KAROO NEWS - The National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) says in a statement of 8 September that a recent research report validates the organisation's contention that "gatekeeping" is prevalent in the education system to enhance matric results.

"Gatekeeping" happens in some high schools where Grade 10 and 11 learners are kept back so that the schools can report better matric results. Naptosa blames provincial departments and district offices for exerting undue pressure on schools to perform.

The research report on learner flow through schools was done by the Stellenbosch University Research on Socio-economic Policy (Resep) group. It was found that 10 learner years at high school are required for a matric pass. 

According to the researchers, this is because some who eventually matriculate only do so after having repeated a year once or more, but mainly because more learners spend some years in high school without ever reaching or passing matric.

Naptosa says the report's findings also confirm that the annual matric results are of little value in assessing the effectiveness of the education system if the number of learners who successfully complete the National Senior Certificate examinations annually are not compared to the number of learners that enrolled in Grade 1. 

"The real dropout problem is now concentrated in Grades 10 and 11, where 11% of learners in each of those grades dropped out in 2018. There is no disputing that some provincial education departments, through their district offices, continue to pressurise high schools to perform without providing assistance for the non-academic child trapped in an academic system. 

"Schools react by holding back learners in Grades 10 and 11 to enhance their matric league table performance. Provinces and districts turn a blind eye to these manipulations," says Naptosa.

Bronagh Hammond, communications director for the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), says the department has stated for many years that the throughput rate of learners is ultimately more important than the pass rate. 

"Ensuring that our learners remain in the system between Grade 10 and 12 is essential, as learners are above school-going age and can legally drop out of school. However, we have consistently improved upon our throughput rate each year, and have the best rate in the country. While the numbers of learners retained in the FET (Further Education and Training) phase in Grades 10, 11 and 12 continues to improve at schools in the Western Cape, we are focusing our interventions and priority responses on supporting our very youngest learners and their parents to return to school."

She says the Western Cape has placed a great deal of effort into improving retention rate in schools. The Annual Performance Plan is based on achieving strategic goals that include ensuring as many learners as possible go through the system and write and complete their matric. "We are particularly proud of the improvement in our rate of retention since 2009."

She says focusing on retaining learners does, however, have many challenges:

• It involves more attention, support and remedial action.

• It involves improving the system in the Foundation Phase - the reading, writing and mathematics skills - so that learners progress comfortably and keep up with the curriculum. Learners who do not read, write and calculate at the required levels are more likely to drop out at a later stage due to lack of confidence or fear of failure.

• It involves the identification of learners who would be more suited to a technical and vocational stream than an academic stream, and therefore, the expansion of these schools is vital.

• It involves support and encouragement to pregnant learners both during and after their pregnancy, so that they do not drop out as a result of being pregnant.

• It involves behavioural programmes, psychological support and even the assistance of social welfare or networks for learners who are in homes that are not healthy and happy environments.

• More importantly, it involves creating a space where learners feel safe and motivated.

"There are many reasons for drop-outs and many interventions. These are just a few. Covid, however, has certainly had an impact. The full impact is still to be determined. The WCED has made a concerted effort to encourage learners to continue with their schooling. The return to traditional timetabling models and routine is thus important to create stability and ongoing learning. This alone, will improve attendance across the board."

The Western Cape has the highest retention rate and is constantly working to improve.

Much effort to get learners through matric

A local high school principal confirmed Hammond's statement. "At our school we are doing all in our power to get all learners to and through matric. We have lengthened our periods and our learners have caught up with the backlog due to the Covid restrictions. Now that the exams that were to start on 13 September have been cancelled, our Grade 8s to 11s are coming to school for lectures on alternative days. The matrics are here every day."

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