FS premier Macqueen Letsoha-Mathae. [Picture: Central News]
Macqueen Letsoha-Mathae, premier of Free State, credited her province’s 91% matric pass rate to African National Congress’s (ANC) policies. Specifically, she referred to social support as placing the province at the top.
“This is just a demonstration of the effectiveness of ANC policies, especially on social transformation. We’ve been visiting schools, even identifying learners that we think have challenges,” she said.
Letsoha-Mathae spoke to Salaamedia just a day after Siviwe Gwarube, minister of basic education, announced an 87.3% national pass rate for the class of 2024.
The Free State achieved the highest pass rate (91%), followed by KwaZulu-Natal (89.5%), Gauteng (88.4%), North West (87.5), Western Cape (86.6%), Limpopo (85%), Mpumalanga (84.9%), and Eastern Cape (84.9%).
The province’s premier said she roped in businesspeople who then donated food and toiletries at schools in disadvantaged communities. Dedicated officials and teachers also gave their time, she added.
“We’ve got very dedicated district directors who worked with our teachers, those teachers who compromised with their families to stay with these learners in making sure that these learners achieve what they achieved today.”
At her maiden matric results announcement, which took place in Johannesburg on Monday, Gwarube, a Democratic Alliance (DA) minister in the government of national unity (GNU), called on civil society to assist in improving education outcomes.
“When society invests collectively in education, it fosters greater equity and inclusivity. By jointly committing our resources and expertise, we can address systemic challenges and ensure all learners reach their full potential.”
“Together, we have a responsibility to create an education system that uplifts individuals, produces the skills needed to grow the economy and strengthens the nation,” she added.
