<\/p>\n
With only days remaining before the release of the Class of 2024 matric results, Build One South Africa (BOSA) has launched a petition urging Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube to scrap the minimum pass mark from 30% and increase it to 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n The highly anticipated matric results, which will provide an update on how the Class of 2024 performed, will be released on Monday, December 13.<\/span><\/p>\n The matric class of 2023 achieved a pass rate of 82.9%, and now all eyes are on how the Class of 2024 will perform.<\/span><\/p>\n With just a few days before the release of the results, many learners are anxious about their performance.<\/span><\/p>\n In response to that, BOSA has announced the launch of a petition on December 8, calling for the 30% pass mark to be increased to 50% <\/span><\/p>\n BOSA\u2019s acting spokesperson Rogers Solomons said the party believes that maintaining a 30% pass mark in South Africa \u2013 a country with the highest youth unemployment rate across the world, is detrimental to both the education system and the economy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA meagre 30% pass hurts our pupils, the education system, and in the long run the economy,\u201d said Solomons.<\/span><\/p>\n The petition launched on the change.org website, argues that a 30% pass mark for subjects at matric level undermines the intellectual capabilities of South Africa’s youth and also contributes to mediocrity, low expectations and lack of accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n A 30% pass mark undermines the intellect of South Africa’s youth and allows for the obfuscation of the basic education crisis; education leaders to escape accountability, and the entrenchment of mediocrity and low expectations<\/span><\/p>\n The petition launched on the website of change.org states that <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe 30% pass mark allows for obfuscation of the basic education crisis and enables education leaders to escape accountability,\u201d the petition said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe entrenchment of mediocrity and low expectations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Solomons said the party calls on Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube to scrap the 30% pass mark and raise it to 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n He called on allSouth Africans \u2013 including teachers, parents, and students \u2013 to rally behind the petition.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe need to equip young people to compete and win in the global economy,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd they can, with quality education. This begins by upping the matric pass mark,\u201d Solomons added.<\/span><\/p>\n This is not the first time the party championed for a higher pass mark. In addition, in the past years, civic organisation One Movement SA (OSA) has also called for the matric pass mark to be raised to 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n In October 2024, the party\u2019s deputy president Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster wrote to Gwarube in a Parliamentary question, asking when she intends to replace the 30% pass mark with a 50% minimum. <\/span><\/p>\n However, in her written response, Gwarube said there were no immediate plans to change the current pass mark.<\/span><\/p>\n Gwarube acknowledged the 30% pass mark had raised concerns, but emphasised that any change would require time and expert advice.<\/span><\/p>\n Since taking office in June 2024, Gwarube said she focused on understanding the challenges confronting the Basic Education sector, including consulting with provincial MECs, and various stakeholders. <\/span><\/p>\n Gwarube said she plans to appoint an advisory council to the necessary reforms in the sector, including strengthening the curriculum and aligning South Africa\u2019s performance with international best practices. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAny changes of this nature would require time and expert advice,\u201d Gwarube said.<\/span><\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With only days remaining before the release of the Class of 2024 matric results, Build One South Africa (BOSA) has launched a petition urging Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube to scrap the minimum pass mark from 30% and increase it to 50%. The highly anticipated matric results, which will provide an update on how the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2284,15150,369,16566,1518,1707,409,1693,11014,2716,1789],"class_list":{"0":"post-227928","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-politics","7":"tag-basic","8":"tag-bosa","9":"tag-education","10":"tag-gwarube","11":"tag-mark","12":"tag-matric","13":"tag-minister","14":"tag-pass","15":"tag-percent","16":"tag-raise","17":"tag-urges"},"yoast_head":"\n