Department launches inquiry at two Gauteng schools where no one passed

14 January 2020 - 15:34 By Kgaugelo Masweneng
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Two independent schools in Gauteng will be investigated by the department of education after getting 0% pass rates in the 2019 matric exams.
Two independent schools in Gauteng will be investigated by the department of education after getting 0% pass rates in the 2019 matric exams.
Image: Gallo Images/ iStock

The Gauteng department of education (GDE) will launch an inquiry to establish what caused a 0% pass rate for 2019's grade 12s at two independent schools.

The schools are Rostec Technical College in Pretoria and the Designated Centre Gallway in Germiston.

We subsidise some of these schools due to their good governance and financial accountability, but clear evidence of educational benefit for learners to increase access is a strong indicator,” said department spokesperson Steve Mabona in a statement.

"Parents cannot be short-changed. An excellent learner performance is paramount."

Overall, Gauteng achieved an 87.2% pass rate - a 0.7 percentage point decline from 2018.

For the first time, the department is expected to announce primary school performance for 2019. Mabona said this would help the department “to improve the overall performance of our secondary schooling accordingly”.

To improve poor performance at primary schools, Mabona said, the department would  introduce support programmes to enable an environment for effective teaching and learning. This will be in the form of a provincial literacy and numeracy strategy. It will address poor performance and focus on intervention for the senior phase, particularly in mathematics and literacy.

With schools in the province opening on Wednesday, education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said the department was anticipating high volumes of late applications and was ready for the new school year.

"Officials are making every effort to ensure that applicants are assisted and that placement is facilitated without delay," he said. 

“We really engaged in thorough preparations to ensure that schools are ready to commence with teaching and learning activities on day one of the 2020 academic year. Our senior management also conducted visits throughout the province, making sure schools are ready for teaching and learning accordingly.”


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