Picture: Learners receive awards during autumn camp/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi has awarded well-deserving learners certificates across the province on 2 April 2023. According to Motsumi, these learners worked hard during the end of the Grade 12 Autumn Camps.
“In the efforts of improving the matric performance, the department held intervention camps with the Grade 12 learners.
“The primary objective is to assist those schools, which have not done well since the beginning of the year. On the arrival of learners in the different camps, they were subjected to write a pre-test to assess them with their challenges in different subjects,” she said.
Motsumi further said, the teachers would treat problematic areas observed from the test. She added that the department intervened immediately at the beginning of the year to help the Class of 2023.
“As the department, we are serious about the issue of improving the results. We want to see our province improve from position five to position one at the end of the year.
“I told all principals and teachers that, this year should be business unusual. We should make the community of North West proud with our results,” said Motsumi.
She was also happy to see the best-performing learners and schools receiving certificates at the end of the camps. Motsumi said, the performance of the learners showed a great improvement in the post-test, unlike when they arrived at the camps.
“Schools should work on the gaps identified at the camps. Principals of the different schools were present during the awarding ceremony to congratulate learners on a good performance,” she said.
The Class of 2022 received 79.8% during the matric results announcement in January 2023, Motsumi said, even though the province received 79.8% and occupied position five, the class of 2022 showed resolute character, tenacity, and resilience.
She lauded the Grade 12 learners for not allowing any external force to derail them.
“It is true that darkest nights produce brightest stars. You prevailed over the stark realities stemming from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing lockdown restrictions.
“We also experienced load-shedding, inclement weather, floods, and community service delivery protests that could have easily taken you off the rails of achieving your academic goals,” said Motsumi.
She said, even though there are challenges, her department is a system on the rise. Motsumi said to this end, they have invested in the learners.
However, the Democratic Alliance’s Member of Provincial Legislature (MPL) in North West, Winston Rabotapi who is also DA’s provincial spokesperson on Education said, almost 30 000 learners dropped out of school before reaching matric.
“Even though the North West Department of Education recorded 79.8%, the pass rate does not account for the 27,243 learners who dropped out of the school system since Grade 10 in 2020.
“Considering the high drop-out rate, the real matric pass rate in North West is actually 49.2% This means that half of the 71 066 pupils who began Grade 10 in 2020, failed to complete matric,” he said.
Rabotapi said it is also disappointing to see North West province further drop in its provincial ranking from being in position 4 in 2021 to the 5th spot in 2022.
“The DA will engage Motsumi to establish a system to account for all learners who drop out of the school system before completing their final matric examinations,” said Rabotapi.
The Guardian 