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NYDA claims progress in matric rewrite project

Learners who were offered a second chance to rewrite the matric exam are still flunking their rewrite exams in their thousands‚ with many dropping out before completing‚ parliament heard on Wednesday.

This is according to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)‚ which administers the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund and the 2nd Chance Matric Rewrite Project.

The rewrite project was initiated by the NYDA in 2010.

The parliamentary portfolio committee on public service and administration was also briefed on the national youth policy which has been approved by the cabinet.

NYDA executive manager Nthuseng Mphahlele‚ who oversees the implementation of the national youth service and skills development programmes‚ said the second chance project gives learners a chance to rewrite a maximum of three failed subjects.

She said the programme was aimed at the high levels of youth failing to achieve a matric pass.

Mphahlele told the committee that in terms of enrolment rates and the average passes‚ in 2011 they registered 2036 young people. However‚ only 47% passed on the second attempt‚ with more than 1000 failing.

“This was the first programme and there were no lessons whatsoever from the past — we were doing it from the start. One of the challenges was that we had enrolled people who would have done matric in the last four or five years. We took people and some of them dropped out because they would find a job or it didn’t make sense to them to be with us anymore. That is why we’ve tried to narrow down the length of time a person would have been out of school‚” said Mphahlele.

There was a big improvement in 2012‚ when 2641 repeaters enrolled and with 80% of them passed.

In 2013‚ 2 950 learners from three provinces enrolled with 77% passing. The pass rate took a dip last year where 3 480 learners enrolled with only 64% passing.

“The challenges that we have had‚ have been around our own internal processes because of problems with procuring the relevant service providers. You find that service providers in this area charge exorbitant rates. This has caused us to work very closely with the department of basic education to try and sell the model to department and the provinces to say that is something that would work‚” said Mphahlele.

Committee members raised questions around the Solomon Mahlangu Scholarship Fund.

Mphahlele said a total of 776 people have received scholarships since 2011.

The Democratic Alliance’s Joe McGluwa said some learners will not have the opportunity to enter any work environment without getting a matric certificate.

“If the notion and the gesture is that everyone has a right for a second chance‚ then we must give every single child in that rural community a second chance to have his hands on a matric certificate‚” said McGluwa.

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