Johanna Barnes, 72, received an award tonight (19 March 2009) for being the oldest adult learner to write the ABET Level 4 exams last year.

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) presented 19 awards to top adult learners in the province at a function held at the Gardens Commercial High School in Cape Town.

The WCED also presented 25 awards to adult education centres for excellent results in the 2008 ABET Level 4 exams.

Ron Swartz, the Head of Education on the Western Cape, said the awards ceremony was an important event in the annual calendar of the department, similar to awards presented to top matriculants at the end of the year.

The department reserved a special honour for adult learners, because it took courage to be an adult learner, he said.

"It takes courage to take the gap, and those that do, often find that it is a life-changing moment, the start of something new."

While celebrating the achievements of those receiving awards, the department also acknowledged the thousands of adults who had shown the courage to learn as adult learners.

There are 112 adult learning centres in the Western Cape, operating from 301 sites. Adult education formed a key component of the province's plans to improve access to education, Swartz said.

The strategy includes increasing the number of learners registering at adult learning centres by about 2 500 a year. The WCED is implementing a range of plans to make this possible.

These interventions have contributed to increasing the number of adult learners registered at adult education centres in the province from 26 000 in 2002 to 42 582 in 2008, including 6 000 taking part in the national mass literacy project.

Interventions over the past year have included establishing 10 new sites on the West Coast and a new Capricorn site in the Metropole South Education District. Three community learning sites are occupying new premises in Eden Karoo.

The WCED has appointed full-time centre managers and coordinators over the past year and is providing specialised training for centre managers, governing bodies and teachers.

The department has developed programmes with various partners in recent years to meet specific needs in local communities. Partners include SETAs, companies and other government departments.

The WCED is piloting National Certificate (Vocational) programmes at the St Francis Adult Education Centre in Langa, and in Worcester. NCV programmes are normally offered by further education and training colleges.

The WCED has introduced computer-assisted training at seven sites and has installed a new computer laboratory at the Piketburg community learning centre.

The department's adult education has introduced SETA-accredited skills programmes in nodal development zones in Beaufort West, Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha, using three service providers.

The department has formed a task team to look at how best to introduce programmes for the new National Senior Certificate at adult learning centres.

Plans for 2009 include developing centre managers and site coordinators; teacher training; and courses designed to meet local community needs.

The WCED presented the latest awards to individual adult learners in four categories, namely, for excellent achievement in specific academic learning areas (fundamental and core subjects); electives; for the oldest candidate obtaining a full General Education and Training Certificiate (GETC); and the oldest ABET learner in 2008.

The department presented the following awards to adult and community learning centres in three categories, for excellent overall achievement; for excellent achievement in academic learning areas (fundamentals and core); and for electives.

A. Candidates' categories

In each category the candidates received a certificate and R1000 each for books and study fees.

Category 1: Excellent achievement in specific academic learning areas (Fundamentals and Core)

Top candidate(s) in the following learning areas with a minimum of 80% achieved per learning area: (maximum of 1 per learning area for Public centres and 1 per learning area for Department of Correctional Services):

Provincial Average: 44.10%            Provincial Pass rate: 58.3%

TGK: Afrikaans

Provincial Average: 71.57%            Provincial Pass rate: 94.3%

LLC: isiXhosa

Provincial Average: 56.60%            Provincial Pass rate: 87.2%

Mathematical Literacy

Provincial Average: 33.15%      Provincial Pass rate: 31.8%

Natural Sciences

*only candidate that obtained A symbol in the June and Nov 2008 exams

Provincial Average: 40.86%     Provincial Pass rate: 49%

Category 2: Excellent achievement in the Electives

Top candidate(s) in the following learning areas with a minimum of 80% achieved per learning area: (maximum of 1 per learning area for Public centres and 1 per learning area for Department of Correctional Services):

Ancillary Health Care

Provincial Average: 45.68%       Provincial Pass rate: 59.3%

No candidate that obtained an A symbol from DCS centres

Applied Agriculture and Agricultural Technology

Provincial Average: 53.29%       Provincial Pass rate: 81.8%

No candidate that obtained an A symbol from DCS centres

Small Medium and Micro Enterprises

Provincial Average: 48.29%       Provincial Pass rate: 63.8%

No candidate that obtained an A symbol from DCS centres

Travel and Tourism

Provincial Average: 56.92%       Provincial Pass rate: 79.5%

Category 3: Achievement in terms of Full GETC ABET LEVEL 4 Qualification

Oldest candidate obtaining a full GETC at one sitting in the June and October 2008 assessment

Candidate is 55 years old, wrote 8 learning areas in Nov 2008. Passed all learning areas and obtained distinctions in SMME (98%), ANHC (82%). 1 B symbol, 2 C symbols, 2 D symbols and 1 E symbol.

Category 4: Oldest ABET learner - 2008

Oldest candidate who wrote the June and October 2008 ABET Level 4 examinations

Candidate is 72 years old, wrote 3 learning areas in June 2008 and passed 1 and then wrote 3 learning areas in Nov 2008 and passed 2.

B: Centre categories

Centres will receive a certificate and R2000 in each category for the purchase of LTSM for the centre.

Category 5: Excellent overall achievement

Centres that offered opportunities and achieved excellence in the June or June 2008 assessment. Criteria includes:

• Centres that offered 8 or more learning areas during the assessment period
• Registered 10 or more candidates per learning area in 4 or more learning areas, the rest having at least 5 candidates registered per learning area.
• Turnout rate of 75% or more in all learning areas.
• Pass rates of 80% or more in at least 4 learning areas (minimum) and above 70% pass rates in the rest of the learning areas (to a maximum of 8 learning areas overall)
• Consistency in numbers registered from 2006 to 2008.

Maximum of 3 awards to Public centres and 1 from DCS centres

5A. Public Learning Centres

Only 1 Public centre qualified.

5B. Department of Correctional Services

Category 6: Excellent achievement in academic learning areas (Fundamentals and Core)

Top three public centres and the top DCS centre based on number of entries, turnout rate and pass rate (look at numbers as well as %), quality of passes in each of the following learning areas.

Provincial pass rate: 58.3%       Provincial turn out rate: 74.4%

TGK: Afrikaans

Provincial pass rate: 94.3%       Provincial turn out rate: 73.9%

LLC: Xhosa

Provincial pass rate: 87.2%       Provincial turn out rate: 66.08%

Mathematical Literacy

Provincial pass rate: 31.8%       Provincial turn out rate: 76.47%

Natural Sciences

Provincial pass rate: 49%       Provincial turn out rate: 80.5%

Category 7: Excellent achievement in the Electives

The top public centre and the top DCS centre based on number of entries, turnout rate and pass rate (look at numbers as well as %), quality of passes in each of the following learning areas:

Ancillary Health Care

No DCS centres that obtained a pass rate that is above 80%

Provincial pass rate: 59.3%       Provincial turn out rate: 77.57%

Applied Agriculture and Agricultural Technology

Only centre that obtained a pass rate that is above 80%.

Provincial pass rate: 81.8%       Provincial turn out rate: 76.47%

Small Medium and Micro Enterprises

No DCS centres that obtained a pass rate that is above 80%

Provincial pass rate: 63.8%       Provincial turn out rate: 73.13%

Travel and Tourism