We are now well into the matric exam period that impacts the lives of nearly one million young South Africans. As a parent, I wish them all the best of luck as they go through this gruelling period.
I write this article though not as a parent but as a policy maker and national leader. As the grade 12s have started writing their matric exams a question lingers: who examines the examiners? How should we as the public measure the performance of the Department of Basic Education after they have educated over one million leaders from grade 1 until they leave school?
That is an assessment we must not ignore and one that requires honesty and accurate scales. In our evaluation of student performance, we often skip that much-needed discussion at the most important moment that it must be had….