4 January 2015
The South African Communist Party reaffirms its support for matric results of individual learners not to be published in newspapers. The SACP in particular also welcomes the decision announced 25 November 2014 by the Minister of Basic Education Comrade Angie Motshekga following the Council of Education Ministers that starting this year matric results to be published in newspapers will exclude learners` names. The Minister is expected to officially release national matric results tomorrow 5 January 2015.
Society has suffered a great deal of negative social consequences when the names of leaners were published in newspapers. Inaccuracies caused serious problems. Some of the learners whose names were not published, which meant that they did not pass, resorted to unfortunate decisions. In the extreme some learners committed suicide as a result of the public embarrassment caused which they could not withstand from the results published in newspapers. In sharp contrast the media houses which published the names of leaners made a real killing through sales and went all the way to the bank smiling for profit. In essence the names of learners were published by the press not for the good of society but for money, regardless of social the cost.
The SACP hopes that the decision by the Basic Education Department represents the starting point towards individual learners` results not being published in newspapers at all. Individual learner`s results are a private confidential matter between the Department and the learners concerned. In particular the SACP is worried that sensitive learner`s information, such as Examination Numbers, and especially ID Numbers will still be published in the press when the results are released. This dangerous practice must just be stopped with immediate effect! The SACP is calling on the Department of Basic Education to look into this matter and attend to it with the urgency that it deserves.
The SACP would like to take this opportunity to wish all learners who have achieved success all the best in their journey going forward. To all the learners who did not pass, the SACP says there is no single reason in principle to despair - repetition is the mother of learning - and, in particular, there is a wide range of alternative opportunities available to achieve success in the journey of life. Our post-school education and training system is designed to accommodate learners who did not pass matric and to offer them the opportunity to proceed in raising their education levels and developing their skills to greater heights.
Released by the SACP
Contact:
Alex Mashilo - National Spokesperson
Mobile: 082 9200 308
Office: 011 339 3621/2
Twitter: @2SACP