Department's plan for matric: Pupils who seriously try but still fail will be promoted

Only Grade 10 and 11 pupils serious about schooling, but are failing, will be progressed to the next class.

This is the new stance of the department of basic education on policy regulating the promotion of unsuccessful secondary school pupils.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has invited public comment on intended amendments to policy regulating the category of pupils that are eligible for promotion.

Motshekga appears to have taken advice from provincial education MECs who argued that advancing every failing pupil was not prudent.

Also read: Matric mess delays students' dreams of tertiary education

The matric class of 2015 included 65671 pupils who were condoned to Grade 12, accounting for 9.8% of the 667925 full-time candidates.

Though 22060, or 37.6%, of them passed, 3297 obtaining university entrances, this group impacted negatively on pass rates of the all provinces.

Western Cape would have obtained 88.0% without this group, but achieved 84.7% instead. Gauteng would have achieved 85.9%, but it took second place with 84.2%.

In January Panyaza Lesufi, Gauteng MEC for education, told Sowetan the province favoured a "properly legislated [selection process] so that we know who we can progress [and] not".

The national department's document calling for public comments seeks to do just that.

A first group of pupils eligible for promotion are those that fail Grade 10 twice. Those that passed Grade 10, but failed Grade 11 twice are also eligible.

The last cohort is those that failed Grade 10 twice, but are unable to pass Grade 11 in the first attempt.

But the real catch is that failed pupils should pass at least four of their seven subjects, including a language, life orientation and two others. Another requirement is that one must attend school regularly.

"Absenteeism in excess of 20 days [in a year], without a valid reason, will disqualify the learner from being progressed," states the department.

They must also have done school work for all subjects taught, "including the failed subjects for that academic year".

Basic education department spokesman Elijah Mhlanga told Sowetan the department was responding to stinging criticism it received for promoting failed Grade 11 pupils last year.

"We only want to support those that are seriously not coping due to reasons beyond their own, those who attend classes, summer school and do their work but still not pass," he said. "We don't want those who say 'even if I fail I'll still be promoted'."

The department wants districts and schools to have "clearly articulated intervention strategies" to help ensure success among the struggling pupils.

This should "include an early identification of low achievers or at-risk learners so that the school, district and province can develop and implement additional learning opportunities".