The word 'fail' could be too strong for students - Nzimande
17 January 2020
Higher Education and Science and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande said he was engaging with the Department of Basic Education regarding the word "fail" when describing the performance of students who don't do well.
"Maybe the word 'fail' may be too strong. I have spoken to the Department of Basic Education about that [and] think it’s an issue for us educationalists, to maybe engage educational psychologists to actually deal with this matter so we don’t discourage our young people, as much as we possibly can," the minister said on Thursday.
Nzimande spoke at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday where he gave an update on the availability of spaces and opportunities at public universities and TVET colleges.
He said failure did not mean that one is "a failure as a person", although the youth should be encouraged to work hard and make use of opportunities offered by government.