BOSA Fails in Bid to Raise Matric Pass Mark to 50%

A heated education debate ended in disappointment for Build One SA, as Parliament voted down its proposal to raise the matric pass mark from 30% to a more ambitious 50%. 119 MPs, including the ANC, DA and FF Plus, opposed the motion, while 87, led by the MK Party, EFF, IFP, Rise Mzansi and ATM, backed it. BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane argued that the current pass threshold sets learners up for failure and entrenches systemic inequality, from overcrowded classrooms to collapsing early childhood development. But MPs clashed sharply over the causes of poor outcomes and fears of destabilising the schooling system. Phemelo speaks to BOSA Deputy President Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster on what the defeat means for South Africa’s education future.