NATIONAL NEWS - The Free State has once again claimed the top spot in South Africa’s National Senior Certificate (NSC) results, achieving a 91% pass rate in 2024. This marks an increase from the 89% recorded in 2023, reinforcing its dominance as the best-performing province for the eighth year.
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube announced the results during the release of the 2024 matric outcomes, emphasising the significance of this achievement despite the challenges faced by learners.
“The Class of 2024 reflects resilience, having started Grade 8 in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Gwarube said.
KZN followed the Free State with an 89.5% pass rate, while Gauteng secured third place with 88.4%. Notably, all nine provinces achieved a pass rate above 84%, contributing to a national pass rate of 87.3% – the highest ever recorded in the country’s history.
In addition to the province’s overall success, the Fezile Dabi district in the Free State delivered a strong performance, achieving a 93.5% pass rate. This placed it second among the country’s top-performing districts, with Johannesburg West in Gauteng leading at 97%, and Umkhanyakude in KZN taking third place with 92.8%.
Gwarube highlighted the improved quality of results, noting that 47.8% of matriculants qualified for admission to Bachelor’s degree studies, up from 40.9% in 2023. This 6.9% increase represents the highest number of Bachelor passes in recent history, with most of these coming from schools in lower-income areas (Quintiles 1 to 3).
“The results show progress in our education system, but much work remains to improve the quality of teaching and learning,” Gwarube added.
She also outlined the department’s commitment to strengthening foundational education to further enhance future outcomes. Despite challenges such as post-pandemic recovery, budget constraints, and school violence, the Class of 2024 managed to achieve record-breaking results, including 319 651 distinctions nationwide.
IEB achieves highest pass rate in 5 years
Yesterday, 13 January, the Independent Examinations Board reported an overall pass rate of 98.47% in the National Senior Certificate examinations, with 89.37% of learners achieving entry to degree study.
This is the highest pass rate achieved in the past five years.
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