Despite numerous class interruptions due to Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa’s Independent Examinations Board (IEB)’s Class of 2021 recorded a 98.3% pass rate in its final high school examinations nationwide, the board announced on Wednesday.
Releasing the results, IEB chief executive Anne Oberholzer said the pass rate was slightly higher than that of the 2020 class, which scored 98.06%.
The Class of 2021 experienced disruptive changes of an unprecedented nature over a period of two critical years in their academic careers, making these Grade 12 learners “the true victims of Covid-19,” Oberholzer said.
She noted the Class of 2021 had to dig deep mentally and emotionally to find the strength to face the tremendous challenges of a radically changed teaching and learning environment.
“We are very proud of the class of 2021. They have achieved a 98.3% pass rate. They had to get used to a completely new way of working with online learning,” the chief executive said.
She said there is no doubt that online learning cannot replace a good teacher in a classroom, but noted that access to technology was what allowed learners to pass Grade 12.
“If one good thing has come out of the pandemic, it’s that technology and education can no longer be ignored. Let’s extend these opportunities of online learning to our most vulnerable in society,” Oberholzer said.
NM/jn/APA