Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga believes South Africa has done well in improving basic education outcomes over the past 30 years, especially given the recorded improvements following the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.

The country scored an unprecedented pass rate of 82.9 per cent in the 2023 matric examinations.

Motshekga announced the results of the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination on Thursday evening, January 18, 2024.

The 2023 NSC examinations involved nearly 900,000 candidates and featured a high degree of stability in the system.

According to Motshegkga, over the past 30 years, there has been significant progress in expanding and enhancing basic education in South Africa, with increased access to educational institutions and early learning opportunities.

“Without any shadow of doubt, we can confidently state that the past 30 years, have been thirty years of unequivocal progress in the education of the people of South Africa.  Over the past 30 years, the government has continuously and consistently implemented policies, programs, and interventions that clearly demonstrated the Ruling Party’s unwavering commitment to expand and enhance basic education through the implementation of social justice principles of access, equity, redress, inclusivity, quality, and efficiency, which over the years have yielded remarkable outcomes,” she said.

Motshekga added that the completion rate for 12 years of education has also improved, with nearly 60% of young black South Africans completing Grade 12. She said the number of NSC candidates obtaining a bachelor pass has nearly tripled since 2008, with improvements seen in both fee and no-fee schools.

“In terms of participation and completion rates, a mere 10% of Black South Africans born in the 1950s and 1960s completed 12 years of education, while those who were born in the 1980s saw this figure rise to approximately 30% completion rate.  According to 2021 General Household Survey data, nearly 60% of young black South Africans now attain this milestone, which means six in 10 South Africans complete Grade 12. The number of NSC candidates obtaining bachelor passes has nearly tripled since 2008, with the strongest growth coming from no-fee schools, demonstrating the equitable nature of these improvements. In part, better NSC results were caused by improved efficiency in the system—lower grade repetition rates meant fewer over-age learners in Grades 10 and 11; and it allowed more young people to reach Grade 12, and get an opportunity to write their NSC exams,” she said.

According to Motshekga, the quality of learning outcomes has consistently improved, with South Africa being one of the fastest-improving countries in international assessments.

She said that despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation achieved more NSC passes and distinctions than ever before.

“Although the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily disrupted this upward trajectory, strategic measures were put in place to safeguard the opportunity for learners to take their National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.  Remarkably, the nation achieved more NSC passes, bachelor passes, and passes with distinctions than ever before. The improvements in equity and inclusivity have also been attributable to the highly intentional government’s pro-poor education policies, such as the free nutritious meal every school day for about 9.6 million children (about 84% of all learners).

“Seventy-five percent of public-school learners do not pay school fees; they receive quality learning and teaching support materials, such as textbooks, stationery, and workbooks, free of charge.  About 60% of learners in no-fee schools are provided with free transport daily. Policies to screen and identify children with special educational needs have also helped ensure that more than 90% of 7-15-year-old children with disabilities now attend school,” Motshekga said.

Below are South Africa’s performance levels per province:

• The Free State is the leading province at 89.0%, an increase of 0.5% from 2022.
• KwaZulu-Natal, the third best improved province, achieved 86.4%, an increase of 3.4% from 2022.
• Gauteng achieved 85.4%, an increase of 1.0% from 2022.
• North West achieved 81.6%, an increase of 1.8% from 2022.
• Western Cape achieved 81.5%, an increase of 0.1% from 2022.
• The second best-improved province is the Eastern Cape, with an achievement of 81.4%, an improvement of 4.1% from 2022.
• The best-improved province is Limpopo, with an achievement of 79.5%, a 7.4% improvement from 2022.
• Mpumalanga achieved 77.0%, a 0.2% increase from 2022.
• Northern Cape achieved 75.8%, a 1.6% increase from 2022.

Motshekga said the overall result was impressive.

“We should state that none of the provinces performed below the 75% pass rate, and none have a decline when their 2023 NSC exam results are compared with those of the previous year.  More heartening and encouraging is the very small percentage gap in pass rates attained by provinces. For instance, there is a 1% pass rate gap between KZN and Gauteng, while the North West, Western Cape, and Eastern Cape differ by 0.1%. This demonstrates the overall growth in the system from all educational angles, so that we do not misrepresent our provinces, districts, and schools as centres of dysfunctionality,” Motshekga said.