By Luvuyo Mjekula
The national matric pass rate has soared from 82.9% in 2023 to more than 87% in 2024, the highest in the history of South Africa.
This was announced by Basic Education minister Siviwe Gwarube as she delivered the National Senior Certificate (NSC) matric results in Johannesburg a short while ago.
The Free State came first with a pass rate of 94%, with the Eastern Cape lying ninth at 85%.
The minister proudly announced that each of the nine provinces achieved a pass rate of more than 84%.
The results per province:
Free State – 94%
KZN – 89.5%
Gauteng – 88.4%.
North West – 87.5%
Western Cape – 86%
Limpopo – 85.1%
Mpulanga – 84.9%
Eastern Cape – 84.98%
Northern Cape – 84.2%
Gwarube also announced the performance of education districts across the country.
The top three districts performed as follows:
Johanessburg West was the top performing with a 97% pass rate,
Fezile Dabi in the Free State came second with 93.5%,
Umkhanyakude in KZN reached 92.8%
Some highlights of the 2024 results:
- Nearly half of the learners who passed received a Bachelor pass.
- 73 of 75 districts obtained a pass mark higher than 90%.
- Over 319 000 distinctions achieved, an increase from last year.
- Every province increased the number of distinctions.
- Number of underperforming schools has decreased.
- Learners from quintiles 1 to 3 have made significant stiodes.
- Northern Cape recorded highest improvement of 8.3%.
- Girls performed better than boys.
- Likening the learners to the South African national flower, the protea, Gwarube said the class of 2024 excelled against the odds.
Likening the learners to the South African national flower, the Protea, Gwarube said the class of 2024 excelled against the odds.
