Factors contributing to low academic achievement of National Certificate Vocational level 4 English in TVET Colleges: A case study

The dropping performance in National Certificate: Vocational [NC(V)] level 4 English in South African Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges has attracted the attention of administrators, academicians and researchers alike due to the declining rate of students who are getting certified. While the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa is using the TVET Colleges as drivers of the economy in terms of reducing the unemployment rate, it is therefore imperative to dig deeper and unearth what might have delayed the realisation of the government’s objectives. Through the use of a case study design, this study employed a qualitative semi-structured interview, observation, government policy documents and questionnaire to find answers on the factors that contributed to the low academic achievement of NC (V) level 4 English in one of the TVET Colleges in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Twelve participants, including lecturers, students and head of department were randomly selected from those involved in English level 4. The findings of the study reveal that students, lecturers, and TVET College are responsible for the low academic performance of NC (V) level 4 students. This study therefore finds it crucial for the DHET and the college to strengthen its management practices and policies on lectures and students to deal with the factors that contribute to low academic achievement of NC(V) level 4 English.