Tuesday, 2 December, parliament voted on whether to keep South Africa’s pass mark at 30% or raise it to 50%.
The motion to raise the pass was introduced by Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader, MP Mmusi Maimane, Newsday reports.
MP Maimane said: “BOSA has long called for the current 30% pass mark for matric subjects to be scrapped and replaced with a minimum standard of 50%.”
Maimane added: “A 30% pass mark not only diminishes the intellectual potential of South Africa’s youth but also entrenches mediocrity with low expectations.”
The motion was defeated by 190 votes to 87, smaller parties, including EFF, IFP and MK supported BOSA’s proposal, but the ANC and DA voted to retain the current framework.
After the vote Maimane said: “30% is no different to Bantu education. The ANC and the DA would prefer our young people to do so. We are falling behind global benchmarking.”
He added: “To defend this policy is to ensure that our young people are qualified for unemployment.”
Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube said: “Of the learners who wrote the NSC last year, only 189 passed with this minimum subject combination. To claim that learners pass matric with 30% is not supported by evidence and is a distortion of how NSC works.”
Where ANC MPs warned that raising the threshold to 50% across all subjects without addressing early childhood education will not produce better outcomes. The ANC argues that reform must be a phased approach and supported by investment in teacher training and infrastructure.
[Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Invigilation_of_Examinations.jpg]
