Schools slide off the charts

16 March 2016 - 02:33 By Shenaaz Jamal
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The Gauteng education department has 2267 public schools but rates only 99 of them as "great".

Panyaza Lesufi. File photo
Panyaza Lesufi. File photo
Image: VATHISWA RUSELO

More than 2million pupils attend state schools in the province.

Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi yesterday introduced the province's school categorisation system, which rates schools according to performance.

Speaking at a press briefing on the state of education in the province, Lesufi revealed that, of a total of 803 secondary schools in the province, only:

  • 99 were categorised as "great";
  • 180 as good; and
  • 524 poor to fair. Of 1464 primary schools:
  • 5 were categorised as "great";
  • 292 as good; and
  • 1 167 as poor to fair.

The categorisation of secondary schools is determined by a weighted average using the bachelor pass rate, maths and science pass rates, and the matric pass rate.

The primary schools were measured in accordance with the 2014 Annual National Assessment results.

The department introduced the categorisation to enable parents to see the performance of Gauteng's schools on its website.

The names of the schools and their categorisation have yet to be made available.

Lesufi said the department had identified schools at which its intervention was needed. This would include assessing the adequacy of resources, ways to retain teachers and the redeployment of school principals.

The MEC said he was worried by the declining pass rate in grades eight and nine - nearly half of pupils failed last year.

"Grade 8 is when they go to high school. Grade 7 [pupils] are not doing badly with an 85% pass rate, so I don't understand what happens when they get to high school," said Lesufi.

"Our area of intervention is going to be between grades 7 and 10.

"We know where the problems are now, so we are not going to be surprised by Grade 12 performance."

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