The ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape would like to join the rest of the country in congratulating the class of 2023 on their performance in the 2023 Matric Examinations. We further welcome the release of the 2023 matric results by the Department of education today, the 18th of January 2024.
We are especially exhilarated by the Matric class of 2023 in the Eastern Cape for an overall 81% performance under the difficult but drastically improving conditions of schools in the Eastern Cape. These examinations mark the end of a long and testing journey through the basic education system and marks a crucial transition in the lives of young people of the Eastern Cape. We understand end year exams as a long term determining factor and impact full period of the future of young people who are potential graduates.
We understand and view education as extremely crucial in advancing social trajectories, through different disciplines and at different levels. Education also plays a major role in the creation of transformational phenomenon in society. Investing in education therefore becomes very important for any country to develop. Education is also instrumental in advancing social justice through the socialisation of society.
We also wish to extend a word of encouragement to all the young people who did not perform well in these examinations to not lose hope or be discouraged in the endeavours. We call on the Department of Education to continue with the creation of ways and means to reinforce the preparations of learners who wish to improve their Matric results in the province.
We further commend all stakeholders of the sector; the learners, teachers, parents, schools, the department of education and social partners for the notable improvement of 4% from the 2022 results. We salute the provincial leadership of government, led by the Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane and extend a special congratulations to the MEC of Education, comrade Fundile ‘Blacks’ Gade for steering the ship well. Comrade Gade has shown serious dedication and commitment to the development of young people through education, since the first day of his appointment as MEC.
We have been consistent in monitoring the work of the Education department in the province and have noticed the great improvement, both infrastructurally and in terms of the delivery of study material, technological resources and the improvement in instances of overcrowding in classrooms. These results however, do not come without the overarching issues of long distances travelled by our scholars to schools and the material conditions within which they are expected to study and do homework in when they get to their homes.
These challenges have a bigger impact on the rural and township schools in the province. In light of these structural challenges, the improvement of the overall provincial performance is highly commendable and well received. Although faced with several obstacles like the change of methods of learning and the limited learning time frames brought by the global COVID-19 pandemic which saw many of our learners unfortunately dropping out of school due to the difficult conditions, the valiant actions of this cohort of students stands hands above hills from many generations.
Their commitment to excellence shows the resilience of this collective and their urge to constantly develop themselves. We are particularly proud of the efforts that this class has made in reaching the important milestone that is being acknowledged today; they are indeed admirable and should be commended without reservation.
To the teachers and school principals, who consistently put up with people of different material backgrounds, diverse cultural upbringing and broad religious beliefs, though not said enough, you are the heart of the success of our learners.
Lastly, we call on all our branches in campuses, working with components of the PYA, to prepare themselves to be ready to receive, and assist, all those who will be going to TVET Colleges, Universities of Technology, and Universities, as these institutions
prepare for the 2024 academic year. We also call on the management of all institutions of higher learning to make the appropriate plans to handle the admissions and registrations and residence admission processes effectively and efficiently.
We further wish to caution prospective students who may wish to register in the private higher education institutions to ensure that the institutions they approach are appropriately registered and that the courses for which they enrol are appropriately accredited.
We will closely monitor the process of back to school campaigns, together with that of other PYA components, in order to ensure that students are placed in the study areas within which they want to further their studies and that all the campaigns aimed at bridging the gap for the poor are running smoothly. In the words of President Nelson Rolihlahla “Madiba” Mandela – “The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation.”
Issued by:
ANCYL EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
For enquiries, contact:
Francisco Dyantyi
ANC Youth League Eastern Cape
Provincial Secretary
0784492422
Siviwe Ngaba
ANC Youth League Eastern Cape
Provincial Spokesperson
0720614313
