The matric pass rate is always a hot topic of discussion around the time that results are released, with one particular focus being on private versus public education. The same question always remains: is completing matric through the IEB curriculum “better” than completing matric through the NSC curriculum?
The 2022 matric results have been released, meaning first year students are getting ready to head into tertiary education, after twelve years of school.
The South African education system consists of independent schools and government schools. The notion is that while the private education is far more expensive than public education, it also generally offers higher standards and more resources than what would be available at public schools.
The debate always remains: is securing a matric certificate through private education and the Independent Education Bureau (IEB) different and/or better than securing a matric certificate through public education and Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS)?
A recent study conducted by the Centre for Risk Analysis (CRA) has revealed that more learners are enrolled in South Africa’s private schools than in public schools.
The study looked at matric pass rates in private schools compared to pass rates in public schools, and showed that between the years 2000 and 2001, the number of learners receiving primary and secondary education from independent schools has increased by 174%.
The general assumption is that private school education is considered to be “better” since parents pay more money for opportunities, classes and resources that are not always accessible at public schools, believing that the quality of education their child will receive is better.
South Africa’s quality of education is always one topic that is repeatedly talked about and although the national pass rate may indicate that our learners are performing well, it doesn’t always reflect or speak to the skills, competencies and knowledge they have obtained while in school, especially as some feel that the bar for learners to succeed/pass is too low, and that not much is being asked from them.
The Chief Director for Maths, Science and Technology at the Department of Basic Education, Seliki Tlhabane, says that it’s not only about distinctions; a child without “twenty-first century skills will be perceived as uneducated.”
The National Senior Certificate, also known as the NSC, is the common high school certificate school-leavers obtain once they finish Grade 12. This document is commonly known as the matric certificate, and is usually associated with public schools.
The IEB is a private assessment board that offers examination services to private schools.
Just like public schools, schools within the IEB are accredited by Umalusi to offer school and adult assessments. They’re also accredited by the QCTO (Quality Council For Trades & Occupations) for the Foundational Learning Competence and the ETDP SETA for training courses in assessment practices.
You will still get a matric certificate even if you’ve done school via the IEB.
The IEB operates independently, therefore their examinations are also manufactured independently, and tend to differ from CAPS examinations, which maintain a national standard across the country.
Furthermore, students who successfully obtain their matric certificate through the IEB model can expect to be equipped with an internationally benchmarked qualification that is equivalent to that of Cambridge AS Levels, whilst those with CAPS qualifications cannot expect the same.
But, it doesn’t mean that learners with a public school education can’t study abroad; there are international entrance exams that learners may write in order to supplement their matric marks.
Because the IEB sets their examinations independently, learners completing matric under the NSC had differing results from learners matriculating under the IEB.
While NSC learners obtained an 80% pass rate for the 2022 final exams, the IEB’s learners obtained a shocking 98.42% pass rate with 89.32% achieving bachelor’s passes.
One parent, whose child just matriculated, says private schools and public schools are not the same, so the 80% pass rate is something to celebrate. The parent feels that because the IEB sets its exam papers independently, learners have an advantage when it comes to writing the tests that those enrolled in public schools are without.
Essentially, the IEB can “manage” their exams, whereas learners in public schools don’t know what to expect when the time comes to sit for finals.
“Public school is difficult, I’m telling you this as someone who’s worked in the Department of Education for 25 years; public school is difficult. So don’t waste your time celebrating it [the 98% pass rate], they set their own exams. They know what to write, that’s why they struggle when they [the learners] go to public schools,” explained the parent, who says their niece attended a private primary school, but struggled to cope when she went to a public high school.
At the end of the day, both methods of schooling will result in the same thing; both learning models would lead to a South African qualification that would enable university entrance all over the country, offering plenty of post-secondary education opportunities to students on a national scale, although the IEB does offer a slightly wider range of tertiary opportunities since it is internationally benchmarked.
