Mpumalanga seeking to improve matric pass rate
Mpumalanga Education MEC Cathy Dlamini says the provincial department is seeking to achieve an 83% pass rate for the Class of 2024.
She briefed the media on Thursday morning ahead of the start if the National Senior Certificate exams.
The province attained a pass rate of 77% in 2023.
On Monday, more than 700,000 full-time candidates will sit for the exams, while over 136,000 part-time candidates are expected to sit across 7,000 exam centres.
Briefing the media on the province's readiness ahead of the exams, Dlamini expressed confidence that the exams would be smooth sailing.
"We are sure that we are definitely going to have incident-free examinations because we have already received examination papers, but nobody has said that they have received an examination paper until now. We are writing on Monday; there has not been a leakage of any paper.
"We're looking at the work that we have done, the effort that we have put as a department, supported of course by community members. As I'm speaking today we're having a prayer, inviting for divine intervention to ensure that our learners pass.
"We can do so much as humans, but there's a time when you want to invite divine intervention to ensure that our learners are assisted beyond our physical work as a department.
"With the work that we have done as a province, as a department, we are confident that our results will increase."
Last week, Dr Mafu Rakometsi, the CEO of the education quality assurance body Umalusi, issued a stern warning about exam cheating.
Mpumalanga Education Head of Department Lucy Monyane said the Basic Education Department is appealing a High Court judgment that ordered the release of the results of 400 matriculants who cheated during the 2022 exams.
"In terms of the learners that were involved in irregularities in 2022, that matter, you are aware, that that's a matter that is before the courts, and, as a sector, it has been decided that the matter will be taken for appeal.
"We would not be commenting on that matter as it is before the courts for an appeal. However, we do want to indicate that there are, because of the sanction that the learners had has expired, there are some of them who have opted to write the examination now in October, November, but we will allow those court processes and the choices that the learners have made to continue."
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