THE Eastern Cape Education Department is confident it will achieve its target of a 70% matric pass rate – which it has failed to do for the past two years.
Eastern Cape Education MEC Mandla Makupula said after managing a 67% pass rate last year, a 70% pass was no longer pie in the sky.
Declaring their state of readiness this week, Makupula said matrics had been getting the necessary support to ensure an improved pass rate that would "hopefully move the province from the bottom of the national class".
However, this comes despite a province- wide outcry about a shortage of teachers and overcrowding.
Matric pupils around the country are set to sit for the final exams from October 27. The department is certain its year-long extra tuition offered to matrics across the provincewill pay off handsomely.
Makupula said matrics had managed a 61% pass rate in 2012, which the department had never before achieved, and had shown a steady improvement to the latest 67%.
"The supplementary exams of the class of 2013 took us to 67%. That is why we are confident of reaching our 70% target for the 2014 class," he said.
Makupula said besides extra classes in 23 districts in January, there had been 144 winter school camps, with spring schools set to start next week. The department pronounced its readiness for the exams on Monday, with 69768 full-time and 21376 part-time candidates to sit for the exams at nearly 1200 centres province wide.
Acting Education Department head Ray Tywakadi said all exam centres were well secured to ensure the department kept its record of no leakages in the last 10 years.
"Logistically, we are on point and see nothing standing in the way of smooth running exams," he said.
"It's all systems go." - Zandile Mbabela