Lesufi says Umalusi unfairly reduced subject marks for matric results

MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi speaking after the opening of the newly build Abram Hlophe Primary School in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency(ANA)

MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi speaking after the opening of the newly build Abram Hlophe Primary School in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency(ANA)

Published Feb 25, 2021

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Pretoria - Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has pleaded with education quality assurer Umalusi to review its strategy to focus on supporting learners and levelling the playing field for all.

Lesufi was speaking at a ceremony held in honour of the province’s top achieving learners on Tuesday, alongside education heads and Premier David Makhura. He said even though they had accepted the results released by Umalusi for the 2020 National Senior Certificate, they wanted to take the opportunity to caution the regulator.

Lesufi said they felt Umalusi, in executing its mandate, had missed an opportunity to be a levelling institution to ensure that no learners were disadvantaged because of anything or any circumstances beyond their control.

He said instead of ensuring this it had instead, in assessing the results, behaved as if there was no Covid-19 pandemic for learners to contend with and that things were normal. “We want to advise them to relook at some of the opportunities that they missed.”

Lesufi said his concern stemmed from the fact that in 2019, the assessor had reduced two subject marks as it alleged learners had “passed too much” while during the pandemic it reduced eight subject marks with the same rationale.

“We really believe it was unfair that, during Covid-19, when learners worked so hard, adjusting to online and not sleeping, they (Umalusi) reduced their marks purely because they felt they passed too much.

“I am hopeful that they will review this one day and give the learners the support that they need.”

He also took the opportunity to thank Hilda Kekana, the district director for Tshwane South, for her hard work and diligence that ensured that the district, for two years in succession, retained the number one position in both the country and province as the best performing district.

And even though the Free State came up as the best performer, Lesufi said he was comforted that, of the top 10 best performing districts, six came from Gauteng. The 110 184 matriculants who gave the province an 83.4% pass rate, which is a 3.5% drop from the 2019 results, were commended for putting the province in the second position nationally. The Tshwane municipality was announced as the leading municipality with an 87.4% pass rate followed by Joburg with 87%, Ekurhuleni with 83%, West Rand with 82% and Sedibeng with 81%.

The top achievers were awarded with trophies, certificates, laptops, cash vouchers and bursaries.

Pretoria News

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