By Zuko Komisa
Only a third of adults in South Africa have matric.
With the release of the matric results in January, the full story about the country’s education system continues to reveal varying layers of problems that need to be addressed.
A matric certificate or its equivalent was estimated to be held by 32.5% of South African adults in 2020 by the Department of Higher Education and Training.
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Kaya Biz with Gugulethu Mfuphi spoke to Phemelo Segoe – Marketing Manager at Optimi Workplace, who spoke about these stats and how the matric pass rate says a lot about the health of South Africa’s education system.
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION:
How dropout rates impact the overall numbers
“When you look at the number of students who start Grade 1 and finish Grade 12, there is a dropout rate that is about 60%. When we look at the matric pass rate this year, it shows an improvement this year, and the larger conversation is how our learners dropped”
“We know now that there’s is a 32% dropout rate which explains how we have a low-level of adults matrics.”
Unemployment vs Matric Results
“We have a limited workforce because the minimum requirement for the many roles is matric, it is the stepping to getting a higher education and is a requirement for many jobs. Our low matric rate is contributing to our unemployment rate.”
Segoe also unpacked what needs to be done to resolve the problems with the education system.
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