The Democratic Alliance has given Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga low marks for her management of the portfolio, after reports her department wants to "dumb down" matric distinction requirements.

It was shocking the minister appeared to know nothing about the plan, DA basic education spokesperson Juanita Kloppers-Lourens said in a statement.

"The proposal to reconstitute a matric distinction down from 80 percent to 70 percent is further evidence of the way in which mediocrity is increasingly coming to define the decisions made by the education department in general and minister Angie Motshekga in particular."

Kloppers-Lourens was reacting to a report in the Sunday Times about a proposal ? published in the Government Gazette ? to reduce the percentage matric marks required to obtain an "A pass".

In the past, this had been accepted as being 80 percent of a pupil's total marks in all subjects.

The newspaper said that when it approached Motshekga for comment on the proposal, the minister had admitted she was "not sure" of the reasons behind her department's plan to change this, and said she found it "quite strange".

Kloppers-Lourens said the fact Motshekga appeared unaware of the proposal was disturbing, and her statement ? to the Sunday Times ? that she would have to familiarise herself with it was shocking.

"That a national minister doesn't know the details or understand the implications of a policy proposal published by her own department (on 26 August) suggests she is nothing more than a figure head, with little or no say in what the department actually does and certainly next to no interest in its implications," she said.

Zille has her say

In her weekly newsletter on Sunday, DA leader Helen Zille also criticised Motshekga over her plans to restrict the ability of public schools to pay good teachers extra in order to retain their services.

"Mrs Motshekga wishes to pass new regulations under Section 38A of the 1996 South African Schools Act. We believe she is trying to smuggle in new legislation through the back door, thus avoiding taking the matter through Parliament.

"She intends 'making regulations relating to the payment of unauthorised remuneration or the giving of financial benefit or benefit in kind to certain state employees'.

"In other words, if parents at a public school wish to retain an excellent maths teacher by using their own money to pay her a bit extra, Mrs Motshekga wants to make it much more difficult to do so," Zille said.

Motshekga appeared to have "buckled" to the demands of the SA Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), who demanded all teachers be treated exactly equally, irrespective of their performance.

Should the proposals be implemented, there would be a further exodus of good teachers, and middle class parents would shift their children out of public education, Zille said.