SA's ICT sector still faces a skills crisis, as the number of matriculants who passed mathematics at the end of last year declined, which threatens economic development in the sector and the economy as a whole.
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga this morning released the country's matric pass rates for 2010. Last year's class achieved a pass rate of 67.8%, an improvement on the 60.6% who passed in 2009, and the highest rate in several years.
However, Motshekga is dismayed with the number of matriculants who passed mathematics. “We are certainly not happy with the current number of passes in mathematics, and have planned to continue investing significant effort and resources in ensuring the pass rate, as well as quality of mathematics, is significantly improved this year,” she says.
A total of 124 749 learners passed mathematics - a decline from the 133 505 who passed a year ago. The number of students who passed physical science improved to 98 260 from 81 356 in 2009. Both subjects are key building blocks for entry into the ICT sector.
Worrying trend
Solidarity deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann says the declining number of learners passing mathematics is a great cause of concern for the future of the ICT sector and the economy, as a whole.
Hermann explains that the IT sector will be SA's future growth driver, but the impending skills crisis will lead to growth problems in ICT, and in the economy. In addition, he says, the lack of skills will cause salaries to rise, which has the potential to drive up inflation.
Last year, 24.2% of all matriculants passed mathematics. Of these, only 9.6%, or 52 886 students, passed mathematics with a mark of 50% or higher, and a mere 1.6% obtained a distinction in this subject, according to Solidarity.
Looking at 2009's figures, Hermann says of the 1.44 million pupils who started school in 1997, only 0.6% eventually obtained a distinction in mathematics in 2009. “It is likely that similar figures will apply in the case of 2010's matriculants, which does not bode well for the school-leavers who will receive their results this week,” he says.
Andile Tlhoa'ele, CEO of Inforcomm and a member of the ICT charter steering committee, explains that successful professionals in the ICT sector typically have studied mathematics and science at an academic level.
Tlhoa'ele explains the lower numbers of learners who have passed these subjects will trim the number of professionals from which the sector can choose in the next five years, especially as students with good marks in mathematics and science may select other career paths, such as medical science.
Mathematics and science are a core building block for success in the ICT sector, because of the heavy reliance on logic in applications within the industry, says Tlhoa'ele.
Smaller pool
Adrian Schofield, president of the Computer Society of SA, adds that although 23.21% of matriculants passed mathematics, a much smaller percentage will qualify to be accepted at tertiary level, especially to universities.
“The inverted pyramid becomes even sharper in terms of where we are going to get the raw material from for future practitioners in technology,” says Schofield. He adds that industry has been concerned for several years about the lack of young people entering the sector.
At tertiary level, says Schofield, there are concerns that the quality of matriculants are not up to the challenges presented by first-year courses.
ITWeb was unable to ascertain how many of the 537 543 matriculants wrote mathematics and physical science, nor the level at which these pass rates were achieved, as the department's Web site returned a “server too busy” message throughout the course of the morning.
Some 23.5% matriculants qualified with a university exemption, up from 19.9% last year.
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