Ramaphosa concerned by learner drop-outs in spite of improved matric pass rate

WITH the country’s basic education calendar now in its third week of the new academic year, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the first day of the 8th annual Basic Education Legotla, which was attended by various stakeholders within the sector, including policymakers and academics.

The three-day summit brings together MECs for education, heads of departments, and other stakeholders to address challenges faced by the country’s public education system.

Part of the president’s key note address touched on the recent introduction of learner assistants as part of the presidential employment stimulus package in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the need for skills development to ensure jobs were created.

Ramaphosa also said that in spite of the improvement in the national matric pass rate to 81%, he remains concerned by the number of pupils who drop out before writing their final exams. He said the issue of learner drop-out still remains a critical issue that needs all stakeholders to come up with solutions.

"If we can provide learners with more choices and better guidance, we should be able to reduce the proportion of learners that drop out. The three-stream model is critical if we adapt and thrive as a country in the new world of work.

"The skills that our country needs, the jobs that can grow our economy, and, most importantly, the avenues for entrepreneurship that are sorely needed, can best be achieved by increasing learner access to technical and vocational subjects.

"The theme, which focuses on equipping learners with knowledge and skills for a changing world, raises the important issue of whether all learners who enter the basic education system are able to follow the educational paths that best suit them and their aspirations," the president said.

Ramaphosa said the legotla convened by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, forms part of the most important events of the country’s education calendar as it brings together various stakeholders, including policymakers, the private sector, and civil society under one roof.

With the school calendar in its third week of the 2023 academic calendar, Ramaphosa said basic education forms part of the country’s foundation in its development.

He said the introduction of learning assistants into the classrooms, which was spearheaded by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, had done wonders to help school administrators and teachers with their loads.

"The introduction of the learning assistants into our classrooms as part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus has been a blessing for many educators and schools.

"We know that conditions of learning are seriously constrained in many of our schools by high learner-teacher ratios, among others. The burden of expectation on our educators to teach, do administration, and meet the needs of their learners is stressful," he said.

According to Ramaphosa, more and more young people will be absorbed by the programme as the year progresses.

"The third cohort of participants will be starting early this year and will be providing this much-needed support to our educators."

The Star