South African lawmakers just torpedoed a proposal from opposition leader Mmusi Maimane that would have ditched the 30% minimum pass mark and replaced it with 50%, and the ANC and DA teamed up to kill it while the EFF, IFP, and ActionSA backed the change. Maimane went off about how the low bar is basically keeping kids stuck in mediocrity instead of prepping them to compete globally, but Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube clarified that people are confused about how the system actually works since students need 40% in their home language and other subjects.
The debate got heated with EFF and IFP members saying the current setup normalizes failure, but opponents argued that just raising the pass rate without fixing early education problems like literacy and numeracy gaps is pointless. The motion died, and the requirements stay the same for the foreseeable future.
The debate got heated with EFF and IFP members saying the current setup normalizes failure, but opponents argued that just raising the pass rate without fixing early education problems like literacy and numeracy gaps is pointless. The motion died, and the requirements stay the same for the foreseeable future.
