EFF tells 2021 matriculants with bachelor passes to 'flood the gates of universities'

Matriculants who obtained bachelor passes must “flood the gates” of universities to pursue higher education, says the EFF. 

The party has committed to supporting pupils seeking to register at universities to ensure they do so without being prejudiced. 

The EFF was responding to the results which showed a slight improvement, the pass rate increasing from 76.2% in 2020 to 76.4% in 2021. 

It said the cohort demonstrated resilience despite disrupted learning and other challenges brought by Covid-19. 

“This is a commendable feat considering the affect Covid-19 had on the basic education sector and the introduction of online learning ...matric must be the first step in what must be a journey of investment in self-development, which has the potential to lift SA and the continent.”

Pupils who obtained lower marks should register at Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) colleges to gain skills that will empower them in the industrial development of the country. 

The red berets said pupils who did not pass matric should not be shamed but rather encouraged to consider other alternatives to improve their results.

“It is not the end of the world and no-one must shame these young people who tried their utmost under difficult conditions, despite the lack of infrastructure and lived conditions which adversely affected their performance,” said the EFF.

More than 800,000 pupils wrote the exams in November in 67 subjects. More than 13,000 wrote the exams at Independent Examinations Board schools in 65 subjects. 

IEB results were released last week, with a pass rate of 98.39%. This is slightly higher than the 98.06% achieved in 2020.

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga said last week the class of 2020 and 2021 produced the best results in the history of the National Senior Certificate exams.

“The overall pass mark and passes with distinctions, even in critical subjects, are a hallmark of performance for the class of 2021. The classes of 2020 and 2021 produced the best results of quality in the history of the NSC exams. We are very proud.”

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