File
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has sent well wishes to the matric class of 2023 who will sit for their finals from Monday.
The National Senior Certificate exams will run through to 6 December.
Mabuyane said the province achieved a pass rate of 77.3% last year and was looking to turn it up a few notches to 80%, the target set for the Provincial Education Department this year.
"We are confident that the class of 2023 will work hard in attaining the set percentage," he said.
In a statement on Friday, Mabuyane said more than 98 500 learners were enrolled to write this year's NSC exams, up from last year's enrollment.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) has also sent its well wishes to the 2023 matric class.
The union says the National Senior Certificate exams are of utmost importance as they mark the end of basic education schooling and open doors to post-school education.
"The 12-year journey of the class of 2023 has not been smooth. This class lost months of schooling in 2020, and 2021, due to lockdown regulations which were set up to mitigate against the spread of the Covid 19 virus."
Sadtu also commended teachers and learners for putting their shoulders to the wheel to cover the ground lost due to the lockdown.
