Cape Town – The matric class of 2019 made history by exceeding an 80% pass rate for the first time, said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga last night.
Announcing the national pass
rate in Midrand, Johannesburg, Motshekga said the 787 717 candidates who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) attained an 81.3% pass rate,
a 3.1% increase from 2018.
“This is a humbling, heart-warming and also an encouraging achievement,” Motshekga said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed the pass rate, the highest since the advent of democracy in 1994, saying: “These results are a triumph and a clear signal that government’s substantial investment in education, in pupil and teacher support and in educational infrastructure is yielding results.”
Ramaphosa encouraged those who failed to use the Department of
Basic Education’s Second Chance programme.
“Do not be discouraged, but courageously persevere towards your goals,” he said; adding that government would continue to provide support to learners to complete their education as well
as to address weaknesses in the system that result in high numbers of learners who enter the education system
in Grade 1 not completing their
schooling.
“South Africans can be proud that education, like most aspects of our nation’s development, is on an upward trajectory, which should inspire all of us to work together to accelerate and maintain excellence.”
The Free State came out tops, with an 88.4% pass rate.
They were followed by Gauteng,
with 87.2% and North West with 86.8%.
The Western Cape placed fourth, achieving an 82.3% pass rate, a 0.8% increase from 2018.
Pupils in the Western Cape achieved the most distinctions, Motshekga announced, with 21 981 candidates achieving a Bachelor’s pass.
This is up from 42.3% in 2018.
Education MEC Debbie Schäfer said the Western Cape achieved a trifecta in terms of the top three candidates in the country overall, and the top two matrics in mathematics.
Madelein Dippenaar from Paarl Gimnasium High School placed number one in the country, Gary Allen from Rondebosch Boys’ High School placed second and Anuoluwa Makinde
from Milnerton High School came in third. For Mathematics, Timothy Murphy from Rondebosch Boys High placed tops, and Ivan Badenhorst
from Outeniqua High came second.
“I am very pleased with the performance of the Western Cape, especially given the difficulties that we are facing as a result of inadequate funding and safety concerns.
“I would like to congratulate all our learners, teachers and administrative staff, who have put in an immense effort,” Schäfer said.
Pupils with special needs also excelled in the exams. Nationally 2 576 of them wrote the NSC, and 1 221 obtained entry to a Bachelor’s course.
Motshekga said 96% of parents send their children to public schools, and the latest matric results boosted confidence in the system.
She noted that quintile 1 schools - schools that cater for among the poorest pupils - had steadily been improving on their pass rates. Between 2015 and 2019 they achieved a 10% increase in their matric pass rate, Motshekga said.
The SA Democratic Teachers’ Union congratulated the Class of 2019, and union provincial chairperson Jonovan Rustin thanked parents and teachers for their hard work.
“We are happy that we sustained more than 82%, and a big thank you goes to teachers for all the sacrifices they made, including during holidays and over weekends. Thank you to all parents for ensuring your child’s success,” Rustin said.
The 2019 NSC exams saw 8 million question papers printed, and 7.6 million scripts distributed.
Motshekga thanked South Africa for their support in achieving the best results yet.
“We had 29 learner support programmes, which included holiday classes. Society also assisted us. NGOs, community groups, volunteers and
universities were among those who helped.”