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The state of South Africa’s education system has long been a point of concern, especially in the sciences and mathematics.

The standard pass mark for maths is 30% which sets the benchmark very low.

To compound the problem, fewer students than ever before are writing exams for the standard mathematics curriculum, opting instead for basic Mathematics Literacy which excludes them from studying certain subjects at university.

Have you ever seen a Maths Lit Grade 12 paper? It’s interesting, to say the least.

Here’s a breakdown of the maths and maths-related subjects on offer:

• The standard Mathematics curriculum would allow you to study subjects with a mathematics requirement at a university.
• Mathematics Literacy is easier than standard maths and is more geared towards everyday maths. You could study at a university but would be excluded from subjects like engineering, IT, accounting, chemistry, medicine, and more.
• Technical Mathematics prepares learners to study at a technical college to enter fields like plumbing.

Universities require 60% and above in standard maths to qualify for entry into fields like engineering, commerce, and medicine, which narrows the margins even further.

Administering the 2020 matric exams was trying in 2020, not only because of the pandemic, but also the scandal surrounding two leaked papers.

The Department of Education found that the leak for one of those papers wasn’t widespread. An investigation into the second is still underway.

The matric results were released by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Monday.

This year, per The Mail & Guardian, of the 233 315 candidates who wrote mathematics, 125 526 passed, amounting to a 53,8% pass rate, down from 54,6% in 2019.

Of the 578 468 students who wrote matric exams, only 43 447 (8%) achieved more than 60% in Mathematics. As MyBroadband points out, this is a significant increase from 2019, albeit still poor compared to the number of learners who wrote the exam.

The number is even more worrying if you consider this:

The data shows that of the 1,072,993 students who were enrolled in grade 1 in 2009, only 4% went on to achieve more than 60% in matric Mathematics.

The overall pass rate for matric, in general, was 76,2%, down by more than 5% compared with last year’s results. You can check out a summary of the pass rates in all subjects here.

Returning to The Mail & Guardian, the South African Teachers’ Union, and National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa, welcomed these results.

“That we managed to achieve a pass rate of 76.2% in the face of the adversity grade 12 learners experienced in 2020 is beyond expectation. Naptosa congratulates each matriculant who was successful in the 2020 examination. Dedication, resilience, and hard work once again proved to be the elements of success.”

They go on to say that while it’s “fitting to congratulate provincial departments, it is our teachers who deserve all the accolades”.

Overall, several factors, including socio-economic circumstances and the quality of schooling offered across class lines, affect pass rates.

It’s worth noting that this was a singularly difficult year for matric students, who had to adapt to erratic schooling. Not all students could access, and not all teachers could provide, online classes due to a lack of technology resources. Students in rural areas were hit especially hard in this regard.

Overall, both during a pandemic and outside of one, this is a problem that needs to be solved on several levels, from the ground up if we’re going to equip students with the knowledge and education that they need.

[source:m&g&mybroadband]