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The 2024 matriculants achieved a pass rate of 87.3%, with 615 429 learners passing, “more than any other time in our history”, according to the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube.
She announced the results of the Class of 2024 on Monday night, saying that they excelled against the odds, having started their key journey during the Covid pandemic, achieving "the highest matric pass rate in the history of our country".
Gwarube said the 2024 National Senior Certificate results show that the schooling system is maturing, but she said more still needs to be done to improve the quality of education outcomes.
According to the Minister, the Eastern Cape had the third highest bachelor passes at over 45 000, behind Gauteng (66 000), and Kwazulu Natal which had the highest at 84 000.
The Eastern Cape, however, was placed 8th after achieving an overall pass rate of 84.89% one of three provinces whose pass rates were rounded off at 85%.
Minister Gwarube said nearly half of all the learners, or 47.8% of all the matriculants who wrote NSC exams received a bachelor pass, a 6.9% increase on last year.
She said this was a critical benchmark for readiness for higher education.
The Free State received the highest pass rate of 91%, followed by the KZN (89.5%), Gauteng (88.4%), North West (87.5 %), Western Cape (86.6%), with Limpopo (85.1%), Mpumalanga (84.9%), Eastern Cape (84.8%) and Northern Cape (84.2%) and was said to be the “most improved” province, improving by 8.3% from 2023.
“The Class of 2024 entered Grade 8 in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a huge disruption to teaching and learning globally.
“They also entered Grade 9 – a key year for subject selection for Grades 10 to 12 – during the pandemic.
“The Class of 2024 reflects the resilience of the protea, South Africa’s national flower and a symbol of renewal and strength,” Minister Gwarube said.
She said to pass the National Senior Certificate, learners are not required simply to get 30% across all subjects, which is often misconceived to be the only pass requirement for the National Senior Certificate.
“Instead, they are required to get at least 40% in their Home Language and two other subjects and at least 30% for three other subjects and must pass at least 6 out of their 7 subjects.”
Minister Gwarube also noted that the Matric Class of 2024 faced immense challenges from COVID19 that disrupted their learning, to the evolving budget pressures being felt by various provincial departments and schools, to other social ills, such as violence, gangsterism, and the new trend of protection-fee rackets terrorizing our schools.
