The FF Plus is convinced that mother-tongue education is the key to addressing the Free State’s high fail rate.
The shocking announcement by the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, that 40% of Grade 10 learners in the Free State failed confirms the FF Plus’s conviction.
Having the best matric pass rate in the country means nothing if four out of every ten Grade 10 learners in the Free State failed in the same year.
Those learners will soon become part of the 44% unemployed persons in the province.
The former MEC for Education, Mr Tate Makgoe, admitted last year in his budget speech that more must be done to develop the province’s official languages (Afrikaans, Sotho and Engels) as mediums of instruction.
However, his own party, the ANC, is now proposing draconian amendments through the BELA Bill which will erode the quality of education even further.
The FF Plus will demand that the current MEC for Education, Makalo Nohale, disclose the past academic year’s fail rates for each grade and indicate how schools will be helped to effectively assist learners who failed.
The party also encourages parents and interested parties to make their submissions on the BELA legislative amendments during the scheduled public hearings.
The FF Plus will post the details regarding the public hearings to be held in the Free State on social media platforms as soon as they are available.
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