South Africa’s Matriculants Secure 87.3% Pass Rate in 2024, Free State and KZN Among Top Achievers
- The National Senior Certificate (NSC) class of 2024 achieved a pass rate of 87.3%, an increase from last year
- The Free State province led the way with 91%, while KZN achieved 89.5% and Gauteng secured 88.4%
- KZN's students also stole the show when it came to Bachelor Passes and distinctions
Source: Getty Images
JOHANNESBURG- The class of 2024’s matriculants have a lot to celebrate.
The National Senior Certificate (NSC) class of 2024 achieved a pass rate of 87.3%, a marked increase from last year when the Class of 2023 achieved 82.9%.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube made the announcement at the Mosaiek Lifestyle Centre, Fairland, Johannesburg. Earlier in the day, the IEB results were released, with the Class of 2024 achieving a 98.47% pass rate.
Free State leads the way
The minister noted that every province achieved above 84%, with each province improving on last year's results.
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The Free State led the way with a 91% pass rate, followed by KZN with 89.5%. Gauteng came in third with 88.4%, followed by the North West (87.5%), Western Cape (86.6%), and Limpopo (85.1%). Mpumalanga came in seventh with 84.9%, Eastern Cape was eighth with 84.98%, and the Northern Cape earned an 84.2% pass rate. The Northern Cape was the most improved province, up 8.3% from last year.
NSC witnesses increase in Bachelor Passes
According to the minister, 47.8% of matric candidates qualified for admission to Bachelor studies, a 6.9% increase from last year.
“I am pleased to announce that nearly half of our learners achieved a Bachelor pass,” she said.
KZN was the top-performing province, securing over 84,000 Bachelor Passes. Gauteng had over 66,000, while the Eastern achieved over 45,000. The minister also noted that female learners achieved more Bachelor Passes than male learners.
The Class of 2024 also achieved over 319,000 distinctions, an improvement from last year. Every province also increased their number of distinctions. Once more, KZN was number one, followed by the Western Cape and then Gauteng when it came to distinctions.
The results were officially released despite an investigation launched by the Hawks and Security Service after reports of a leak.
South Africans can create systemic change in education, expert declares
Speaking to Briefly News, Savannah Cozzi, Executive Director of the Education Outreach Foundation, said it's important to think critically about the recent results. She added that while South Africa celebrates the matrics' success it's important to listen to the commentary of many civil society organisations and political parties challenging this notion.
"They argue that the 'real' pass rate is a devastating 55.9%, based on data reflecting the significant number of learners who dropped out before their final year or never reached Grade 12.
"Thus we cannot base our understanding of the education status on the matric results but should always look through a critical lens to get the full picture," Cozzie said.
Cozzi, an attorney and social impact leader dedicated to education, entrepreneurship, and female empowerment, said this stark reality reveals a more profound systemic crisis in the education system.
The government must treat the state of education with the same urgency and prioritization as any other national crisis, allocate more funding, provide greater support, and approach education reform with the seriousness it deserves, Cozzi said.
But the director's call wasn't just to government:
"Businesses, communities, and individuals all share a responsibility to support education and the non-profit sector.
"Through financial contributions and non-financial assistance, entities can amplify the work of organisations like Education Outreach Foundation, creating a meaningful and lasting impact."
Cozzi said every South African has the power to contribute, adding that active citizenship is key to systemic change.
The foundation called on citizens to join its advocacy campaigns, donate to the organisation, advocate for corporate sponsorship from companies, share their content on social media, tell friends about their work, or volunteer their time.
"Everyone can do something with what they have, where they are," Cozzi concluded.
Matric results to be announced on 14 January
Briefly News reported that 2024 National Senior Certificate exams will be released on 14 January 2025.
The results will also be published in the newspaper, along with various online platforms, despite a court battle to prevent this.
Numerous provincial departments have also announced that matriculants can access their results on an online platform.
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Source: Briefly News
Byron Pillay (Current Affairs Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 11 years covering a wide variety of news as a community journalist, including politics, crime and current affairs. He also was a Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za
Savannah Cozzi (Executive Director of the Education Outreach Foundation and the Co-Founder of Socially Gathering) Savannah Cozzi is an attorney and social impact leader dedicated to education, entrepreneurship, and female empowerment. After working in public law at Webber Wentzel, she pivoted to become Executive Director of the Education Outreach Foundation, which provides digital literacy and resources to under-resourced schools. Savannah co-founded Socially Gathering, a platform empowering 30,000+ women.
