Matric obsession masks reality

LANCE Witten’s poignant report on the plight of Clayton Pieterse who lives in Bonteheuwel is a searing indictment of all the so-called “triumphs” of the new South African milieu.

Indeed, Pieterse’s heart-rending narrative gives the lie to our recent jubilation over a successful matric pass rate in the Western Cape (“Trauma of being trapped in despair”, Cape Argus, February 1).

Having recently worked at a primary school in Bonteheuwel for a year, the reality of this young South African’s despair is very real to me. Yet Clayton is by no means alone. If we consider the recent facts (also published in the media) about the few matriculants who have found placement at tertiary institutions for 2016, we ask: what then happens to those who have not been accepted for further study?

Where are the jobs in the Western Cape for them?

Clayton’s story exposes countless anomalies which become obfuscated in this obsession we have with matric results.

It raises important questions about the manner in which we have chosen to measure the effectiveness of our current schooling system.

More matriculants at working-class schools have passed, but have we analysed their curricula and considered whether their choice of subjects have prepared them for employment or increased their eligibility for tertiary studies?

Core subjects like mathematics, the sciences and accounting thrive predominantly at the schools of the rich.

Few pupils drop out of the schooling system there.

How many matriculants in poor areas have successfully completed these vital subjects?

We have a long way to go before we can praise ourselves for rewriting the history of our educational struggle.

Sadly, Clayton Pieterse’s battle echoes the painful reality of so many young South Africans, who, after 12 years (or more) of schooling, feel an acute sense of betrayal. It does not bode well for the citizens of the future.