Low-quality foundational numeracy, literacy skills main contributors to school dropouts: Gwarube

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube said research has revealed that low-quality foundational numeracy and literacy skills are the main contributors to school dropouts.

Gwarube said the department was actively addressing the issue through several interventions to ensure learners completed their schooling careers.

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She was addressing the media at a briefing in Skukuza, Mpumalanga, on Monday, saying the interventions had resulted in change because, for the first time since 1996, the country has seen the highest number of registered learners for public exams.

Meanwhile, the number of learners rewriting their matric has been going down consistently for a third year now.

With exams beginning on Tuesday, Gwarube said learners received support when it came to specific subjects they were struggling with.

She added hat schools that were underperforming were given particular focus and their teachers undergo reskilling to improve the quality of teaching and learning.

Gwarube said if the learning foundation phase was done right, fewer people would repeat grades and ultimately, the dropout rate will decrease.

She said the class of 2025 had proven that the department’s interventions were yielding positive change.

"Their early high school years were marked by rotational timetables, reduced contact time, and incomplete coverage of the grade 8 curriculum. Many had to overcome learning losses and psychological challenges that lingered from that period. Yet, this cohort embodies resilience. Their journey has been one of recovery, renewal and relentless effort."

She said the interventions were also aimed at getting each school to obtain a high matric pass rate.