Pretoria – Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has urged Grade 12 learners to further their education after matric.
Speaking to reporters following the last post Cabinet briefing of the year, Motshekga said a sound education was the cornerstone of development.
“My advice [to matrics] is study further and equip yourselves,” she said.
This year, 576 490 full-time and 130 646 part-time candidates registered for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams, which concluded on 29 November.
"This year's NSC exams have seen no major incident,” Motshekga said, congratulating the principals, teachers and learners on the successful examinations.
The results will be announced on 6 January 2014. Last year’s pass rate was 73.9%, up by 3.7% from the previous year.
ANA results
Motshekga, who was briefing the media as the Acting Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Minister, said Cabinet welcomed the release of the Annual National Assessment (ANA) results for this year.
Motshekga had earlier released the results at Mahlahle Primary School in Pretoria.
The 2013 assessment was conducted in Grades 1 to 6 and Grade 9. The test administration of ANA took place from 10-13 September in all public and state-funded independent schools. Over seven million learners sat for the tests.
The assessment, Motshekga said, was an excellent diagnostic tool which helped the department to track progress of learning outcomes and improves the quality of education.
The ANA targets literacy and numeracy because these have been found universally to be the key foundational skills for successful learning in school and beyond.
“I am confident that performance in the education system is on an upward trend and all our interventions and programmes are beginning to produce the desired outcomes.
“Learner achievement in both language and mathematics in the Foundation Phase is largely of adequate quality and level,” said Motshekga when releasing the results.
Delivery of textbooks
Cabinet also commended the Department of Basic Education and the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission (PICC) on the advanced stage of the delivery of textbooks, workbooks, furniture, and the handing over of one school a week since 22 July 2013, as part of the National Infrastructure Plan. - SAnews.gov.za
