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By Akani Nkuna and Thebe Mabanga
Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane has said that South Africa’s matric pass benchmark is low because of slack governance, and renewed calls for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass threshold to be raised to 50%.
“The reality is that South African does not have a money problem. It has a governance problem. If we are are going to fix the 30% pass mark issue, we need to make sure that everyone passes at 50%,” he said.
Maimane was speaking to Inside Education on the sidelines of the NSC results announcement in Johannesburg on Monday evening.
BOSA has been campaigning against the widely cited “30% pass mark” for the NSC, saying it entrenches low standards, fuels unemployment and leaves many learners underprepared for higher education and the job market.
Maimane said education reform should also focus on infrastructure and digital access at schools.
“The second thing we have to ensure is infrastructure build. There are schools that still do not have libraries or digital technology.”
He also called for the upskilling and development of teachers to keep pace with modern teaching methods shaped by technology and digitisation.
“We need to develop our teachers so that they catch up to the future world, otherwise we are really teaching young people for unemployment,” Maimane said.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube and Director-General Matanzi Mweli rejected the claim that 30% is the pass mark, with Gwarube saying that leaders “should not use sloganeering and populism”.
Gwarube said the marks system is designed to accommodate learners with different aspirations, noting that not all learners aim to enter university and pursue degrees.
Mweli also rejected the notion, saying the pass mark for key subjects and a learner’s home language is 40%, while 30% applies to other, non-core subjects. He said he welcomed parliament’s decision to reject a motion to debate the issue, saying it should be left to education experts.
INSIDE EDUCATION