More information about the General Education Certificate
The Department of Education announced a General Education Certificate aimed at grade 9 learners to be rolled out next year.
A new school certificate known as the General Education Certificate (GEC) will be rolled out nationally.
A NEW GENERAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATE FOR SA – EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW
The new school certificate is for grade 9 learners and is expected to be rolled out next year.
While the Department of Education has set 2025 as its national implementation date, the GEC was initially meant to be fully rolled out in 2024.
The certificate was piloted across 270 schools in all nine provinces in 2022 and extended to 1,000 schools in 2023.
WHEN WILL THE GENERAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATE BE EXTENDED NATIONALLY?
The General Education Certificate (GEC) is a flagship programme of the Department of Education (DBE) designed to expand the learning pathways and success opportunities of South African Grade 9 learners.
“In relation to the GEC, learners will, at the end of Grade 9, receive a holistic score card of curriculum skills, talents and competencies that will serve as an enabling platform for them to access various learning pathways linked to the Three Stream Model.” explained Dr Mark Chetty, the DBE’s director for national assessment.
IT IS DESIGNED TO EXPAND THE LEARNING PATHWAYS AND SUCCESS OPPORTUNITIES
Chetty said the implementation of the GEC is a significant milestone in expanding career opportunities for learners, irrespective of their geographical locations.
“The GEC assessment model has been structured along international best practices on various pathway qualifications to find a suitable model that will be implemented in the South African context. Each year, the rollout of the GEC will include a greater number of schools, leading to full-scale implementation,”Chetty said in a statement.
THIS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS GROUNDBREAKING FOR SA EDUCATION SYSTEM
Basic Education Department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga has described the GEC as groundbreaking for the South African education system.
He told the media that the current challenge for the Department is to support the GEC rollout with an IT system that improves the efficiency of testing and generates a balanced scorecard for learners.