While the improved pass rate achieved by the Class of 2016 has given Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga much to be proud of, she is already looking ahead to ensure that the current cohort of matric learners fair even better.
In an interview with PSM, the Minister said while she is happy with how the department’s interventions improved learner outcomes last year, plans are afoot to tighten them.
At the beginning of 2016, the department coordinated provincial interventions and support programmes to improve the performance of Grade 12 learners based on outcomes from 2015 in 11 high-enrolment subjects.
The department took a more hands-on approach and worked directly with districts to implement targeted interventions, she noted.
It focused on tracking the performance of learners at targeted schools – from progressed learners to high achievers.
The provinces also received specific and targeted programmes ranging from the start-up campaigns to the last-push campaigns directed at Grade 12 learners.
Given the success of these interventions, the Minister said she plans to meet with all provinces and districts to look at plans for 2017.
“We are going to meet again to look at the implementation plans… and also assess what worked and what didn’t work so that we can strengthen the plans that we already developed.
“We will go back to the drawing board to see what we need to put in place to ensure that every district it operates at above 80 percent.”
Focus on partnerships
The department also intends to increase its focus on partnerships to ensure that learner outcomes are improved.
“We have plans. We are getting more coherent partnerships. The biggest advantage the Free State had was their partnerships with Kagiso Shanduka Trust.
This story is from the February 2017 edition of Public Sector Manager.
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This story is from the February 2017 edition of Public Sector Manager.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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