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The DA in North West congratulates the Matric Class of 2024 with their remarkable performance in achieving a 87.5% pass rate. The hard work and long days have paid off, paving the way to a brighter, more successful future.
We also extend our gratitude and appreciation to parents, caregivers, teachers, principals, School Governing Bodies, and departmental officials who supported the Matric Class of 2024.
The North West retained its fourth place in the top performing provinces and is an improvement from the class of 2023 by 5.9%.
We are encouraged that there is an improvement in the number of bachelors and diploma passes. North West recorded 18 279 bachelor passes out of 40 575 matriculants who sat for the national senior certificate examinations. .
However, we are concerned by the decline in the uptake of gateway subjects, specifically physical sciences, accounting, and mathematics, but we are encouraged by the announcement by Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, yesterday, that she will prioritise efforts towards improving early childhood education and foundational phase support which will capacitate young learners with the language and numeracy skills required for these subjects in later grades, which will improve overall academic performance.
While the North West Provincial Department of Education may celebrate the performance of the Matric Class of 2024, it should not forget that the department must improve school infrastructure and address the growing concerns around the safety and security of teachers and learners at schools.
In addition, the Department of Education must improve on its financial management to limit irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure to ensure that every cent is applied towards supporting education and learning in school environments that are safe, clean and fully resourced. This is crucial to limit the impact of budget constraints on education.
We again call on North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, to appoint a substantive Head of Department of Education, without delay.
The DA wishes matric graduates of 2024 all the very best as they pursue tertiary studies and access the job market. For those who did not pass, it is not the end of the road, and there are opportunities available to complete the national senior certificate qualification.