RESILIENT CLASS OF 2020 - RISES TO THE TOP AGAINST ALL ODDS - The secret behind Free State and Gauteng's 8 years of excellence - Inside Education
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The secret behind Free State and
Gauteng's 8 years of excellence
RESILIENT CLASS OF 2020
RISES TO THE TOP AGAINST ALL ODDS
Brought to you in partnership with MTN.
February 2021
The Class of 2020 defies Covid19 odds
to shine
THEBE MABANGA
The unveiling of the National 2008, this year’s -pass rate is “The latest release of the TIMSS
Senior Certificate results this nowhere near the lowest as 2019, explained that in the
week, which showed that the feared. The nadir was reached in context of many forms of
class of 2020 attained 76, 2% 2009, the second year of the inequalities, the education
pass rate down from last year’s NSC, when the rate was 60,6%. system continues to improve on
record 81,3%, should be viewed From there, the pass rate rose- its achievements, and continues
as a significant development only to dip slightly in 2015 to bridge gaps on disciplinary
milestone for South Africa. To before going on an upward knowledge and educational
administer an examination for 1 climb to last year’s record before outcomes.” The minister noted:
million candidates, including the being pegged back by “From 2003 to 2019, the Mathe-
May/June candidates and COVID-19. matics and Science achieve-
progressed learners with the ments, increased by 104 points
backdrop of the coronavirus Motshekga offered evidence of and 102 points, respectively.”
pandemic, is nothing short of South Africa’s improved perfor- The Free State and Gauteng
remarkable. The Independent mance in international bench- remained the country’s leading
Examination Board (IEB), which marks such as Trends in Interna- provinces on matric pass rates at
caters mostly for private schools tional Mathematics and Science above 80%, although both had
had to cater for 12 000 candi- Study (TIMSS). experienced declines of 3,2%
dates throughout Southern and 3,5% respectively
Africa with immense dedicated
resources.
Announcing the results on
Monday, Basic Education Minis-
ter Angie Motshekga started off
by restating South Africa’s goal
in education as stated in the
National Development Plan: “by
2030, South Africans should
have access to education and
training of the highest quality,
leading to significantly
improved learner outcomes,” the
minister said “The performance
of South African learners in
international standardised tests,
should be comparable to the
performance of learners from Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga and Gauteng
countries at a similar level of Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi with one of the top
development and with similar achievers during the official announcement of the
levels of access”. 2020 matric results on Monday
Since the introduction of the
National Senior Certificate in
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February 2021
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga
A closer scrutiny of the perfor- Maths and Science, two subjects programmes and offering
mance from the Department’s that threatened to taint the learners social interaction they
School Report and School 2020 exam and had to be would otherwise be deprived of.
Subject Report in other key settled through a court chal- This raises the question of how
subjects and indicators shows, lenge, saw a fall in pass rates, much and how quickly the
at best, a mixed bag of results. supporting the quality assur- country should invest in online
An analysis of the 11 most ance body uMalusi’s view that learning resources to attach for
popular subjects in the five year there were no widespread virtual learning which would
between 2016 and 2020 shows a irregularities in the exam. The impose increased cost of child-
combination of steady upward Maths pass rate stood at 53.8%, care and feeding cost on
progress, stagnation and slight down from 54.6% in 2019, while parents.
regression in others, even before the pass rate for physical science
taking coronavirus into account. stood at 65.8%, a decline from Motshekga pointed out a range
Accounting for example had a the 75.5% in 2019. Over the of interventions that were out in
pass rate of 69.5% in 2016, five-year period, the maths pass place to support the class of
followed by a slight dip to 66,1% rate was highest in 2018 at 58% 2020. These include supplemen-
before increasing over 70% in while physical science was also tary study materials, extra
the last three years with this the highest in that same year, at classes on Saturdays and holi-
year’s 75,5%- a 3-percentage 74%. days as well as radio broadcast,
point fall from last year’s 78,4 %. including the private sector
Business studies started at 73,4 Covid19 exposed the Fault lines driven National Education
% in 2016, before dipping to that in South Africa and many Collaborative Trust NECT). The
reach 64,9% in 2018 before developing countries, schools reality is that these interven-
climbing to 71% in 2019 and are more than just channels to tions, like the Covid Relief R350
reaching a notable 77.9 % last deliver education- they also play grant, will need to be kept in
year. the role of childcare for younger pace for longer if not perma-
learners, delivery of nutrition nently.
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February 2021
Motshekga expressed relief that now remains to be seen how candidates, wrote the requisite
Umalusi approved the exam, universities will treat this year’s seven subjects during the 2020
following the department’s NSC examinations, with 3016
failure to enforce a rewrite of Maths and Science pass at obtaining bachelor passes. “The
leaked Maths and Science admission stage. significance of these achieve
papers. “having noted with ments is that the 24 244
concern the serious irregulari- A key feature of the public progressed learners, who passed
ties regarding the leakage of education system is progressed – were the
Mathematics Paper 2 and Physi- learners, those who are promot- would-be-high-school repeaters
cal Sciences Paper 2, [Umalusi] is ed to Grade 12 even though and dropouts, who have a
satisfied that there were no they may not be fully ready. The golden opportunity to access
systemic irregularities reported, private education does not either higher education institu-
which might have compromised worry about these and, tions, TVET Colleges, and other
the overall credibility and integ- although some grab the oppor- skills development institutions.”
rity of the November 2020 NSC tunity and achieve a bachelor Motshekga said without
examinations, administered by pass, over all progressed learn- progressed learners, this year’s
the DBE,” the quality checking ers drag down the national pass rate would have been 81%.
body has said. Failure by Uma- average.
lusi to recognise this year’s
certificates containing Maths This year, there were 70 565
and Science would have been progressed learners enrolling for
disastrous for the department. It the exams. 65 499 of these
2020 matric top achievers and stakeholders in the education sector paying attention as
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced the matric
results in Pretoria this week
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February 2021
The minister also highlighted has significantly and progres- like India in having girls
the improved performance of sively increased from 2% in outnumber boys at various
“no fee’s school, which continue 2015, to 13% in 2020 – a 3% stages of the education system.
to receive an increased propor- improvement from 2019” Mot- There were 72 000 more girls
tion of government resources. shekga said. who enrolled for the exams than
She said in 2005, 60% of the boys and 66 000 wrote. This
Bachelor passes, came from the Yet challenges remain with no trend is likely to feed through to
best performing 20% schools in fee schools and a [province like degrees and higher qualifica-
the country. In 2015, “no fee” Mpumalanga illustrates these. tions. This is viewed as a positive
schools produced 51% of the While Mpumalanga fee paying development indicator, as
Bachelor passes, which schools are among the top three women tend to be primary care
increased to 58% in 2020. performers in the country, the givers and better education
“Therefore, the significance of province’s no fee schools rank given women choice and mobil-
this, is that the gap between the seventh, illustrating gaps in ity which allows to free them-
Bachelor passes produced by quality. selves of abusive relationships
“no fee” schools versus those and thus reduce the scourge of
produced by fee paying schools South Africa now joins countries gender-based violence.
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February 2021
Lesufi prepares to take Gauteng
education to the next level
THEBE MABANGA
The Gauteng MEC for education
Panyaza Lesufi is one of the
most settled leaders in any
portfolio in government at
provincial or even nation level.
Having held the post since May
2014, and apart from a brief
appointment as MEC for finance
in 2019, only to be returned to
education, he has fully come to
grips with challenges facing the
sector and is now ready to take
it to the next level. This is
despite challenges including R 7
billion in budget cuts over the
next three years. On Wednes-
day, Lesufi celebrated the Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi
Gauteng class of 2020, placed
second after Free State with a
pass rate of 83,8%, which is a should replace her as national kicking and screaming into the
3,5% decline from 2019. minister. This is probably digital age when he introduced
In his time at the helm, Lesufi because he recognizes that he is online registration from Grade 1
has been determined to turn the able to achieve what he has in and Grade 8. After initial resis-
Gauteng education into a high Gauteng because of access to tance and technical glitches, the
performance that is capable of resources provided by the system is now fully established
coping with demand pressure engine of the South African and is regarded as the norm and
extorted by inward migration in economy. At national level, preferred method of registering
a province that is a magnet for resources are stretched and learners, with the department
economic opportunity like distributed unevenly. Raising R and district left to deal with the
Gauteng. 80 million to build a smart unallocated, who currently
school in the Eastern Cape stand at 687.
Lesufi had good preparation for would prove a mission.
the role as he spent a number of His latest mission is to convince
years as spokesperson for basic He has taken on vested interest middle- and lower-income
education minister Angie Mot- from governing bodies and household parents in Gauteng’s
shekga, which gave him a school management most townships that schools in their
vantage of the education notably Afrikaans schools over vicinity, rather than those in
picture nationally. Such is his language policy and parent town which carry a higher
bond with Motshekga that he bodies over admissions policy tuition and transport cost, can
still addresses her with motherly and either won or reluctantly offer good value for money and
affection as his senior both in his back down to pause only to take quality education. It’s a battle he
party and in government and on that fight again. is hoping to win through open-
shows her deference, even as ing of smart schools at what he
there are loud calls that he He has dragged the province
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February 2021
Gauteng Premier David Makhura Congratulate
one of the province’s top achievers
once declared a new school On Wednesday, Lesufi’s leader- this pandemic and wish them
every month but has since ship style that is inclusive, in well in their future endeavours”
slowed down and will slow touch with grassroots and Lesufi said noting that all top 3
down even further in the years exudes empathy was on display achievers are given four years
ahead. as he saluted the latest group of bursaries to an institution and
school leavers, some doing so in degree of their choice.
He also hopes to show that style. Lesufi went through a Lesufi subtly reminded those
those schools that have not range of emotions in his who wanted the academic year
been converted into smart address, moving from being cancelled, including the former
schools are receiving other stateman like in his poignant Democratic Alliance leader
resources to improve perfor- tribute to those in the education Mmusi Maimane, that the
mance. He now has to strike a community who had lost their salvaging of the academic year
balance of equipping his lives to COVID-19, beaming with was the result of the efforts and
schools with technology to pride when celebrating the sacrifice of teachers, parents and
enable virtual learning in the provinces top learners, schools learners, some of whom paid
wake of COVID-19 but also and districts and bristling with a with their lives.
recognizes their role as centre of sense of indignation when
childcare while parents are at berating Umalusi for perceived It was through his leadership,
work or look for work, and the unfairness and admonishing together with provinces such as
delivery of services like nutrition laggards, those schools that the Western Cape with the
programmes and educational have performed below par in backing of national government
support of extra classes, which the exams. “ that stood up to teacher unions
requires physical presence, and who wanted schools closed for
cannot be administered in the “We congratulate the learners much longer partly over Covid
face of a Lockdown. for their resilience, dedication fears, but possibly over the
and hard work displayed during luxury of being paid without
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February 2021
performing work. days to make up for lost time Hoerskool Menlo Park, Hoer-
due to the Lockdown. “More skool Garsfontein and Hoerskool
“We can present these results than 78,7% of SSIP learners Waterkloof. He displayed the
today because of those teachers passed compared to 78,5% of maturity to put aside court
who risked their lives” he said. learners in 2019,” said Lesufi, battles and differences to cele-
“Unfortunately, we lost 34 adding that 79 SSIP schools brate with the schools. He now
educators and I want to dedi- achieved above 90% pass rate. wants to challenge these
cate these results to the 34 Four SSIP schools achieved schools to offer a minimum of
educators that sacrificed their 100%. “The SSIP programme three languages, since Gauteng
lives so that our children can get once again proved its value,” offers all 11 as well as Sign
an education and pass.” Lesufi Lesufi says. He notes that the Language.
said, in a manner that suggested sustained improvement in
deep compassion, his depart- results over the last four years He points out that the district
ment also lost 18 officials includ- shows the SSIP system is also contains township schools,
ing the head of scholar trans- improving teaching and learn- which he is passionate about,
port. ing in the prioritised schools. including such as Seshegong
Secondary School, which
In a portion of the address Lesufi concedes that a district achieved 96.95%, Rosina Sedi-
aimed at communities, he like Tshwane South performs bane Modiba Sport School
particularly lamented section of well because of a legacy of (95.39%) and Vukani Mawethu
Ekurhuleni that prevented good, predominantly Afrikaans Secondary School (92.86%).
learners from going back to schools such as this year’s top 3 Lesufi also points to a district
school. These include Thokoza,
Duduza in the Far East Rand and
Etwatwa near Daveyton, and
this reflects in the sad reality
that their two districts are the
worst performing in the prov-
ince.
One of his enduring achieve-
ment has been to consolidate
the Secondary School Improve-
ment Programme (SSIP)
designed to help poor perform-
ing schools and one about
which he is so passionate that it
now enjoys its special category
of recognition at these celebra-
tions.
Lesufi said last year, SSIP target-
ed over 65 734 grade 12 learners
in over 436 priority schools from
January. The SSIP offers extra
classes on mornings, afternoon
and Saturdays and in some years
offered study camps. Last year,
classes also extended to Sun- schools with bachelor passes
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February 2021
Lesufi’s strength as a leader is his
ability to completely trust those
around him to do their job and
thus bring out the best in them.
This was illustrated by atten-
dance of the ceremony by the
director of the country’s best
performing district, Tshwane
South Mme Hilda Kekana. She is
about to retire next month and
received a special Harry Gwala
award from Lesufi named after
the decorated struggle icon who
was also a teacher who taught
the likes of Moses Mabhida. In
his tribute, Lesufi expressed the
like Johannesburg Central, achieved above 90% last year.” complete faith he had in Kekana
which is essentially Soweto with An area that Lesufi would clearly and expressed genuine appreci-
no former white suburbs and like to cement as part of his ation for her valuable support in
has achieved a 79% pass rate legacy, is closing the gap a manner that solicited recipro-
and its top three schools attain- between township schools and cation from Kekana.
ing over 90%. their suburban counterparts. “In
2009, township schools Kekana told Inside Education
Lesufi said he was especially achieved an average pass rate of that she has been in education
pleased with the performance of 60.1%, with non-township for 39 years first as a teacher and
township schools that achieved schools achieving 84,2%, rinsing through the ranks to
a 100% pass rate and a Bachelor making for a gap of 24,1 spend the last 13 years as a
rate above 60%. These were percentage points.” Lesufi said, district director, 11 of them at
Diepsloot Secondary No 2, with “In 2020, the gap has been Tshwane South. Kekana said
76,9% Bachelor passes. The increased to 11,8% compared to what she will miss most about
school is made up of container 2,78% in 2019 and 4,6% in 2018, her work is interaction with
classes and had multiple break due to the negative impact of school leadership and seeing
ins. In one instance, the school COVID-19 on our education school improve. She says after a
had stolen valuables such as system.” proper break, she would be
toilet seats and pipes replaced, willing to contribute her skills to
only to have all its windows The worst performing township the sector or her community.
broken. The other schools are school, Lesufi announced sadly, She expressed praise for Lesufi’s
Rusoord Secondary School, with was the ironically named patience and wisdom in his
73,9% Bachelor passes; Marl- Kgothalang (Sotho name for leadership.
boro Gardens Secondary School, work hard) in the West Rand
with 69,2% Bachelor passes and which attained a 31% pass rate Lesufi is renowned for being
Denver Secondary School, right from its 234 candidates, with brutally frank in addressing
in the middle of an informal not a single distinction and 5% perceived shortcomings of
settlement, which had 66,1% bachelor pass. Lesufi personally comrades within his party’s
Bachelor passes. “I want to undertook to adopt the school provincial executive or stake-
congratulate the principals of to turn its performance around. holders in his work in educa-
the 82 township public schools The worst performing suburban tion.On Wednesday, he reiterat-
that achieved above 90 %. This is school is Eureka in Springs with ed his criticism of the quality
down from the 132 schools that a pass rate of 54%. assurance body Umalusi,
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February 2021
noting how it had “missed an
opportunity to become a level-
er” and failed to consider the
impact of COVID-19 on exam
preparations. Lesufi noted that
in 2019, Umalusi had adjusted
marks for two subjects down-
wards, arguing that the pass rate
was excessive which suggest
that the exam was of a low level
of difficulty. “In 2020, during a
pandemic, they adjusted marks
for eight subjects downwards,
which we feel is unfair” the MEC
said. Umalusi has not responded
to the comments. Gauteng Premier David Makhura Congratulate
one of the province’s top achievers
Earlier this year, the MEC
announced that his department
faces a R 7 billion budget cut
over the next three years due to share resources better by being performance. “no single prov-
government’s constrained fiscal merged based on geographic ince has made 92 000 learners
position. He said the depart- proximity not whether one is in to pass matric – and more than
ment will have to cut back on the township and another in 45 000 to get Bachelor passes to
some of its programmes but affluent suburb. He now wants go to a university of their
keep vital ones such as SSIP. He the ANC to adopt policy and choice,” Lesufi said to a sponta-
says they will hire teachers at a legislation to make these possi- neous outbreak of applause. He
slower rate but use the ones ble, as previous attempts were noted that Gauteng has contrib-
they have better by allocating met with resistance. uted 23,6% to national bachelor
more classes or, if qualified, pass rate and produced enough
allocate more subjects to teach. The Gauteng province produced matriculants to fill up all the
Lesufi says his department will six of the top ten performing first-year university slots in the
also build new smart schools at districts nationally or, as Lesufi province and still leave some
a slower rate and hold back on quickly points out when asked, learners to look for places in
buying furniture. “five of the top five”. As disclosed other provinces.
by Basic Education minister
Lesufi points out that the Angie Motshekga on Monday, Lesufi further noted. If diploma
long-term revolution of the Tshwane South tops the list with passes are considered, the total
education system relies on 89,6% followed by Johannes- number of learners that have
issues such as teacher allocation burg West with 88,1% and passed that go to any higher
for example. “Teachers are Gauteng North (87%). Johan- institution of their choice stands
trained by the same university, nesburg North stands at 86,9% at 73%. “So, 73% of learners that
but if a teacher goes to while Sedibeng East is at. wrote matric in Gauteng last
resourced school, they produce Ekurhuleni South is tied at year can go to any higher edu-
results and one who goes to an number eight with Metro North cation institution to enrol for a
under resourced schools strug- in the Western Cape at 85,4%. skill of their choice, thus
gles. Lesufi could not hide his joy as cementing our decision to be
Lesufi’s vision is to see schools he looked for various ways to the centre of skills revolution in
adapt to technology, but also express the provinces dominant our country” Lesufi said.
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Diverse, bright starlets put Gauteng on
the map
THEBE MABANGA
A healthy diet and balanced
lifestyle, a commitment to your
vision coupled with constant
prayer and sheer hard work and
study, that is what some of
Gauteng’s top learners recom-
mend to their peers and
contemporaries as a recipe for
success.
The bright youngsters were
rewarded with prizes including
bursaries, laptops and cash at
the Gauteng government’s
matric results announcement
and prize giving ceremony held
in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
One of the star pupils Zamah-
langu Mahlangu, had to put her
appearance at these awards by
a year while coming to terms
with a debilitating loss. She was
named as the top achiever from
a township school and a top
achiever from a Secondary
School Intervention Programme
(SSIP). The star pupil from Emad-
waleni High School in Johannes-
burg West obtained seven
distinctions and is preparing to
study bio medical technology at
Wits University. Mahlangu stays
with her mother Thoko and
brother in Meadowlands,
Soweto. Her mother describes
her as a self-starter and straight
A student.
Mahlangu was supposed to
write her matric in 2019 but lost
a grandfather and an uncle in a
space of two months which Zamahlangu Mahlangu, Top Achiver
affected her focus to a point from a Township School
where she sat out her matric
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Blessing Mlambo Noelle Vann Der Walt Omphile Makhnaya
exams, arguing that she would intelligence gift would not be at Stellenbosch university, partly
not give her best. When she fully realized. Through parental aided by a bursary from the
returned last year, the outbreak and schooling support, she Gauteng government.
of Covid caused her mother simply took a conscious decision Blessing Mlambo of the IR
anxiety as she feared that she not to let her disability limit her. Lesolang secondary School in
may lose a second year of study. Her study option includes film Winterveldt is another star
“When COVID-19 happened last and video production and performer under the SSIP
year, I was not sure if I will write communication science at the programme. The programme
my exam, but I kept preparing in University of Johannesburg/ offered extra lessons of normal
the hope that we would” she Noelle Vann Der Walt of Hoer- school hours and when Covid19
says. Asked what her secret is, skool Menlo Park in Tshwane struck to make up for lost time
she notes “there is no secret, it’s South came third overall best the lessons would be offered on
just hard work and study.” student in the province. She says Sundays, something which
the secret to her success is to Mlambo complied with without
The award for a top learner with lead a balanced and healthy life complaining. “When the lock-
a disability went to Omphile that was not only focused on down happened, I kept myself
Makhnaya of Prinshofskool in academics. This included an motivated through prayer and
Tshwane West. Makhanya almost daily exercise routine. revisiting my vision board to
obtained distinctions in English This is why the lockdown proved remind myself what I want to
Home language, Afrikaans, frustrating for her. “The early achieve in life” says Mlambo who
Music and Business studies. The part of the lockdown was frus- encourages the class of 2021 to
visually impaired youngster trating because in the afternoon “Have a dream, and believe in
speaks with a confident disposi- I be sitting in my room instead them”
tion that betrays her disability, of exercising, which I need to
which is impossible to detect keep my brain fresh and At the ceremony there were also
through normal interaction. focused” Van der Walt said she prizes for the three top schools
Ahead of receiving her award started exercising as soon as which went to Hoerskool Menlo
she told the story of how after restrictions lifted which often Park, Hoerskool Garsfontein and
attending a mainstream creche, meant jogging on her own or Hoerskool Waterklloof.
her mother, former journalist with her sister. She is now
Kefiloe Makhanya, felt that her preparing to further her studies
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Limpopo looks ahead after holding its
own in tough covid-19 year
LUCAS LEDWABA
WHEN minister of basic educa-
tion Angie Motshekga noted in
her announcement of the 2020
matric results that she had
expected a bloodbath owing to
the abnormal schooling year –
she must have had provinces
like Limpopo on the top of her
list.
Although the province had been
on a somewhat upward trajecto-
ry with a 73.2% pass rate in Limpopo MEC for education Polly Boshielo
2019, 70.6% in 2018 and 67.4%
the year before, it faces unique
odds aptly articulated in a
statement by ANC provincial lockdown as a result of the noted that 22 907 of the candi-
secretary Soviet Lekganyane. covid-19 outbreak for most of dates who sat for the exams
“The Limpopo province is last year it was expected that achieved bachelor.
dominantly rural with challeng- under resourced provinces like
es of inadequate infrastructure Limpopo would be hardest hit. This was in comparison to the 19
and lack of technological “We want to emphasize that this 022 bachelor passes achieved
resources, and has made signifi- has been a different year, a very by the class of 2019, an increase
cant improvements, despite disruptive year and you can of 29.1%. Boshielo said overall,
some schools lacking techno- imagine the kind of immediate 53 634 of the 78 695 candidates
logical laxities like access to adjustments and adaptations passed the 2020 matric exams.
e-Learning amenities. The that needed to be made. It is in The province scored a total of 16
majority of Limpopo Schools are this regard that we announce 044 distinctions in various
in Quintile 1 and 2 and were still that the highest recorded subjects. Provincial spokesper-
able to stage a fierce contest performance of 73.2% achieved son on education for the DA
compared to their counterparts by the class of 2019 has declined Jacques Smalle said the party
in predominantly affluent by 5% and accordingly the class had anticipated that this year’s
provinces,” Lekganyane said in a of 2020 has achieved a provin- matric learners would not
statement acknowledging the cial pass rate of 68.2%,” Boshielo perform well, especially in
province's 68. % pass rate by the said. certain gateway subjects. He
class of 2020. Provincial MEC for said it was also deeply concern-
education Polly Boshielo said The performance placed Limpo- ing that 134 schools out of the
last year the province registered po just two places from the 1370 schools in the province
79 813 National Senior Certifi- bottom of the national stand- failed to reach a 40% pass rate
cate candidates. She said 78 695 ings above Eastern Cape and and that 31 of these schools
candidates wrote all the seven bottom placed Northern Cape. failed to reach even a 20% pass
subjects. Boshielo said while there is rate with nine schools scoring a
concern about the decline in the 0% pass rate.
With the country placed under provincial pass rate, it should be
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 13.February 2021
Limpopo MEC for education Polly Boshielo
“It is clear that there needs to be Mbilwi Secondary School in covid-19 lockdown and the
a focus on offering greater Vhembe East retained its top department will be taking steps
support to our learners especial- spot in the Club 100 of Mathe- to adjust. “As a Department we
ly in gateway subjects to matics and Physical Sciences in will be investing our energies,
improve performance. There Public Schools with 219 passes. time and resources on closing
needs to be a focus especially A school qualifies to be in the the gaps that Covid-19 exposed
on the no fee paying schools to club if 100 or more candidates in terms of our traditional ways
ensure they are not victims of pass Mathematics at 50% or of teaching and learning,” she
inequality and that they are well more. The overall pass percent- said.
resourced to ensure they are not age in the subject must be 65%
disadvantaged in their prepara- or more. Boshielo noted that the Boshielo added that they will
tion for the NSC,” Smalle said. department has cut down the now focus on improving
Lekganyane said considering number of zero percent schools support for grades R to 9 to
the fact that the sector is perme- from nine in 2019 to seven in ensure that the learners are able
ated by a legacy of underdevel- 2020. “We have been appealing to attain foundational compe-
opment, glaring backlogs of to our communities to work tencies such as reading, writing
infrastructure and lack of with the department on the and enumerating.
resources, the province has rationalisation of schools with “These are basic skills required
made some improvements with low enrollments, so that they are for further learning in higher
the ‘odds stacked against it’. effectively merged with other grades. Extra classes will require
“The improvement in the schools. This process is done to more funding in this academic
percentage of Bachelor passes is advance quality education and year given the Covid-19 pan-
also a point worth celebrating,” not for personal and sentimen- demic that has stolen the teach-
he said. tal purposes as it is often misun- ing and learning time. We have
derstood. The small schools been investing a lot of resources
The Waterberg became the top have proven to be costly to the in enrichment programmes and
performing district with 77.5% system, unsustainable and not if we are to do more, we will
followed by Vhembe East with viable,” she said. need more funds on e-learning
77.1% and Vhembe West at Boshielo said valuable lessons as we move forward,” she said.
72.7%. have been learnt during the
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 14.February 2021
Village girl Pearl glitters to the top
Learner from overcrowded village school in underprivileged area shines in matric class of 2020
LUCAS LEDWABA
WHEN Limpopo youth Pearl
Khosa took her place among the
country's top performing
matriculants this week she was
still wondering how she had
managed to end up there given
her tough circumstances.
Pearl would always be exhaust-
ed every morning when she
reached school after a 45-min-
ute walk from her home village
of Shibangwa in the Collins
Chabane municipality.
In the afternoon she would walk
the same distance back home
after a long day of lessons in an
overcrowded classroom.
Her home is in the far north east
of Limpopo where in the
summer months temperatures
often soar into the high 30s
during the day. Her school PP
Hlungwani High School is in the
quintile – 1 group in the Malam-
ulele south circuit. Quintile -1 is
the group of schools catering for
the poorest 20% of learners. Pearl Khosa, Top performing matriculant
Pearl earned a total of 1667
marks to become number 1
achiever in quintile 1 in Limpo- recognition of those learners group. When the lockdown was
po. She also scored eight from quintile 1, 2,3 and special announced it made things very
distinctions. To qualify for the schools “who have prevailed difficult for me,” she said about
category, a learner must have against all material learning the lengthy period learners were
achieved the highest total of the conditions.” forced to stay at home due to
six best subjects excluding Life the lockdown.
Orientation and a minimum of The national lockdown brought
60% in each of the subjects about by the outbreak of the Pearl said even when they
considered. She was also one of Covid-19 pandemic complicated returned to class life wasn't easy.
four recipients of the MEC matters even worse for many “It was difficult. Our school is
Special Award. learners including Pearl.
“I'm not used to studying by
Limpopo education MEC Polly myself. We always studied in a
Boshielo said the award was in
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 15.February 2021
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga
overcrowded. We had to wear Her proud father Bumani Khosa on Tuesday.
masks and all that,” she said. said they supported her by also
Boshielo underlined the tough not burdening her with too “I'm over the moon. It's all
conditions brought about by many household chores. thanks to the Lord,” she said.
the outbreak of the virus. “At the beginning of the year the The mathphile is now bound for
“We cannot even begin to school laid down some rules. the University of Cape Town to
describe how Covid-19 has They told us to reduce the study actuarial science, a course
unsettled our candidates, teach- amount of household chores we she learnt about from her
ers, parents and officials, and the gave the learners, that we teacher while doing grade 10.
challenges they had to go should support them in their In announcing the well spoken
through for us to be here today. school work and not stress them youth as a top achiever on
It has been a whirlwind journey with chores,” he said. Tuesday, provincial MEC Boshie-
and suffice to say that all the He said although his daughter lo said: “Pearl, we are proud of
anxieties will today be a thing of had excelled previously, they you!”
the past...” she said were not expecting she would
do this well given the impact of
Pearl was fortunate to have the the corona virus lockdown.
support of her parents who “We were not expecting much.
ensured that during the lock- It came as a complete surprise
down she had enough data to and we are grateful. We are very
access study material on a happy,” he said.
laptop she won previously as
part of her academic achieve- Pearl said her proud parents
ments. sacrificed a sheep in celebration
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 16.February 2021
MTN Foundation SA: Using Technology To
Overcome Covid-related Barriers In Education
THEBE MABANGA
WHEN South Africa entered the
global mainstream of the Covid
19 pandemic with the confirma-
tion of the first positive case in
March last year, education was
among the earliest casualties as
the declaration of the National
Disaster, even before the Nation
Lock down led to a closure of
schools. This has forced entities
like the MTN SA Foundation to
rethink their approach to
supporting education.
“MTN believes in the use of
technology to enhance teaching Angie Maloka, Senior Manager: Community
and learning” says Angie Projects at #MTNSA Foundation.
Maloka, a senior manager at the
MTN SA Foundation.
they consist of smart boards, The bulk of the centres are in
A key feature of this support is printers, data to access the primary and secondary schools,
partnership with the depart- internet as well as off-line which are also loaded with
ment of Basic Education, content. digital content. MTN spent the
Department of Social Develop- past three years digitising all
ment, NGOs who provide Fourty-five of these are at language and numeracy
specialised education as well as schools for learners with special content for primary schools and
technology partners who needs including those who are developing content for Comput-
provide equipment. deaf and blind, dyslexic and er Applied Technology (CAT)for
have physical disabilities. high school. For high schools,
Maloka says the MTN Founda- this included developing text-
tion’ strategy is revised every Ten are community-based books for the subjects enabling
three years and the biggest centres aimed at helping com- some schools to offer CAT and IT
challenges that the organisation munity members, including as formal subjects for the first
is currently grappling with is victims of Gender Based time.
Covid19, but also theft and Violence, unemployed women
vandalism at schools supported and the youth to access com- Teachers remain a vital compo-
by the company. puter training and information nent of the multi-media centres
related to job or business oppor- as they still play a facilitating
MTN’s flagship education tunities. role even in a digital or virtual
programme has been the environment. For every school
construction of 350 media Last year, the Foundation that receives a multi-media
centres since 2014, which opened a media centre at the centre, a minimum of 20 teach-
Maloka points out are more University of Zululand, to help ers are trained to use the equip-
than computer laboratories as first year students adapt to the ment, with a coordinator train-
use of computers at university. ing more teachers if required.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 17.February 2021
“And then Covid happened,”
Maloka says of the predicament
the company faced as its
multi-media centres could no
longer be accessed.
MTN has since partnered with
Siyavula Foundation, an NGO
academy that offers digital
maths and science content. MTN
has zero rated the website so
learners can access it for free.
The company has now gone a
step further and paid R 3 million research as well as for lesson other equipment providers to
a year to have the subscription plans preparation. Finally, the scale up the distribution in the
based content made available community members who used years ahead.
for free. The subscription has the centres to prepare CVs and
since been renewed for a further search for jobs have an import- This model will allow for greater
two years, a period which ant resource taken away. access virtually in the event of
Maloka forecasts Covid will cast disruptions like that caused by
a shadow over the education MTN is now developing a fully Covid19 and eliminates the
system. fledged portal, which will have threat of vandalism.
content, be interactive and have
A huge setback on for the MTN assessment capabilities so “Technology is a great equaliser”
programme has been theft, learners can be tested online. says Maloka of South Africa’s
vandalism and break-ins at the This will be accessible virtually successful embrace of the
schools that have sophisticated to far more learners and will be Fourth Industrial Revolution,” It
equipment. Last year, the rolled out in the next three enables a child in Lusikisiki and
Department of Basic Education years. one sitting in Sandton or Florida
reported that 1,577 schools in the United Sates to access the
suffered vandalism and theft To complement the portal, same information when they do
during the lockdown, with learners will require suitable research on, say, photosynthe-
computer particularly targeted. equipment. To prepare for this sis.”
phase, last year, MTN piloted the
“it’s heart-breaking, its painful” distribution of 800 tablets Maloka notes that South Africa’s
says Maloka, who was personal- nationally together with device challenge is relatively low
ly informed of a school that manufacturer Huawei. penetration of high-speed
suffered a break in at the Vaal networks with some rural areas
area on New Year’s Day. Maloka This year, MTN will distribute a still on 2G network, unable to
say such incidents disrupts the similar number and schools are access advanced functionality.
lives of learner who have CAT as expected to manage these the
a matric subject and have gone same way they manage text “This requires government to
through Grade 10 and 11 but books and loan them to learn speed up the process of open-
will now have no access to ers. ing up the digital spectrum, and
computers for their matric year. there will be willing corporates
Maloka acknowledges that the and other partners who will take
It also disrupts the lives of number is not sufficient, but up the challenge of improving
teachers who used the labs for says they hope to partner with access” concludes Maloka.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 18.February 2021
Ramaphosa says government
need to Prioritise Technology
CHARLES MOLELE
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has
called on the Department of
Basic Education to assist teach-
ers to effectively integrate
technology into subject areas,
while increasing access to
quality education for all South
African pupils, regardless of
their location, proficiency level
and socio-economic circum-
stances.
Ramaphosa was addressing the
three-day 2021Basic Education
Lekgotla on Thursday, following
the announcement of the matric
results this week.
In recent months, the president
has been vocal about the critical
issues facing the country’s
young people, noting more
needs to be done to ensure
South African youth are employ-
able, especially in the context of
the fourth industrial revolution
(4IR).
He said that as the lekgotla
reviewed the matric results, one
of the prominent indicators of
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa
quality education was how the
country was doing in science,
technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) subjects. digital revolution. It will not be He said that even as the pan-
possible for us to build an demic delayed the process last
“If we are to seize the opportuni- e-skilled economy as envisaged year, the Department of Basic
ties of the Fourth Industrial in the National Development Education was making headway
Revolution, our education Plan if we do not pay attention on the national rollout of coding
system must be reoriented to subject areas at basic educa- and robotics.
towards its development in our tion level. Even as the pandemic “The draft coding and robotics
country,” said Ramaphosa. delayed the process last year, curriculum has been submitted
the Department of Basic Educa- to Umalusi for evaluation and
“Studies show that the country tion is making headway on the quality assurance, and a draft
lags behind in the information national rollout of coding and curriculum will soon be gazett-
technology skills needed for the robotics.” ed,” said Ramaphosa.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 19.February 2021
He said during the course of this
year, 200 schools will be piloting
the draft curriculum from
Grades R to 3 and 1,000 schools
will be piloting the Grade 7
curriculum.
“However, focus on these new
areas should not come at the
expense of basic skills such as
reading for comprehension. We
also have to continue to invest
in early childhood development
as the foundation for cognitive
development, and create policy
certainty where it is lacking,”
said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa also lauded the
Class of 2020 for the overall pass
rate of 76.2% in the National
Senior Certificate (NSC) exam-
inations.
“This is an outstanding achieve-
ment considering the huge
disruption caused to the
academic year by the coronavi-
rus pandemic,” said Ramaphosa.
“We are grateful for the efforts
of Minister Angie Motshekga
and her team and all the stake-
holders and partners in the
education fraternity.”
tion all the way through to He said the pandemic has
The president said COVID-19 higher education. underscored the need to inten-
pandemic has highlighted the sify efforts by government to
digital divide in society, particu- During the pandemic, the lack ensure connectivity and equita-
larly with regards to the adop- of access to online learning and ble access to data.
tion of technologies for learning digital skills put many young
and teaching. people at risk of falling behind “This calls for stronger pub-
their peers. lic-private partnerships to
Ramaphosa was referring to the ensure that we mobilise the
switch to hybrid teaching and This deepened the divide necessary resources to help our
learning models, which exposed between students on the conti- learners,” said Ramaphosa.
the glaring inequalities in nent who have access, and
education – from basic educa those who don’t.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 20.February 2021
Free State does it again
CHARLES MOLELE
Free State Education
MEC Tate Makgoe
TATE Makgoe, a chemical engi- Ever an optimist, Makgoe was On Tuesday, Makgoe dedicated
neering graduate, has used his aiming for 100% target, but the the Free State’s highest past rate
skills, commitment and abilities COVID-19 struck and put a stop for the 2020 matric results to the
to bring fundamental develop- to that. 66 educators, who succumbed
ments to the province in his role to coronavirus-related complica-
as MEC for education in the Free He expressed gratitude to the tions.
State. support that the department
has given to learners that could The Free State is the only prov-
In the last several years, Makgoe have dropped out of school at ince in the country that has
has worked with all stakeholders one point or another especially, achieved a 90% pass rate at least
to ensure that the Free State is a under the COVID 19 conditions on four occasions in the past five
force to be reckoned with in the “So we are indeed Number One years.
area of education. again! Since the advent of the
Once again, the Free State National Senior Certificate (NSC) “It is important to note that no
produced the highest pass rate in 2008, the Free State has been other Province ever achieved
with 85.1%, a decline of 3.2% number one for 5 times in the 90%, yet the Free State Province
from last year. last 8 years,” said an elated has done so four times in the
Makgoe. past five years,” said Makgoe.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 21.February 2021
“I also wish to take this opportu- Makgoe said since 2012, the Makgoe has thanked various
nity to introduce our top achiev- Free State undertook to increase sponsors of education in the
ers who against, all the turmoil the number of Grade 12 learners Free State, including, among
caused by COVID-19, have who pass Mathematics and others, De Beers Group, MTN SA
proved that hard work and Physical Science subjects. and the Cyril Ramaphosa Foun-
dedication pays off. These are “We’ve also focused on improv- dation.
the Kings and Queens of the ing performance in other “We take this opportunity to
Class of 2020.” subjects,” said the MEC. thank our generous sponsors for
“The province is also making landing a helping hand in
He said the performance of the good strides in improving the supporting the class of 2020,”
Class of 2020in the face of the performance of technical said Makgoe.
devastating and invisible COVID subjects. We are proud of the
19 is a consequence of systemic achievement of candidates of
interventions for strengthening SASHL. This subject is growing
and raising performance in all by leaps and bounds, and more
levels of the system. learners are entering for this
subject.”
“Indeed 2020 has shown that
remarkable progress in educa- Makgoe said districts in the Free
tion will depend highly on State have also worked very
deliberate, purposeful action. hard under alert level 5 lock-
While we celebrate the many down to achieve this milestone.
achievements we are making
together in education, the He said key interventions
challenges of 2020 brought focused on improving perfor-
about by unprecedented pan mances in Mathematics, Physical
demic should spur us on Science, Accounting and
seriously to consolidate our supporting underperforming
advance,” said Makgoe. schools and their principals.
“These initiatives have reaped
Makgoe attributed the success observable dividends, said
of the Free State on the build- Makgoe.
ing-blocks put firmly in place in
the past 13 years. “We are pleased to announce
that all of our districts achieved “It is important to
“We emphasized thorough more than 80% in 2020. It is a note that no
preparation for the NSC exam. clear demonstration that we are
serious about the quality of other Province
This exam is the ultimate mea- results: Our Star district, ladies ever achieved
sure of achievements of twelve and gentlemen, remains Fezile
years of schooling. It assesses Dabi at 86.5% –a decline of 3.8% 90%, yet the Free
learners’ knowledge and skills from 2019.Fezile Dabi was State Province
gained over years of schooling. named by the Minister for the
NSC results rank among import- second time as number SIX (6) has done so four
ant performance indicators of out of 75 districts nationally as times in the past
the entire schooling system,” best performing district in the
said Makgoe. entire country. Congratulations five years”
to Dr VUSI CHUTA and his team.”
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 22.February 2021
Matric: The Northern Cape Was The
Worst-Performing Province In South Africa
NYAKALLO TEFU
Northern Cape Education
MEC Zolile Monakali
THE Northern Cape has recorded galvanise teachers, pupils and 66.6% pass rate, a drop of 10.5%
the lowest pass rate, where only parents and other stakeholders from a 76.5% pass rate of 2019.
66% of students passed, the to pull out all the stops to
Department of Basic Education improve the quality of education “We do, however, recognize that
announced on Monday. in the province. it was a very difficult year and
our children went through a very
Both the provincial MEC of “I am very disappointed,” said difficult time, but we are grateful
Education, Zolile Monakali, and Monakali. “We did expect a that we could get through the
Northern Cape Premier, Zamani decline in our results, but we did academic year,” said Monakali.
Saul, expressed disappointment not expect such a big drop. We Monakali has cited the corona
and anger at the 2020 provincial definitely did not expect to be at virus as one of the biggest
matric results. the bottom of all provinces.” challenges for most provinces
following the disruption of
The challenges faced by the The Northern Cape, the worst schooling when the country was
education system in the North- performing province, came out placed on hard lockdown.
ern Cape are many and varied, at number 9 of all provinces in
however, Monakali has vowed to the matric results, recording a
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 23.February 2021
while many learners in different schools across the country resorted to e-learning,
provided in part by mobile network giant MTN SA, Northern Cape struggled with
remote learning and teaching
Monakali said the province had “We had about 12 000 learners “The Northern Cape is a very
two big challenges. who registered but more than 2 rural province. We are a very
000 of our learners did not poor province and affluent
These included the number of return back after the reopening schools in the province had
educators that were not avail- during COVID-19, but those access to online learning, but
able to teach and the number of learners pitched for the exams most of the learners from the
learners who did not attend and therefore had a negative townships and rural areas
classes but went to write their impact on the pass rate,” said unfortunately could not have
finals Monakali. that benefit,” said Monakali.
“We are a small province with a Learners were forced to start Monakali said the lack of
small number of educators. We with remote online learning and resources contributed greatly to
had 10 000 educators and from teaching because of the pan- the low matric pass rate in the
that, 2700 of them applied to be demic. However, the Northern Northern Cape.
exempted because of comorbid- Cape, a sparsely populated
ities,” said Monakali. province of South Africa, was
one of those that struggled with
Monakali said compared to remote learning and teaching.
“We did expect a
other provinces with more decline in our
educators, the Northern Cape Northern Cape is one of the
had a bigger amount of teachers rural provinces in South Africa
results, but we
who were forced to stay at with many poor people. did not expect
home due to comorbidities and
old age. Many pupils who reside in rural
such a
areas do not have access to big drop”
In addition, most parents feared technology and much-needed
letting their children return to infrastructure.
school during the lockdown.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 24.February 2021
‘Despite COVID-19 Challenges, Class of
2020 Made Us Proud’ – EC MEC
CHARLES MOLELE
THE Eastern Cape is the second
lowest performing province,
after it achieved 68.1%, a
decline of 8.3% from the 2019
matric results.
This comes barely a year after
the province performed well in
2019- with a 77% matric pass
rate, a drastic improvement that
nearly took them into the 80
percentile range.
Despite this, the provincial MEC, Eastern Cape Education
Fundile Gade, told Inside Educa- MEC, Fundile Gade
tion on Tuesday the achieve-
ment of the Class of 2020 in the
Eastern Cape amid COVID-19 Education fielded a higher He added: “The Eastern Cape
was a game-changer, and sent a number of Grade 12 learners Department of Education
clear message that the virus is compared to 2019. already has detailed plans for
not a death sentence, nor was it those wishing to write NSC
a crusher of learners’ dreams. There were 72 926 learners in examinations in October/No-
2020 compared to 63 198 in vember 2021.These plans will be
The department, says Gade, has 2019, an increase of 9 728, communicated in the next few
ensured that thousands of representing a 15.3% increase. weeks.”
anxious candidates did not have
their dreams deferred, but were Out of the 82 449 full time Gade said due to the COVID-19
accorded an opportunity to start candidates in the school system, pandemic, almost 50 school
their journey to the future, here 79 670 were registered for NSC days were lost and in order to
and now. examinations. recover some of these lost
teaching and learning days the
“Gratefully and gracefully, the “I would like to begin by examination timetable had to
2020 academic year was brazen- congratulating the Eastern Cape be shifted between November
ly saved by the Department of class of 2020. Remain assured and December.
Basic Education to the disbelief that the Eastern Cape govern-
of many doomsayers/naysayers,” ment is committed to ensuring
said Gade. that the National Senior Certifi-
cate is the first step on your road
“This achievement was despite to further studies and work
the global push to postpone opportunities. We are also
examinations as was captured in committed to ensuring that
different countries.” those who did not complete the
NSC in 2020 are supported to
The Eastern Cape Department of success,” said Gade.
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 25.February 2021
The May/June National Senior “This had huge logistical impli- showing a drop of 2.3% from
Certificate examinations were cations with ripple effects on 2019 Bachelor pass.
cancelled due to Covid-19 financial and human resources,”
lockdown and merged with NSC said Gade. However, more learners earned
2020 November examinations. a bachelor in 2020 at 21886
“However, the administration, compared to 20419 in 2019.
He added that the Department management and conduct of
of Education in the Eastern Cape examination fully adhered to The highest bachelor passes
had to conduct Grade 12 the Covid-19 pandemic regula- were obtained in BCM at 37.5%,
National Senior Certificate tions such as social distancing followed by Nelson Mandela Bay
examinations in 933 full time and all other safety measures to at 36.9% and Sarah Baartman at
public schools, including 50 protect lives of learners and 32.8%.
independent schools and 147 teachers.”
part-time centres. In terms of subject performance,
said Gade, big enrolment
The 933 full time examination Gade said all districts in the subjects have shown signs of
centres inclusive of public and Eastern Cape experienced a resilience despite ravages of the
independent schools registered drop in pass rates with highest pandemic.
79 888 fulltime candidates, drop of 14.9% in Joe Gqabi,
while 5 842 markers were followed by OR Tambo Coast at Business Studies improved from
employed to undertake mark- 12.5%. 68% to 77.8% and History
ing, and 1 200 examination improved from 87.2 to 87.9.
assistance were appointed to He said the bachelor passes
support the marking process. were least affected at 30%,
Eastern Cape Education
MEC Fundile Gade
Brought to you in partnership with MTN. 26.You can also read
