2019 matric pass rate of 81.3% is highest recorded in last 25 years - NSC report

President Cyril Ramaphosa lauds historic matric pass rate

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the 81, 3% matric pass rate; the highest since the advent of democracy in 1994. This is the first time the combined matric pass rate has breached the 80% threshold.

''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,'' President Ramaphosa said.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga announced on Tuesday, 07 January 2020, that 787 717 candidates sat for the 2019 National Senior Certificate Examinations countrywide. The 2019 pass rate represents a 3, 1% improvement from 2018 when the national pass rate stood at 78, 2%.

''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 President said.

''There has also been an increase in the number of female learners achieving bachelor’s passes, the Eastern Cape recorded the highest improvement in the matric pass rate, and not one of the country’s 75 districts performed below 60% - these are stellar achievements,'' President Ramaphosa added.

The President noted that the increase in the matric pass rate in quintile one, two and three schools was indicative that the divide between so-called 'rich' schools and poorer schools was steadily narrowing.

In announcing the results Minister Motshekga pointed to the increase in specialized schools offering subjects like agricultural studies and maritime studies as well as the introduction of subjects such as entrepreneurship into the national curriculum.

''These are critical subjects that will enable us to meet the needs of our economy and prepare our young people for the workplace of the future: in this regard the Class of 2019 are pioneers,'' President Ramaphosa said.

President Ramaphosa has encouraged successful matriculants to take advantage of the diverse opportunities on offer in the higher education system as well as programmes for the development of entrepreneurship and self-employment.

''To the Class of 2019, you have done yourselves proud and returned the investment made in you by your families, teachers, communities and mentors,'' President Ramaphosa said.

The President has encouraged candidates who did not attain the Senior Certificate to use the Department of Basic Education’s Second Chance programme.

''Do not be discouraged, but courageously persevere towards your goals,'' President Ramaphosa 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.

The President has urged learners across all grades to embrace learning as a lifelong and pleasurable pursuit that not only adds economic value and enhances employability, but enhances people’s outlook on life and their contribution to society beyond the world of work.

Minister Motshekga, in her foreword in the Report on the 2019 National Senior Certificate Examination, said that ''a total of 616 754 full-time candidates entered the 2019 NSC examinations. The achievements of the class of 2019 confirm that the standard and quality of the South African examinations system is improving annually and stabilising.''

She continued that ''the proficiency of our education system is confirmed by:

• An improvement in the pass rate and quality of passes in most of the Gateway subjects;

• A noteworthy and credible increase in the percentage of learners who achieved the NSC;

• A significant increase in the percentage of learners qualifying for Bachelor studies; and

• The phenomenal gains in the margins of improvement among Quintile 1 to 3 schools.''

The Executive Summary of the Report on the 2019 National Senior Certificate Examination goes on to state that ''the overall candidate performance in the November 2019 NSC has improved significantly compared to the previous years.

''The Class of 2019 registered an overall pass percentage of 81,3%, which is an improvement of 3.1% to the performance of the November 2018 cohort and is the highest pass percentage recorded in the last 25 years.''

The summary continues that ''although there is a drop in the number of candidates passing Mathematics in the November 2019 NSC examination compared to 2018, the trend with regard to learners attaining admission to Bachelor studies and passing Physical Sciences as per the indicators outlined in the National Development Plan is on an upward trajectory.''

According to the Report on the 2019 National Senior Certificate Examination, the following are notable achievements in the November 2019 NSC examination:

1. Significant improvement in performance in 7 of the 11 Gateway subjects (Accounting, Agricultural Sciences, Business Studies, Geography, History, Mathematical Literacy and Physical Sciences).

2. Improvement in the number of learners qualifying for admission to bachelor studies from 172 043 to 186 058 (3.3% improvement).

3. Improvement in the number of learners qualifying for admission to diploma studies from 141 700 to 144 672 (1.1% improvement).

4. The number of quintile 1 to 3 schools performing at an overall pass percentage of 80% and above increased from 1 961 in 2018 to 2 484 in 2019. This represents 50% of the total number of quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools countrywide.

5. Improvement in the overall pass percentages of 8 of the 9 provinces.

6. 96 976 of the admission to bachelors studies come from quintiles 1, 2 and 3 as compared to 78 037 that are coming from quintiles 4 and 5.

7. All the 75 districts are performing at 60% and above with 45 of the districts (compared to 34 in 2018) performing at 80% and above.

The leading district in the Eastern Cape is Nelson Mandela Bay with 81.4%.

In the Free State, the leading district is Fezile Dabi with 90.3%.

In Gauteng, it is Tshwane South with 93.3%.

In KwaZulu Natal, UGU leads with 86.3%.

The leading district in Limpopo is Vhembe East with 81.5%.

In Mpumalanga, the leading district is Ehlanzeni with 84.6%.

The leading district in the Northern Cape is Namaqua with 81.5%.

The leading district in the North West is Bojanala with 89.6%.

In the Western Cape, the leading district is Metropole North with 86.3%.

Motshekga says they are happy to announce that we had more than 2500 learners with special needs that sat for exams. We had 1277 distinctions from these learners.

She goes on to add that we had more girl learners sitting for exams than boy learners this year. We have more distinctions and bachelor passes coming from girls. 

Matric results | 98.8% of pupils pass 2019 IEB exams

A total of 98.82% of pupils passed the 2019 Independent Examinations Board (IEB) National Senior Certificate exams, it was announced on Tuesday.

The IEB pass rate decreased from 98.92% the previous year, its CEO Anne Oberholzer said in a statement.

'I am quite passionate about maths' - school's top IEB matriculant scores 99% in final paper

As the top pupil at his school in the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) class of 2019, Miguel Torres scored a whopping 99% for his final mathematics mark - a subject he has been passionate about since Grade 10.

It's the final countdown to matric results for the class of 2019

The countdown to the annual matric result release has begun with first IEB results becoming available from midnight on Tuesday.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will announce the national matric pass rate later in the evening of Tuesday, January 7.

The Department of Basic Education will release the state National Senior Certificate matric exam results on Wednesday, January 8.

SAHETI's top pupil bags 8 distinctions while fighting cancer

While Grade 12 pupils were anxious about writing their preliminary examinations ahead of the finals last year, Antonio Aristides feared for the worst when his health took a turn for the worse.

The 19-year-old former SAHETI School pupil was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system while writing prelims.

He had to undergo chemotherapy, which continued throughout his finals. 

King David High School Linksfield's class of 2019 shines

The school achieved 552 distinctions in 2019 from 147 pupils - an average of 3.75 per pupil.

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