End South Africa’s 30% matric pass mark

It is time to end the ability to pass matric subjects with a 30% mark, One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane has said.

One South Africa launched a petition calling on basic education minister Angie Motshekga to increase the matric pass mark to 50% — including the class of 2021.

“With South Africa top of the youth unemployment crisis globally, the continued matric pass mark requirement of just 30% cannot continue a day longer,” One SA said in a statement on Friday.

“A meagre 30% pass hurts our pupils, the education system and the economy. A 30% pass mark undermines the intellect of South African youth,” it stated.

In an interview with eNCA, Maimane said that although the South African government has increased access to education, it has not improved its quality.

“If you put 30% in key subjects such as maths and science, it means that the South African economy is not going to produce graduates—or certainly matriculants—who are able to compete in the fourth industrial revolution, in the future world of work,” he said.

“What we are doing in this country is ensuring that South Africa’s labour pool is not competitive relative to the rest of the world.”

Maimane said that by allowing a 30% pass mark, the government sets low expectations for school students and their teachers.

“We must believe in the talent and potential of the young people of this country,” Maimane said in a subsequent series of Twitter posts.

“We can lead the robotics and machine learning race. We can lead the space science race. We can become a global manufacturing giant. We can’t wait anymore.”

Maimane said that South Africa needs leaders with faith in people.

“We must make sure that every community (rural and urban) has access to the internet, modern computers, to a wide range of books and to academic support,” he continued.

“We must give young people every tool they need to work hard, support hard work and set high expectations.”

He also posted a table showing how pass rates for maths and science would change when pass marks are increased from 30% to 50%. The data is drawn from the basic education department’s annual diagnostic reports.

It shows that fewer than half of the learners who could pass with a 30% mark would do so if the pass marks were 50%.

“We cannot and should not defend low marks,” stated Maimane.

Basic education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga has said there is a misunderstanding about the “30% matric pass mark”, as there isn’t one common pass mark in South Africa.

He explained that South Africa has three levels of matric pass: bachelor’s, diploma, and higher certificate.

• Mhlanga stated that matriculants need at least 50% in four subjects for a bachelor’s pass. You can still pass if you have 40% in two subjects and 30% in one subject.
• For a diploma pass, you need to pass four subjects at 40%. The others can be at 30%.
• At higher certificate level, you pass if you achieve 40% in three subjects, and then the others can be 30%.

“If you get 30% in all the subjects, then you don’t pass. That’s why we are saying the 30% is not a pass,” he said.

“It’s conditional… if you look at the complex requirements that are there for everyone to enable them to pass at bachelor, diploma, or certificate level.”

Mhlanga also slammed Maimane’s comments that South Africa is not producing matrics who can compete with the rest of Africa, let alone globally.

In an interview on eNCA, Mhlanga said that matriculants are not only obtaining entry into South African universities, but also higher education institutions around the world.

“The standard of education here equips the young person to go anywhere in the world,” stated Mhlanga.

Now read: Expect worse matric results — despite 30% pass marks