{"id":63595,"date":"2024-04-03T16:36:17","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T16:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out"},"modified":"2024-04-03T17:13:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T17:13:23","slug":"new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out","title":{"rendered":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. <\/strong><\/span>The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it plans to fully launch in 2025.<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s annual performance plan for 2024\/25 outlined the progress being made in transforming the school system into a new \u2018three-stream\u2019 model, and laid out the next steps for the plan in the year ahead.<\/p>\n

The GEC is a standardised qualification being piloted in South Africa for learners completing grade 9, which will give any school leavers some type of \u201ccurrency\u201d they can use to either find a job or pursue a different stream of schooling.<\/p>\n

The pilot initially launched in a few schools in 2022 and ramped up in 2023.<\/p>\n

While the department has previously stressed that it is not an \u201cexit\u201d qualification \u2013 and should not be used to encourage learners to leave education and training \u2013 the performance plan specifically refers to it as one of two exit points in schooling.<\/p>\n

Even if the department does not intend for the GEC to be an exit certificate, the stark reality in South Africa is that only 60% of learners go on to complete the National Senior Certificate (NSC, aka, matric), with around 40% dropping out at grade 9 with nothing to show for it.<\/p>\n

This fact has often been used as a major point of criticism against the much-lauded and celebrated matric results announcements each year \u2013 where the government and education department celebrate pass rates of over 82% when the reality is that almost half the learners who started school with the matric cohort don\u2019t make it to the end.<\/p>\n

The GEC has thus been conceptualised as a level 1 qualification on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) that is intended to formally recognise learners\u2019 achievements at the end of the compulsory phase of schooling.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the approximately 40% of youths who currently exit the education system without any qualification would now achieve a GEC, and this would provide them with some currency upon entering the labour market and would positively impact youth employment,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expected introduction of the GEC in 2025 would ensure that every young South African leaves the schooling system with a national certificate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The department argues that the GEC will recognise formal learning that has occurred by the end of Grade 9 \u2013 now seen as the \u201ccompulsory phase of learning\u201d \u2013 fulfilling progression requirements in the NSC for Grades R to 12.<\/p>\n

The certificate will either help learners \u2018survive\u2019 through to grade 12, put them on a different path toward vocational and occupational training, or give them some \u201ccurrency\u201d to enter the labour market.<\/p>\n

\u201cAchieving virtually universal completion of Grade 9 by 2030 seems realistic. The expected introduction of the GEC in 2025 would ensure that every young South African leaves the schooling system with a national certificate,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n

The certificate is integral to the department\u2019s new \u2018three-stream\u2019 model, where it wants to put school kids on different educational paths \u2013 either academic (traditional NSC), vocational (broadly aligned to a profession) or occupational (for a specific job) \u2013 depending on their performance in school.<\/p>\n

The DBE said it will continue to pilot the GEC qualification in 1,000 schools in 2024\/25, looking towards a full launch in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2024\/25, we have decided to step up the (GEC) pilot in schools, including Schools of Skill,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n

It is also continuing to develop and strengthen the vocational and occupational streams, working with the Department of Higher Education and Training to ensure that programmes allow learners who have completed a grade 9 GEC to enter Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges, should they so choose to do so.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Africa<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it plans to fully launch in 2025. The department\u2019s annual performance plan for 2024\/25 outlined the progress being made in transforming the school system into a new \u2018three-stream\u2019 model, and laid out the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":63594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[274,315,275],"class_list":["post-63595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-south-africa","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nNew \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-03T16:36:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-03T17:13:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-03T16:36:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-03T17:13:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\"},\"wordCount\":615,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-South-Africa\",\"South-Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"culture and art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\",\"name\":\"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out - South Africa\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-03T16:36:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-03T17:13:23+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/\",\"name\":\"South Africa\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out - South Africa","description":"The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out","og_description":"The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out","og_site_name":"South Africa","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-04-03T16:36:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-03T17:13:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out","datePublished":"2024-04-03T16:36:17+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-03T17:13:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out"},"wordCount":615,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-South-Africa","South-Africa"],"articleSection":["all news","culture and art"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out","name":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out - South Africa","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-03T16:36:17+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-03T17:13:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The Department of Basic Education says it will \u201cstep up\u201d the piloting of the new General Education Certificate (GEC) it ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/sites\/31\/2024\/04\/sm_1712151151.873831.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/new-exit-certificate-for-school-kids-in-south-africa-where-40-drop-out#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"New \u2018exit\u2019 certificate for school kids in South Africa \u2013 where 40% drop out"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/","name":"South Africa","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}