President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the matric class of 2024 on multiple “unprecedented achievements”, which he says bears testimony to learners’ personal commitment and advances in the basic education sector, calling on government and civil society partners to provide opportunities to learners.

The class of 2024 achieved a record 87.3% matric pass rate, the highest in the country's history, while Independent Examinations Board (IEB) candidates achieved a pass rate of 98.47%.

The national pass rate for the NSC increased from 82.9% in 2023.

67% of Bachelor passes were achieved by learners from Quintile 1 to 3 schools (no-fee schools), while 319 651 distinctions were achieved.

Ramaphosa pointed out that in 2024, 615 429 learners passed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, surpassing the pass rate at any other time in the country’s history.

“The achievements of the Class of 2024 are a proud contribution to and evidence of our progress as a nation during 30 years of freedom and democracy. These results reinforce our resolute development of our nation’s most valuable resource, our young people. They also provide proof that we are undoing apartheid’s planned legacy of intergenerational indignity, disadvantage and poverty for the majority of South Africans,” he said.

He added that these results demonstrated the “agency, resilience and pride” of South Africa’s youth to create a better future for themselves.

He said government must work with civil society partners to ensure that learners are able to take up as many opportunities they can create for learners to succeed.

MATRIC RESULTS REACTIONS

The African National Congress (ANC) celebrated the “outstanding achievements” of the matric class of 2024, saying their success stood as a testament to the transformative power of the party’s policies.

“These achievements reflect decades of targeted ANC policies, from introducing no-fee schools, which now boast an 85.8% pass rate, to expanding access to school nutrition programmes and addressing resource inequalities. The Class of 2024 has further demonstrated that these interventions work: 319 651 distinctions were achieved, with significant gains in critical subjects such as Mathematics,” explained ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Basic Education chairperson Joy Maimela said the steady improvement in the NSC average pass rate attests to the education system's maturation and bodes well for the sector's future in the country.

The committee also welcomed that every province improved its pass rate, which she said was a testament to hard work within the system and dedication of stakeholders.

PROPOSED STRATEGIES

However, Maimela highlighted the need for strategies to enhance enrolment in technical subjects, saying this was critical to producing learners inclined to meet current labour and market needs.

“While the improvement in the overall results is welcomed, the committee highlighted concerns with the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training (Umalusi’s) information that 407 pupils were caught cheating during the 2024 matric exams. The committee has highlighted the continued need for the sector to raise awareness among learners on the dangers of cheating and its possible future impact on individuals,” she said.

EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY

The GOOD Party called on the Western Cape government to prioritise education and save teacher posts, with GOOD secretary-general Brett Herron pointing out that although the province achieved an improved pass rate of 86.6%, it remained below the national rate of 87.3%, with a provincial ranking of fifth place.

“…despite its overall performance, the province did have successes. Pinelands High boasted the top achiever of all public schools and all 3 of the country’s top achievers in the 5th quintile - schools that cater for the least poor 20% of learners - were from the Western Cape.

“The sobering reality is that the Western Cape remains a province divided. Learners from less affluent schools, in less privileged areas, face the greatest barriers and the least resources. This disparity will be compounded by the province’s looming teacher cuts, which threaten to deepen these inequities,” he said.

GOOD called on Treasury to remove the province’s freedom to choose how they spend the education portion of the provincial equitable share.

ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said the “disparate” education outcomes that continued to define the country’s system were a cause for concern.

“…while IEB learners achieved a 98.47% pass rate, NSC learners reached an 87.3% pass rate. This gap not only highlights an education system struggling with unequal access to quality education, but beyond the statistics, it also reflects the systemic divides that continue to prevent many learners from reaching their full potential,” he said.

ActionSA explained that it believed that every learner deserved access to quality education in a conducive environment, however, to achieve this, Mashaba said bold reforms were essential to address the systemic dysfunction plaguing South Africa’s education system.

Meanwhile, ActionSA wants the Government of National Unity (GNU) to prioritise investment in early childhood development to lay a solid foundation for lifelong learning, while also ensuring that schools are equipped with the necessary resources and facilities to support effective teaching and learning. 

The GNU must also improve teacher content knowledge and pedagogical skills, and reinvigorate the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit (NEEDU) through expedited adoption of the NEEDU Bill, the party said.

ActionSA urges government to reestablish the Annual National Assessments (ANAs) to monitor progress and ensure transparency in school performance, while also tackling the “glaring deficiencies in oversight” across the department and implementing performance-linked management to hold educators and administrators accountable for results.

SYSTEM FAILURES

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said the achievements of the 2024 matriculants were overshadowed by the “systemic failures” of the ANC/DA-led government to provide a conducive learning environment.

The party pointed to the “staggering” dropout rate throughout the cohort's time spent in education since grade 1, which it said remained a national crisis.

The EFF highlighted that of 1.2-million learners who began Grade 1 in 2013, only 732 448 sat for matric exams in 2024.

“This means that nearly 40% of learners approximately did not complete their schooling, a tragedy that disproportionately affects girl learners,” it said.

The party also raised concerns with the declining participation in physical science and the lack of improvement in the results, highlighting that a robust foundation in the subject is essential for global competitiveness and participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

12 338 fewer learners wrote the maths exam, while there were 6 962 fewer physical science learners.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) also expressed concerns over the national participation in mathematics and physical sciences, saying while the Western Cape led the provinces with these subjects, participation nationally remained a cause for concern.

Meanwhile, it welcomed Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube’s proposed strategic reorientation towards early childhood development and the foundation phase, as well as her intention to develop systems with the ability to track each learner’s path through basic education, including those that move to independent or private schools and technical and vocational education and training colleges to complete their schooling.

DA Basic Education spokesperson Dr Delmaine Christians said her party proposed that the South African Council for Educators be strengthened to ensure that each teacher was equipped to provide quality education.