South Africa's Minister of Basic Education, Minister Gwarube, announced today that the country has achieved its highest matric pass rate in history, with 87.3% of students passing the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. This marks a significant increase from 82.9% in 2023. In a landmark achievement, 615,429 learners passed the National Senior Certificate - the highest number ever recorded in South Africa's history. The results also showed a remarkable improvement in Bachelor passes, with 47.8% of candidates qualifying for university admission, up from 40.9% in 2023.

Provincial Performance All provinces showed improvement from 2023, with each achieving above 84%:


Key Achievements The Class of 2024 demonstrated remarkable resilience, achieving several notable milestones:

A total of 319,651 distinctions, representing an increase of over 65,000 from 2023 Mathematics pass rate improved to 69.1% from 63.5% 67% of Bachelor passes came from Quintile 1-3 schools (serving poorer communities) No-fee schools improved their pass rate from 81% to 85.8% 73 out of 75 education districts obtained pass rates higher than 80%

Challenges and Future Focus Despite these achievements, Minister Gwarube acknowledged ongoing challenges in the education system. The Department of Basic Education announced several key initiatives for 2025:

Expanding access to quality Early Childhood Development Improving teacher support and development in the Foundation Phase Reviewing Post Provisioning Norms Strengthening curriculum delivery Protecting teaching and learning time

The Minister emphasized that while the matric results show progress, systemic improvements require continued long-term investment and planning, particularly in foundational learning. Impact of COVID-19 Recovery The Class of 2024's achievement is particularly notable as these students entered Grade 8 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Despite these challenges, the cohort showed remarkable resilience, with approximately 97% of enrolled Grade 12 students completing their NSC examinations. Looking Forward The Department of Basic Education has committed to addressing ongoing challenges in the education system, particularly focusing on improving foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Minister Gwarube stressed that while celebrating these achievements, there remains substantial work to be done to improve the overall quality of education outcomes in South Africa's schooling system.

The results demonstrate significant progress in South Africa's education sector while highlighting areas requiring continued attention and investment to ensure sustainable improvement in educational outcomes for all learners.