Last month, the headmaster of the Ntlatseng Combined School in North West blamed the shortage of staff members for the drop in the 2022 matric results at their school. 

Principal Lerato Kona informed the North West Legislature committee of this during an oversight visit to the school. Kona said the school obtained a 61% pass rate last year as they did not have a mathematics teacher from September until the end of the year.

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While addressing District Directors in Mahikeng, the North West MEC for Education, Viola Motsumi, emphasised the importance of improving matric results this year by keeping track of performances in schools across the province from the first term. She revealed a significant increase in the percentage of distinctions obtained in the first term of this year compared to term four of 2022. 

However, she stated that internal indicators have shown a decline in performance in the first term of 2023. As a result, the department has plans to intensify intervention strategies to assist underperforming schools through dial-a-tutor programmes, extra classes, camps, and educator development. Motsumi further stated that schools that achieve less than 70% will be considered vulnerable. Moreover, education stakeholders were called on to carry the top-three vision in 2023.

"I humbly plea with all our education stakeholders to rally with the department to make our vision of top three see the light when the minister of Education announces 2023's results," Motsumi concluded.

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