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Message: [QUOTE="Shamiso, post: 83579, member: 160"] Free State's education champ just got dethroned after an eight-year reign. A civil society group is demanding Premier Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae take action against Education MEC Dr Mamiki Maboya. The province dropped to second place nationally in recent matric results, sparking intense criticism over leadership and direction. The region achieved an eighty-nine point three three percent pass rate, trailing behind KwaZulu-Natal's ninety point six percent. This ends a streak of multiple consecutive years holding the top national position. Critics blame the current leadership for failing to sustain prior initiatives that drove excellence. The group's statement highlights concerns beyond the slight percentage dip. It points to systemic issues like a fifty-seven percent learner throughput rate, indicating many students drop out before reaching matric. This reality contrasts sharply with the celebrated final pass rates. Performance in critical subjects like mathematics and accounting also declined, mirroring a national trend. These subjects are vital for university bachelor's degree programs and future economic participation. Only a portion of passes in the province meet the standard for degree study admission. The civil society collective argues that the department under Maboya and Head of Department Adv Tsoarelo Malakoane has not innovated. They claim a reliance on past strategies without new ideas has created educational drift. The statement calls for a probe into these deepening systemic challenges. Free State's earlier success was built under the late MEC Tate Makgoe, focusing on teacher development and school support. His successor briefly maintained the leading position before this recent shift. The current leadership faces scrutiny for allegedly not sustaining that legacy effectively. KwaZulu-Natal's ascent to first place is attributed to targeted community involvement and support for underperforming schools. Experts note the national pass rate increase masks persistent problems like subject performance and dropout numbers. These underlying issues limit future opportunities for many graduates. [/QUOTE]

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