A benchmark year in education, with the implementation of the new Outcomes Based curriculum, comes to a close with the announcement of the 2008 matric results.

Gauteng matrics have shown their grit with a pass rate of 76,4 percent for the province - an increase of two percent from last year’s results.
This despite the challenges faced by learners and teachers alike, coping with the new National Senior Certificate for the first time.

Announcing the results at a news conference at Parktown High School for Girls on 30 December, MEC for education, Angie Motshekga said Gauteng had done extremely well given the challenges of the country’s first outcomes based examination for Grade 12.

“This is a benchmark curriculum,” she told a packed audience.

Gauteng also improved in terms of the quality of the passes obtained, she added.  The number of candidates that passed with endorsement to further their study in higher education has increased by 10 percent, from 20 percent in 2007 to 30 percent in 2008.

Of the more than 92 000 matriculants who wrote the exam, over 28 000 will be able to do a bachelors degree next year while a further 26 000 can enroll for higher diplomas.

“It makes me extremely proud that the quality of results has improved.”

A total of 21 000 matrics failed the exam.

In a year of firsts, Motshekga was particularly proud of students of colour who came to the fore strongly this year. For the first time a youngster of colour came in the top 10 of the overall matric results, she said.

Maths and science
And the five top mathematics and science students in the province were also of colour. While this category was dominated by the girls last year, this year’s maths and science boffins are all boys.

Two of the students, Andries Dlamini of Qedilizwe Senior Secondary in Everton and Neo Khanya of Thuto-Lesedi High School in Vosloorus were on hand to get an appreciative hug from Motshekga. Khanya got full marks in the mathematics exam.

Motshekga, who will be standing down as MEC after five years in the job, was particularly impressed with the Afrikaans schools that “keep stealing the top spot”.

Waterkloof High School in Pretoria again came first, taking the top spot as the best overall school in the province for a second year in a row. It achieved a 100 percent pass rate, but more importantly, 86 percent of its learners will be able to further their education in the tertiary field.  The two top students in the province are also both from Afrikaans schools.

Other government schools in the top 10 are Rand Girls High School in Johannesburg with a 100 percent pass rate; Hans Kekana Senior Secondary School in Wonderboom, Tshwane – one of the poorest in the province – with a 94 percent passed; and Reiger Park High School in Benoni with 89 percent passed.

The top independent schools are Crawford College Pretoria and Crawford College Sandton.

The Gauteng department of education will be putting a lot of focus on the 139 schools that performed poorly in the last exam. These schools all achieved pass rates below 60 percent.

Of these, 36 have been classified as dysfunctional schools showing no improvement despite an intensive provincial programme. A thorough investigation into the problems at these schools will take place in the new year, she said.

“We want to learn from our first experience to make quality improvements,” Motshekga promised.

The names of the top achievers in the province are available on the provincial website.

Johannesburg’s 2008 results:
Johannesburg East District 78.89%
Johannesburg North District 72.10%
Johannesburg South District 70.61%
Johannesburg West District 81.08%
Johannesburg Central 72.30%

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