US EditionMatric Class of 2025 Achieves Unprecedented 88% Pass Rate
The 2025 National Senior Certificate exams saw over 656,000 learners pass with all 75 districts above 80%, reflecting improved retention and expanded success in no-fee schools, education officials said.
- On Monday, Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube announced in Johannesburg a record 88% national pass rate for the 2025 National Senior Certificate, up 0.7 points from last year.
- Gwarube credited evidence-based reforms and tighter quality controls for the improvement, citing higher retention and participation with non-writers falling from 17% in 2017 to 2% this year.
- For the first time, all 75 education districts recorded pass rates above 80%, with more than 656,000 learners passing and a record 345,000 bachelor’s passes.
- Gwarube called on officials to protect and deepen what is working, outlining rewrites, support programmes, and second-chance opportunities for learners who did not meet expectations, while warning gateway subjects need stronger foundations.
- Marked by deep inequality, Gwarube said education remains the country’s strongest cohesion tool, serving about 13.5 million learners with more than 460,000 educators at nearly 25,000 schools.
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sowetanlive.co.zaMatric Class of 2025 achieves unprecedented 88% pass rate
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube hailed the Class of 2025 for achieving South Africa’s highest-ever National Senior Certificate pass rate of 88%, with a record 345,000 bachelor’s passes despite challenges in gateway subjects.
JUST IN | Matric class of 2025 achieves highest ever pass rate
The matric class of 2025 has achieved an 88% pass rate, marking an increase from 87.03% in 2024 and the highest pass rate ever recorded in the history of South Africa’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. The results were officially released on Monday by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube at a media briefing held in Randburg, north of Johannesburg. Matric exams 2025 | Beat the queues, how to get your results on your PHONE KwaZul…
Basic education director-general Mweli hails ‘resilient’ Class of 2025
Thebe Mabanga Basic education director-general Matanzima Mweli paid tribute to the matric Class of 2025 on Monday for its resilience, likening the cohort to an “abandoned Baobab tree”, known for its ability to withstand adverse conditions. The Class of 2025 achieved an 88% pass rate. Mweli said that the group, which started school in 2014, had to transition to high school in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, when learning was disrupted…
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