Addressing low matriculation pass rates in the Eastern Cape province : an education management perspective

Abstract

In South Africa, the Eastern Cape Province (ECP) has shown the lowest matriculation pass rates for most of 1994 to 2002. This has led to great academic and media focus on the managerial and leadership role of school principals, which became the inspiration for this education management study. The researcher investigated a school principal's efficiency and effectiveness in a school system, and the detrimental impact on learner academic achievement should these vital skills be lacking. Thus, the role of the school principals at schools with low matriculation pass rates was probed to reveal shortcomings in the level of their commitment, and how these could be rectified. The researcher completed a qualitative research study at four schools with low matriculation pass rates in the Eastern Cape Province. The empirical study confirmed that learners at many schools with low matriculation pass rates are subjected to poor infrastructure and overcrowding. Furthermore, the school principals did not create school atmospheres conducive to teaching and learning, and neglected to foster open communication between the school stakeholders. The study found that the school principal's management and leadership role was not based on the belief that all learners are worthy of being taught under the best possible educational conditions. The teachers are required to promote learner academic interests, made possible through efficient classroom management, to sustain teacher quality, and to ensure learner academic achievement, yet they are subjected to poor working environments and ill-disciplined learners. This study nevertheless emphasises that all school stakeholders are accountable for low matriculation pass rates, but that it is the responsibility of the school principals to institute corrective measures. It highlights that parents can enhance learner academic progress through their active involvement in their children's learning process and the provision of home environments conducive to learning. There is a need to guide school principals and school stakeholders to make every educational effort to improve the current low matriculation pass rates in the ECP. Relevant recommendations and a suggested model to rectify the situation are proposed to ensure that all learners receive the quality of education they deserve.