{"id":845213,"date":"2025-12-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=845213"},"modified":"2025-12-02T11:42:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T09:42:25","slug":"big-changes-on-the-cards-for-grade-12-pass-mark-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/845213\/big-changes-on-the-cards-for-grade-12-pass-mark-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Big changes on the cards for grade 12 pass mark in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A growing number of Members of Parliament (MPs) are in support of a proposal to scrap the longstanding 30% pass mark for matriculants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes in light of growing concerns over educational standards and the efficacy of the current minimum requirements for high school students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal was tabled by Build One SA (Bosa), a party that has been vocal about the need to reassess the 30% threshold that many argue undermines the academic potential of students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a recent Mini-plenary session last week, many MPs argued<\/a> that the country must raise the bar for learners entering a tough job market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One MP said ending the 30% pass mark would show that South Africa is serious about improving its standards, but stressed that it cannot happen in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They argued that the pass mark should increase from 30% to 50% progressively, and be part of broader reforms that lift the whole education system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some MPs warned that the current threshold harms learners\u2019 futures. One said that \u201cbehind every 30% pass is a child who will never access the profession where transformation is most urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed out that weak results limit the number of future pilots, doctors, scientists and auditors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They argued that telling a child that 30% is enough \u201cignores 70% of their potential\u201d and sends the wrong message about achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, other MPs said the debate is being distorted. One described the 30% pass mark as \u201ca popular work of fiction,\u201d explaining that it is not true that learners can pass matric by simply scoring 30% overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reality is if you get 30% you fail the subject,\u201d the MP said, although you may still qualify for a National Senior Certificate if that failed subject is not one of the key ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They reminded the public that the real requirements include at least 40% in home language, 40% in two other subjects, and 30% in three more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These MPs argued that the real issue is the quality of the entire education system, not a single number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They warned that increasing the pass mark to 50% for all subjects without fixing early schooling \u201cwould not suddenly produce better outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any changes must be based on research and carefully planned<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Education expert Brahm Fleisch<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

They also defended technical and vocational pathways, stating that TVET and CET colleges should not be treated as inferior alternatives, but rather as central to building skills for the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education expert Brahm Fleisch agreed with this view and said the first step is understanding what the matric pass requirements actually are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained<\/a> that learners must meet different thresholds for different subjects, and the system is more complex than the political debate often suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He believes that South Africa needs \u201ca more accurate and more specific understanding\u201d before talking about significant changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleisch agreed that there are serious problems with the quality of education. However, he added that the roots lie much earlier than Grade 12. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly 30% of learners are reaching the minimum proficiency level\u2014the benchmark for reading\u2014at the end of Grade 3,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without fixing this, simply raising the pass mark may have some impact, but it will not improve real learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed to deep inequality as a major factor. Learners in well-resourced schools have a significant advantage over those in poorer schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many children are progressing through the grades without acquiring the fundamental skills they need to succeed at the grade 12 level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Fleisch, the real solution is improving early literacy and numeracy. These skills are \u201cthe key building blocks\u201d of long-term improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He welcomed the growing political agreement on strengthening the early years, even though results will take time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said it is the only way to build a sustained quality education system that provides opportunities for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also noted that the government has not actually proposed raising the pass mark yet. If such a change is considered, he stressed that it should be based on research and carefully planned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities would need to think about how it affects schools, universities and TVET colleges, and ensure the change benefits learners in the long run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A growing number of members of Parliament (MPs) are in support of a proposal to scrap the longstanding 30% pass mark for matriculants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":806605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[8580,24300,853],"class_list":["post-845213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-matric","tag-mini-plenary-session","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":845221,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845213\/revisions\/845221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/806605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}