A recent study has compared South Africa’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) to certain other countries, according to Businesstech.

Mafu Rakometsi, CEO of Umalusi which sets and monitors standards for education, was addressing the portfolio committee on education. He said the study aimed to research the standing of the NSC compared to similar qualifications from five other jurisdictions:

  • The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP);
  • Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE);
  • New South Wales (NSW) Higher School Certificate (HSC);
  • Zimbabwean Forms 5-6 advanced level (ZIMSEC);
  • Cambridge Assessment International Education (CIE)

It found that the NSC is longer in duration (Grade 10 – 12) and had more compulsory subjects. The NSC is also strictest in prescribing what is taught, in what sequence and within what timeframe.

‘The NSC’s approach of giving guidance on the content and time allocated for each thing appears to be more prescriptive than all other comparator qualifications.’

The NSC has greater depth and complexity of subject content.

The NSC approach is unique as it is ‘helicoidal’ – each year the same topic is revisited, but in greater depth and complexity.

The NSC aligns most closely with teaching practices at a standard level; higher-level concepts are less emphasised compared to the other programmes. 

Rakometsi said that in terms of breadth and depth, the NSC is appropriate for school-leaving qualifications.

  • English is similar to the other curricula and is comparable to international standards;
  • Geography is effectively structured and designed;
  • Mathematics emphasis mechanics topics and the use of technology less, with more emphasis on spatial skills;
  • Life Sciences is the only curriculum to cover the history of life on earth;
  • Physical Science is unique in that it combines physics and chemistry.

South Africa’s matric certificate could align more with international standards regarding the scope for standardisation, the articulation of aims, learning outcomes, and the relationship between these and the key skills that students should develop.

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