Mcebo Dlamini advocates for equality in basic education system

Pan-Afrikanist scholar and proponent of Black Consciousness, Mcebo Dlamini is recommending that a uniform education system be implemented where the curriculum, resources, infrastructure and opportunities are presented equally to everyone throughout the country.

Dlamini suggests there is no need for a two-tier schooling system because in his view, it benefits the rich and sometimes at the expense of the poor.

He made the remarks following the announcement of 2022 National Senior Certificate results by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, on Thursday.

“Firstly, we are extremely proud of all matriculants. We are proud of the teachers, cleaners and parents for supporting the matriculants in what is a life-defining period. We understand the importance and necessity of education especially for black kids who come from poor backgrounds.

“We are also aware of the inequality that exists between private schools and public schools. This discrepancy does not reflect the kind of South Africa we want to build, where all students have equal access to resources and opportunities,” Dlamini said.

In addition, he warned students about the fact that conquering matric is just the beginning, urging them to focus and get degrees despite the potential challenges that come with being in institutions of higher learning.

The Matric Class of 2022 achieved a pass rate of 80.1% which is slightly higher than the 76.4% recorded in 2021 – an increase of 3.7% compared to the previous year.

Free State was once again named the best-performing province (for four years in a row) with an 88.5% pass rate, followed by Gauteng, which achieved 84.4%, an increase of 1.6% from 2021, while KwaZulu-Natal, the most improved province, attained 83.0%, an increase of 6.2% from 2021.

“On the question of results, we are quite happy with the fact that there is an increase in the pass rate. We are also happy that the number of university entries has increased.

“What we want to say though is that these statistics mean nothing if the quality of education being given to matriculants does not enable them to participate successfully at university. The government must not lower the standard and quality just so the numbers look good and a façade of a working department is created. What this does is to set up students for failure post-matric,” Dlamini added.

The overall 2022 matric results show that none of the country’s nine provinces performed below the 70% pass rate and none had a decline when compared to the previous year’s statistics.

“Again, congratulations to those who defied the odds and made it. Your resilience, focus and hard work is what is needed to make South Africa better,” Dlamini emphasized.