The matric problem
The great matric results hoax
Even when a pupil’s marks are high enough for admission to university, this is not guaranteed, nor is academic study what the economy needs most
As if cash-strapped universities didn’t have enough to deal with, now they’re having to cope with the curveball of finding a way to determine the real value of matric. This month, government announced that 72.5% of pupils who wrote the school-leaving exam had passed — up from 70.7%. While this created the impression of an improvement in education, the true value of the national senior certificate remains a hotly debated issue. Of the more than 700,000 new matriculants, only 21% (151,830) got marks high enough for them to be admitted to university bachelor degrees. This includes 78,878 pupils from low-income schools, predominantly in poor townships and black areas. Wits University vice-chancellor Adam Habib points out that a matric certificate is not a great indicator of performance. "Given the way government has behaved with the examinations and assessments, do not be surprised if, in years to come, the universities develop an access exam or procedure because at the moment, there ar...
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