Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has gone against her party, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) view that the real 2024 matric pass rate is 55.3% and not 87.3% as widely celebrated by citizens.
Gwarube made the official announcement last Monday in Johannesburg. The DA has disputed the results, saying the real pass rate was 55.3%, if you include those who dropped out during their schooling.
At the conclusion of the previous year, a record 87.3% of public school learners who took the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams passed with a passing grade.
Compared to the 2023 group, which received 82.9%, this represents a 4.4% increase.
In an interview on SABC's Face the Nation show, Gwarube said she did not agree with the DA's view on this matter and explained her views.
Gwarube believed that the 2024 results were up to standard.
"I think that we need to differentiate between a pass rate and throughput rate. A throughput rate is the amount of learners who start Grade R or 1 and finish Grade 12.
"Of course, the DA, the party that I come from, has always said we have to take a more quantitative look at the matric pass rate and not only obsess about the results.
"I believe that's what has been done this year and at least in the announcement that I have done, we are not only obsessing about the 87% pass rate, but we are saying let's dig deeper into the quality of the passes," she said.
Despite the criticism, the DA congratulated the Class of 2024 as well as the minister. This was the first time they gave a positive comment on the matric results. It is also the first time the portfolio is headed by a DA minister.
The DA has consistently argued and called for the education minister to tell South Africa the truth about the "real" pass rate.
For this, citizens, including prominent figures, slammed the DA and accused it of being two-faced and only claiming easy victory where they did not put in effort.
The 2024 pass rate is the highest record in South Africa.
IOL Politics