2016 Matric results show improvement

Learners from disadvantaged  schools proved that one’s circumstances don't need to stand in the way of your dreams.

Announcing the 2016 National Senior Certificate examination results in Midrand recently, Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga said she was impressed by the fact that poorer schools produced the best results when compared to better resourced schools.

The poverty ranking of schools in quintiles one to five revealed interesting trends.

Schools are ranked according to their level of poverty in the community surrounding the school – with quintile one being the poorest and quintile five being the least poor.

“The National Senior Certificate passes for quintiles one to three, which are also known as “no-fee” schools, combined stand at 272 615, while those of the quintiles four and five, or fee-paying schools, stand at 147 920,” she said.

The overall pass rate for the Class of 2016 improved, with 72.5 percent of all matriculants, or 442 672, passing last year’s exams.

The number of learners qualifying for admission to Bachelor studies stood at 162 374, while the number of passes with a Diploma is 179 619.

Approximately 100 486 passed with a Higher Certificate qualification while 68 passed with a National Senior Certificate.

The Minister said it was interesting to note that no-fee schools produced the most Bachelor passes. 

“More interestingly, within these passes, the number of Bachelor passes for quintile 1 to 3 schools combined is 78 878; while the Bachelor passes for quintile 4 and 5 schools combined is 72 918.” 

Minister Motshekga said no-fee schools combined produced
124 695 more passes than quintile four and quintile five schools combined. 

“More gratifying is the fact that no-fee schools combined produced 5 960 more Bachelor passes and 58 406 Diploma passes, thus enabling the learners from these “no- fee” schools to register for Bachelor-Degrees and Diploma courses at Higher Education Institutions.

“Approximately 60 329 more learners from “no-fee” schools than those from fee-paying schools can hone their skills at TVET colleges,” she said.

The Minister said she was even more impressed by the fact that between 60 percent and 79.9 percent was registered in 1 526 quintile one to quintile three schools; while the same pass range was achieved by only 251 quintile four and quintile five schools.

“Similarly, between 80 percent and 100 percent was registered in 1 452 quintile one to quintile three schools; while the same pass ranges were achieved in only 972 quintile four and quintile five schools.”

She said 1 991 quintile one to quintile five schools registered a pass range of less than 60
 percent.