The South African Council of Churches (SACC) joins matriculants and their families in celebrating matric passes. We also wish to urge those who did not make the mark to recognise that this is not the end of the road. Failure is part of the human experience and we should draw lessons from such set-backs.

Educators and politicians have reportedly expressed disappointment with the overall matric results. Such honesty and openness is welcomed. As parents and communities, we must also engage in serious introspection by asking what we have done to support the education of our children. It is quite clear that formal and informal education has become a parental, family and community responsibility; it can no longer be left to educators alone.

The business community should also assess the extent to which it is contributing towards the educational needs of our nation, especially the indigent and rural poor. While government has demonstrated its recognition of the profound importance of education to the future of our nation by allocating a significant proportion of the national budget to education, our schools continue to need additional resources. A sound educational system is essential to a competitive business and industrial sector and a thriving economy.

Many children who are blessed with academic potential are denied the right to education because their parents are unable to afford the cost of education. Our nation must be responsive to the needs of such children. At the same time. we are challenged to be equally, if not more, sensitive to the needs of those who are experiencing learning difficulties.

As parents, communities, churches and business we have to recover the African value that “every child is my child”. We have to find ways of supporting educators and government in producing learners that will be able to build a better South Africa. Our matric results serve as a barometer of how we are doing in educating our children for a brighter future. If the 2009 results are deemed to be disappointing, this should push us to do better in the future.

For more information contact:
Eddie Makue, General Secretary (082 853 8781)