Cape Town - The Western Cape has reversed a six-year decline in its matric pass rate by achieving a pass rate of 76.8 percent - up from 75.7 percent last year, while increasing its maths and science pass rates and the number of distinctions in the province.
"This is an impressive achievement and I would like to congratulate each and every candidate who achieved a pass this year," said Western Cape Education MEC Donald Grant on Thursday.
The pass rate had topped 87.3 percent in 2003 and had been steadily declining in the last six years. However, Grant said he was confident that the provincial government was now "making significant progress" towards achieving its objectives, which include improving overall matric pass rates and maths and science marks.
The pass rate for mathematics increased from 64.9 percent to 66 percent, while the pass rate for physical science was up from 52.9 percent to 59.6 percent.
The number of candidates passing with seven distinctions nearly doubled, from 119 in 2009 to 205 last year, while the number of schools that recorded a 90 percent or more pass rate level increased from 167 in 2009 to 173 last year.
In all, 45 783 full time candidates wrote matric last year, up by 852 candidates from 2009. A total of 35 139 candidates passed last year's matric examinations, compared to 34 017 in 2009 - 1 122 more.
Only four out of the 35 139 candidates that passed matric did not qualify for higher education studies.
Grant singled out three schools in the province which had made considerable progress in improving their own matric pass rate. The schools include:
* Langeberg High School, in Robertson, which increased its matric pass rate from 48.9 percent to 87.2 percent.
* Joe Slovo High School, in Khayelitsha, which improved its pass rate from 69.5 percent to 75.7 percent.
* Sinethemba High School, in Phillipi, which lifted its pass rate from 46.4 percent to 52.7 percent.
Despite the progress, Grant said there was still a "great deal" of work to be done to ensure that schools provided quality education.
He said his office would undertake a circuit-by-circuit and school-by-school analysis this month to identify "serial underperformers".
"Once these have been identified, we will not hesitate to hold serial underperformers to account utilizing all available measures," he said.
He said the province had not planned for the three-week public sector and that 61 Western Cape schools had been badly affected by it.
The Western Cape has for years topped matric pass rates, but this year Gauteng slipped ahead with 78.6 percent (up from 71.8 percent last year).
Grant said he had already sent Barbara Creecy, Gauteng's Education MEC, an e-mail congratulating her on her province taking the top spot for the highest matric pass rate. He added that his office would do its level best to ensure the province was back on top as soon as possible.
