Durban – KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Mthandeni Dlungwana on Tuesday expressed his unhappiness with the schools that got between a 0-10% pass rate in the 2016 National Senior Certificate exams.
“It is with a deep sense of embarrassment, disappointment and disbelief that in 2016 the province had 30 schools that obtained between 0 and 10% pass rate,” said Dlungwana.
The MEC said drastic measures would be implemented immediately to move these schools to 50% and above.
He was speaking during a meeting he held with the principals, where an overview of the provincial performance was presented.
They also discussed the challenges faced by various provincial schools and considered the best possible solutions.
Opportunities have been made available for some pupils to re-write the subjects they failed this year or to explore other career avenues.
Dlungwana said the department had set higher standards for itself in the 2017 academic year, and aimed to be counted among the best performing provinces in the country.
The department has set new targets for this year, aiming to improve overall school functionality and making “time on task and task on time” a non-negotiable issue.
He added that the department had provided the necessary basic resources to the schools in the province.