Tech talent scare in South Africa

Less than 1% of all matrics who wrote their National Senior Certificate (NSC) finals in 2024 took the Information Technology (IT) exam.

This is according to Minister of Education Sviwe Gwarube, who answered a Parliamentary Q&A regarding the number of learners who wrote the exam since 2020, how they performed, and what the DBE plans to do to improve on this.

Gwarube told Parliament that 4,510 learners wrote the IT exam in 2024, an increase of 731 since 2020 but 144 less than in 2023.

However, this is a very low number of students relative to the 705,291 who wrote the grade 12 National Senior Certificate examinations last year, comprising 0.65% of the compliment.

Of the 4,510 learners who wrote the final exam in 2024, 2,891 (64%) scored above 50% and 2,476 (55%) above 60%.

This trend was consistent in the previous four years, with most learners achieving a mark of above 60% and more than 60% achieving above 50%.

The NSC criteria requires that learners obtain a minimum of 40% for a home language, 40% in four subjects, and 30% in two other subjects to pass.

This would mean that learners would require between 30% and 40% to pass IT, depending on their performance in other subjects.

The minister also provided data on the number of learners who passed at lower pass requirements, with an average of 94% passing the exam when only 30% is required.

An average of 83% of learners passed when 40% was required.

The data also included the percentage of students who obtained distinctions (over 80%) in the subject. This number was consistently over 20% for the five years, with 22% of learners achieving distinctions in 2024.

The highest rate of distinctions, 27%, was recorded in 2023, which aligns with the year’s performance in other metrics.

When asked about the DBE’s plans to increase learner performance in IT, Gwarube said the department has implemented numerous interventions.

These include training workshops for educators to enhance their knowledge of the subject and professional development programmes focusing on programming and problem-solving techniques.

It also aims to provide learners with additional resources, such as study guides and online resources, as well as extra classes and weekend tuition for learners requiring support with the subject matter.

Probably the most crucial of these interventions is providing equipment for IT laboratories at schools nationwide. Those with the necessary equipment will receive upgrades to ensure access to modern software.

The DBE also plans to collaborate with industry and higher education institutions to expose IT learners to industry best practices and create work-based learning opportunities and mentorship programmes.

Lastly, Gwarube said the department will regularly assess the performance of IT learners and develop early intervention strategies to assist struggling learners.