Windhoek
Despite a public outcry and widespread criticism the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is adamant that raising the Grade 10 pass mark of 23 to 27 should not scare the public, as it is not a new development.
Recently Education Minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa announced that the pass rate, which has been pegged at 23 points, would be upped to 27 points, irrespective of the inability of a substantial number of learners to achieve the current pass mark, which thus hinders them from proceeding to Grade 12.
The permanent secretary in the ministry of education, Sanet Steenkamp, this week said the ministry is not planning to make a leap from 23 to 27 points all of a sudden, but a steady and gradual progression will be considered. Further, she admitted that the ministry is aware of the unsatisfactory performance of schools and learners in the junior secondary certificate since 1994.
“The ministry’s proposal, as announced by the minister, to lift the bar above 23 points is to encourage schools and learners to work even harder and also to avoid complacency, or getting comfortable with the 23 points as a requirement for Grade 11 entry,” she explained.
According to the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP4), by 2017 the education sector would have seen an increase to 25 percent in respect of Grade 10 learners achieving 30 points overall and F for English. Also, it is projected that 29.5 to 45 percent of Grade 12 learners would achieve 25 points overall.
Steenkamp explained that it is important that schools, teachers and learners aim high and set high targets that will encourage the learners to score quality grades and eventually improve the standard of learning outcomes. Therefore, she urged everyone to collectively work towards the improvement of learners’ academic achievement.
According to her, the ministry has noted with concern that there are rural schools, which have done well and from some poor- or non-performing schools can learn. She added that sharing best practices and getting out of their comfort zones should be the order of the day, if they want to attain the expected results.
Moreover, Steenkamp said the ministry is busy with curriculum reform where the emphasis is primarily on improving the quality of learning and teaching in the classroom.