subjects with a high mark; we all had a subject (for me, it was History) that you did not like.

The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, emphasised during her reply that there was no overall 30% pass rate for the matric exams. According to her, only 189 of the 724,000 students who wrote matric last year passed with this absolute minimum.

The rest of the world?

For a broader perspective, it is useful to look at what is happening elsewhere in the world. There are generally three levels. The first is a pass rate of 50% in countries such as Australia, Canada and many European countries. This is also the borderline between passing and failing at South African universities.

The second group maintains a pass rate of 40%: these are countries such as Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and notably, Zimbabwe. The third group maintains a pass rate of 60%, including countries such as the US, China, the Netherlands and Morocco. There are also outliers such as the Philippines (72%) and certain US states (65%).

South Africa’s failure rate of 29% is therefore among the lowest; lower than India’s 33% and equivalent to Myanmar’s 29%.

Alternative assessment

Time, however, does not stand still. Everyone with an interest in education should take note that the modern world is moving away from formal exams and tests. A country like Austria has already begun to replace pass rates and symbols with more descriptive forms of achievement, such as “very good”, “satisfactory”, or “very poor”.

Japan, one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, takes the lead in this regard. Students are not subjected to tests and exams until they reach high school.

The Japanese believe there are more important things a child should learn. Values such as:

1. Kindness and respect for older people;
2. Learning to work as a team without giving up their independence (schools in Japan do not have cleaners, and students must clean the classrooms and toilets themselves);
3. Teaching appreciation and a love for the environment and nature from a young age;
4. Students learn for knowledge and skills, not for grades and symbols; and
5. Values like punctuality, diligence and dedication.

Thanks to this approach, discipline in Japanese schools is among the best in the world.

Pressure on the government

There is a good reason the ANC and the DA (the main partners in the Government of National Unity) voted for the motion. First, enforcing a pass rate of 50% in every subject is a nice dream because, as I have pointed out here, only developed countries can maintain 50% or more.

This is because it puts a lot of pressure on the government to create a school environment that is conducive to learning. There isn’t enough space to list everything, and I mention just a few:

Can we really expect poor students to achieve 50% in every subject if they don’t have textbooks? Only one in four schools in South Africa has enough books. Can children really perform their best if they are sitting in classes of as many as 120 learners? (I witnessed this with my own eyes when I conducted research in the Eastern Cape). What about individual attention? With all the violence currently prevailing in schools, where students and teachers put their lives at risk, students cannot perform to their true potential because the school environment is not safe. Entire pages have been written about the government’s failure to build enough schools, with little improvement. And the list goes on.

Just a dream

Fixing all of this will cost a lot of money, money that we do not have. With all its debt, South Africa is simply not able to establish an environment conducive to learning that would make a 50% pass rate possible. To mention but one example: the government is struggling to get its Grade R programme, which is now compulsory due to the Bela Act, off the ground.

To sum up: You cannot fault the noble purpose of Maimane’s proposal. South Africa already has a reputation as a country with a poor education system.

However, the opposite of “Apartheid education” is not that every child must pass every subject with 50%. Nor is it that everyone must go to university. Yes, we need doctors and teachers, but we also need artisans to build hospitals and schools. Our goal must be to give every child the opportunity to be the best they can be within their abilities and interests.

I too believe that a pass mark of 30% is too low to pass a subject in matric. A pass mark of 40% is more in line with the international standard. However, this squarely places the pressure on the government to ensure that the school environment is conducive to effective learning.

From where I stand, our country has neither the money nor the political will to make it possible. A pass mark of 50%, noble as it may be, currently seems to be just a dream. DM

Professor Michael le Cordeur is Emeritus Professor of Education at Stellenbosch University and chair of the Foundation for Empowerment through Afrikaans.