The Head of Education: Ms Penny Vinjevold,
District directors and officials responsible for the ABET curriculum and
ABET Institutional Management and Governance,
ABET Board Members,
ABET Partners: Officials from the Department of Correctional Services,
Adult Learning Forum, Transport and Public Works, Social Development,
Community Safety, Health and unions,
ABET centre managers, teachers and learners,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening to you all.
I am delighted to be here to celebrate the achievements of our ABET learners and centres in the 2010 ABET examinations.
It is even more enjoyable to celebrate with you tonight given the fantastic achievements of our ABET learners this last year. These positive results are just hot off the heels from our release of the Grade 3 and 6 literacy and numeracy results this morning, where we saw increases all round, and of course the improvements in our Grade 12 results earlier this year.
Therefore it's a celebration all round!
In the ABET exams, results improved in most learning areas from the previous year and I am proud that the ABET Level 4 pass rate for October 2010 of 80.7% is significantly higher than the 65.0% pass rate in 2009.
It is encouraging, given our focus on improving literacy and numeracy outcomes, that we also had higher pass rates in subjects such as Afrikaans (93.71%), English (76.9%), IsiXhosa (88.24%) and Mathematical Literacy (65.9%).
Candidates performed exceptionally well in Life Orientation, where the pass rate rose from 70.3% in 2009 and 89.1% in 2010.
Candidates also performed well in the elective learning area Technology, showing a pass rate of 92.7% compared to 77.3% in 2009, and in Natural Science with a pass rate of 80.5% compared to 50.3% the previous year.
Learning is a lifelong commitment, and we are proud of our adult learners who have made use of the opportunities that are on offer by the WCED through our ABET centres, and whose achievements we rightly celebrate tonight.
But we are also celebrating the achievements of the centres themselves.
For many learners, the ABET learning centres have become an integral part of their communities, where they can generate solutions to problems, obtain employable skills and to explore income generation.
These include centres like Elsies River Community Centre, where individuals like Mr Mike Pick work tirelessly to ensure that learners like Mrs Johanna Barnes, our eldest recipient tonight, get the education and resources they need to complete their ABET Level 4. Hard work, community involvement and discipline, has turned this old building into a clean, safe and secure learning environment.
It is the people at centres such as these that make me proud of what we can achieve overall in education in the Western Cape.
I would like to congratulate all those rewarded here tonight. And to the individuals, the passing of these examinations is simply the beginning of a new and exciting phase of your lives.
I sincerely hope that all of you continue to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you and that many doors will open to a brighter future.
Thank you.
Facts and Figures on the Examinations:
The General Education and Training Certificate (GETC): Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) qualification enables adult learners to acquire the necessary competencies in order to access further education and training, career development and employment opportunities.
The October 2010 ABET Level 4 examinations were conducted in accordance with the National Policy on the Conduct of the ABET Level 4 Examinations (2002).
Bronagh Casey
Spokesperson for Minister of Education, Donald Grant
Tel: 021 467 2377
Cell: 072 724 1422