Lesufi wants to force all schools, private and public, to sit the same exam

The Independent Examination Board (IEB) matric exams in South Africa face potential elimination as Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi proposes a unified national matric examination.

“I have never called for the scrapping of any examination. What I am calling for is that we are one country called South Africa, let all our children write one examination. You can’t have other children writing a better Maths, while other children are writing an inferior Maths in our own country,” he said.

Experts have argued that the poor quality of most South African schools mean that the higher standards of the IEB exam, which Lesufi promises to extend to the whole country, will lead to adverse consequences for poorer-educated students.

Lesufi argues that all matriculants, regardless of IEB or National Senior Certificate (NSC) background, are essentially the same, advocating for a standardized examination to promote equality.

Lesufi’s suggestion has sparked debate, with academics, including Professor Jonathan Jansen of Stellenbosch University, expressing concern over the potential implications.

Jansen views this as a populist move ahead of the 2024 elections, comparing it to the government’s approach to healthcare centralization through the government’s contentious National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, which aims to eliminate the possibility of independent medical insurance.

Jansen sees this as a concentration of resources for political gain rather than promoting genuine equity. He emphasizes that the issue is not the final IEB exam but the government’s failure to address educational disparities throughout a learner’s academic journey.

The IEB itself disputes the notion that it caters exclusively to elite institutions, asserting that a diverse range of schools, both private and public, participate in its exams. While open to the debate on a unified matric exam, the IEB emphasizes that the curriculum is the National Senior Certificate, differing only in assessment standards.

Jansen suggests that the sudden scrutiny on the IEB may stem from the superior results and quality of exams compared to the NSC. He urges the government to address issues within public education instead of dismantling a system that demonstrates success.

In 2023, IEB matriculants achieved a pass rate of 98.46%, with 88.59% qualifying for university degrees. The outcome of this debate will likely impact the future trajectory of matric examinations in South Africa.

South Africa’s public school system is notoriously poor-quality, and the policy of passing students without requiring demonstrable knowledge of the subjects they are taught will likely result in a massive decline in the national matric pass rate.

‍