Students Might Be Allowed To Leave School At Grade 9. The Department of Basic Education is trying to formalise Grade 9 as a grade whereby students can exit school.
The Department of Basic Education is trying to formalise Grade 9 as a grade whereby students can exit school. Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education, announced the plan at the 9th annual SADTU National Congress. She stated the government’s plans to let pupils leave school at Grade 9, with some qualification.
The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshegka, stated that a new circle of evaluation was underway at strategic levels of education, climaxing with the General Education Certificate before heading to matric. “We are also working on the introduction of multiple qualifications such as the General Education Certificate before the Grade 12 exit qualification. The NDP (National Development Plan) aims for a “World Class Assessment System” involving reliable measures of learning for every primary school,” says Angie Motshekga. The Minister of Education went on to say that the evaluation results will be looked at next year.
“The Field Trial for the General Education Certificate at the end of Grade 9 is scheduled for completion at the end of July 2020,” says the Minister of Basic Education. The Department of Basic Education states that the Grade 9 General Education Certificate will assist in decreasing the numbers of failures in matric. It was also emphasised that the General Education Certificate prevents some students who have to repeat higher grades from heartache, pain and it saves a lot of pain. The Minister of Basic Education has stated that the General Education Certificate would help with the high dropout numbers in matric.
by Alexandra Ramaite
