South Africa recently celebrated a historic achievement with an impressive matric pass rate of 87.3%, marking the highest figure in three decades.

While this achievement is worth celebrating, there is a deeper, more concerning reality beneath the surface.

Nearly half of the learners who were in Grade 10 just two years ago did not make it to their matric exams in 2024, raising serious questions about the country’s education system.

Worrying Dropout Rates and the Education System’s Struggles

The most alarming part of the 2024 matric results is the number of learners who never made it to the final exams.

According to reports, about 36%—nearly 400,000—of students who were in Grade 10 in 2022 have already dropped out, missing their opportunity to sit for the matric exams this year.

In addition, almost 90,000 students from that cohort who did take the exams failed.

Combined, this means that nearly 46% of the learners from 2022 have not passed matric, which paints a worrying picture for the country’s education system.

Dropout Rates and South Africa’s Youth Unemployment Crisis

Experts are sounding the alarm that the failure to graduate could contribute directly to South Africa’s already high unemployment rate, especially among the youth.

Currently, youth unemployment exceeds 45%, and many of the students who leave the system without completing their matric will likely become part of that statistic.

Melanie Buys, Head of Development at Solidarity School Support Centre, points out that most of these students will not pass matric in the future either, which will further fuel the unemployment crisis.

Criticism of Education Policies and School Practices

According to Buys, there is often a practice in some schools where students who are unlikely to pass matric are deliberately prevented from sitting for the exams.

This practice aims to boost the overall pass rate, but it leaves behind a significant number of students without their high school qualification.

Critics, such as Dr. Jaco Deacon, CEO of the Federation of South African School Governing Bodies, suggest that education departments are overly focused on achieving perfect pass rates, often pushing struggling learners out of the system rather than providing them with the support they need.

Department of Education’s Response

The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has suggested that some of the learners leaving the system might be attending Further Education and Training (FET) colleges instead.

However, experts like Dr. Deacon argue that the number of learners making this transition is relatively small, with only about 25,000 students opting for FET colleges.

The Bigger Picture: Addressing Systemic Issues

While the matric pass rate improvement is a step in the right direction, it is clear that significant issues remain within the education system.

The number of dropouts and the pressure to maintain a high pass rate are indicative of deeper systemic challenges that need urgent attention.

Without addressing these issues, many learners will continue to fall through the cracks, and the broader social implications—such as high youth unemployment—will continue to worsen.

What are your thoughts on these issues? You can share your opinion by leaving a comment or reaching out via email or WhatsApp.

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This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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