Educational activist cautions against 'headline targets' in KZN’s matric pass

EDUCATIONAL activist Hendrick Makaneta challenged KwaZulu-Natal's ambitious plan to raise the matric pass tate to 95%, warning that without addressing systemic inequalities, the target risked becoming a political headline rather than meaningful educational improvement.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER

He believes quality education requires more than just impressive statistics.

“The goal of improving the KZN matric pass rate from 89.5% to 95% by 2025 is ambitious. While it signals a positive commitment to raising standards, there is a risk that it becomes more of a political headline than an educational milestone if not backed by systemic support and realism,” he said.

He stressed that achieving a 95% pass rate was feasible only under “ideal conditions”, something that, in his view, South Africa’s deeply unequal education landscape did not provide.

“Without addressing underlying issues like infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms, such targets can feel more aspirational than grounded. There is a fine line between motivating improvement and setting schools up for failure,” he said.

He warned that blanket goals often ignored the realities faced by under-re-sourced schools, particularly in rural and township areas, where pupils struggled with basic needs such as transport, nutrition and textbooks.