Statement on 2013 Matric results and earmarked new UCT admission policy

As the Progressive Youth Alliance at the University of Cape Town, we hereby join millions of ordinary South Africans in congratulating the class of 2013 matriculants in completing their basic education. We applaud the department of basic education, parents, teachers and community members who have contributed to the achievement of what is considered as a highest past rate (78.2%) in the history of post-1994 education in South Africa. The gradual increase in performance since 2009 shows the commitment and efforts put in by the department, teachers, parents, and most importantly the learners, from the 60.6% in 2009 to the 78.2% now achieved by the class of 2013.

The consistency of this upwards trend in matric results reflects the rewards of consistent improvements within basic education. These improvements are not only witnessed in impressive improving matric pass rate figure, but equally in improved marks in Mathematics and Science, particularly in less advantaged schools and moreover that targets expected to be met by the department in 2015 have already been met, especially as it relates to literacy and numeracy rates.

We congratulate the class of 2013 because we believe that education remains the single most important issue in South Africa's future. It is through education and skill acquisition that we can realize a prosperous and a better life for all people. To those learners who have not been successful we urge them not to lose hope but to rise and try again. As the late President Nelson Mandela would say: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".

However, despite great strides which show that things are changing for the good, and that the legacies of a brutal system of racial oppression are being redressed through the education system, it remains evident however that there are those among our country who are against this progressive transformation of our society. As much as we agree that observable progress in our education system should not translate into in us to be carried away, either to overly rejoice nor to be engaged in unconstructive criticism, as more needs to be done, particularly in retaining learners in the system and thus producing higher quality passing grades.

We are equally aware that a matric rate, which is nothing but a specific mathematical ratio, in which two measurements are compared against each other (i.e. those who passed the matric against those who actually wrote the national senior certificate exams) can never reveal everything about the form and patterns of education success in any country.

In this regard, we believe anyone who thinks a matric rate ought to inform us about ‘dropout rates' and ‘quality of passes' has entered the realm of ‘pseudo intellectualism'. It is equally unfortunate that some public representatives suddenly suggest a vote of no confidence towards the education quality assurance council, Umalusi; and thus propose ‘independent audits' when young bright minds, free of oppression produce great results.

To the class of 2013 we say you have completed the first hurdle, now you must continue and that means you must enroll in higher institutions of learning. However, we are fully aware that as thousands of you and your families are celebrating the results, with some of you (at least 30.6% of successful matrics) meeting the university minimum requirements for your intended further studies, these celebrations would be short lived for many Black, Indian, and Colored learners, when you receive the ‘we regret to inform you' letters from various institutions. In this regard one of the initial measures in which these institutions will judge your suitability for being accepted as undergraduate students is the institution's admission policy.

However, since all universities in the country (including the ‘posh' University of Cape Town) occur within a society with a past that is characterized by racial discrimination and deprivation to means of life and human development, then all universities must redress previous racial discrimination.

This therefore places an obligation to all universities to provide redress for past racially based discrimination in our society, in our schools and in our public higher education. To achieve the above mentioned obligation, several proxies are used by the institution (i.e. results in the National Senior Certificate (or equivalent) and self-declared ‘race' to determine those who are previously disadvantaged, but still with required grades).

The use of ‘race' as proxy for disadvantaged has been most appropriate because, the colonial and apartheid rule left a legacy of racial inequalities along specific racial classifications. Then it only makes sense to follow the same course of racial classification, when seeking to address the imbalances left behind.

However in the contrary the University of Cape Town is planning to change its 2015 admission policy to undermine this obligation by adding other patronizing proxies such as being a recipient of a ‘social grant' as a proxy of disadvantage economic status.

In simple terms this means even after passing your matric with exemption to enter at the University of Cape Town as an African child you must strive to be poor, to be a recipient of a social grant in particular in order to be considered as a student who is disadvantaged in our society. According to UCT, This means the class of 2013, which will be entering at UCT in 2014, will be the last cohort of students where race is still the only proxy for disadvantage.

This means those of whom are deemed as not poor enough, in the eyes of the University, are now staring at their matric results with despair as they are hit by the reality that they not ‘social grants' recipients or either they could not access centers to write the National Benchmark Test (now used as an entrance requirement), or simply did not do as well as those equipped to do mathematics without a calculator, although they had went beyond the minimum requirements for their intended studies.

By doing so, the ‘best university in Africa' would have succeed in undermining the efforts of thousands of learners in trying to free themselves, their families, and their communities from their chains of poverty and underdevelopment, which are centred fundamentally along the colonial and apartheid racial discriminatory lines in our education.

They successfully close down the doors of learning and culture for the Black, Indian, and Colored child, in contrast to what is envisioned in the constitution. And the same requirement of striving to be poor is not applicable to your white counterparts, because ‘social grants' are inherently for black Africans.

We, who enjoy the fruits of democracy and a non-racial South Africa, will do all we can in our efforts, to ensure that these gains reached in the democratic dispensation are not regressed by a few in this country. We will do all in our power to make sure that the current admissions policy at UCT, which sees race as the only reliable proxy for disadvantage in this country, does not use of NBTs as an entrance requirement, remains intact. We believe that this is the only door that has made it possible for Africans to enter UCT, and UCT to have its racial diversity that it currently enjoys.

Aphiwe Bewana

ANCYL Western Cape PTT member
UCT PYA Admissions Policy Task Team 

Luntu Sokuthu

SASCO National Executive Committee Member
UCT PYA Admissions Policy Task Team

Statement issued by the Progressive Youth Alliance at the University of Cape, January 9 2014

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