GOOD statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD: Secretary-General and Member of Provincial Parliament
21 January 2022
Congratulations to the matric class of 2021, across the country, for their achievement despite the disruption and uncertainty they have endured over the last two years.
The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on all of our lives but for the matriculants of 2021 the two most important education years, grade 11 and grade 12, were disrupted and always uncertain.
Their achievements are a triumph in the face of adversity. Their achievements reflect the true spirit of South Africa – resilience and ubuntu.
The achievement of these encouraging results are shared by the many who created a community for educating learners during a global pandemic. We must also acknowledge and thank the provincial education departments, the educators, families and every learner’s supporters.
The increased number of matriculants who completed their 12th year of basic education and the increased outcomes are deeply encouraging.
We are pleased that the Western Cape has shown an improvement in their results, once again exceeding an 80% pass rate, after falling below 80% previously.
A province that has some of the most developed educational infrastructure in the country, and whose government claims to be the best run, should expect to see this reflected in education outcomes.
Education is one of the most important provincial mandates and we would like to see the Western Cape the number one performing province.
We wish all those who completed their matric successfully well as they embark on the next part of their personal journey. To those who did not make it we encourage you to try again – without any shame or embarrassment.
While we celebrate improving educational outcomes we must fix our country’s high unemployment problem – especially youth unemployment – since it is unacceptable and heartbreaking that so many who achieve their matric spend their young adult lives unemployed.
*Media enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samkelo Mgobozi, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 0792315977 (whatsapp)/0829684021 (calls)
Email: samm@forgood.org.za