Overall pass rate for matriculants at 82.9%, Free State at the top

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The matric class of 2023 has achieved an overall pass rate of 82.9%, a 2.8 percentage points increase compared to their 2022 counterparts.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced the overall results in Gauteng.

The Free State was the top achieving province with an 89.3% overall pass rate.

Provincial breakdown below:

The result is the best since the introduction National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in 2008.

The Minister says, ” Notwithstanding a myriad of challenges, these young individuals have crossed the threshold into the next chapter of their lives. ”

The class of 2023 was subject to adverse learning conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted schooling in 2020 and 2021, when they were in grades 9 and 10 respectively.

Motshekga adds, “The cumulative effect of COVID-19 and the resultant learning losses and disengagement from education had a significant impact on this cohort.  The swift and collaborative responses of the Department of Basic Education, teachers, parents, our partners in education and South Africans at large, led to the development of a holistic recovery plan that, to a large degree, mitigated the negative impact of the achievements of the key learning milestones.”