Johannesburg: The Matric Class of 2024 has achieved an overall pass rate of 87.3%, marking it as the highest matric pass rate in South Africa’s history. “I am proud to announce that in 2024, 615,429 learners passed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) – more than any other time in our history,” stated Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube on Monday. The national pass rate for the 2024 NSC has increased from 82.9% in 2023 to 87.3%.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Minister highlighted this achievement during the announcement of the 2024 NSC results in Johannesburg. Nearly half of the learners who wrote the NSC examinations received a Bachelor pass, with 47.8% of candidates qualifying for admission to Bachelor studies. This represents a significant improvement from last year’s 40.9%.
The number of Bachelor passes has more than doubled in a decade, reaching 337,158 in 2024. KwaZulu Natal recorded the highest number of Bachelor passes with 84,470, followed by Gauteng with 66,979, and the Eastern Cape with 45,662. Approximately 67% of the Bachelor passes came from Quintile 1 to 3 schools, which are typically found in poorer communities.
The Class of 2024 also achieved 319,651 distinctions, an increase of over 65,000 from the previous year. Every province improved in this regard, with KwaZulu Natal leading with 10.8% distinction potential. In 2024, 69.1% of learners passed Mathematics, up from 63.5% in 2023, while Physical Sciences saw a slight decline from 76.2% in 2023 to 75.6% in 2024.
More high schools achieved a pass rate of between 80% and 100% in 2024 compared to 2023, with 5,387 schools reaching this benchmark. Approximately 97% of learners enrolled for Grade 12 in 2024 wrote the NSC exams. The number of full-time candidates increased to 705,291, and there was also an increase in learners with special education needs and those who are beneficiaries of social grants writing the exams.
The Minister emphasized that while the schooling system is maturing, there is still work to be done to improve the quality of education outcomes. Earlier in the day, a Ministerial Breakfast was held in honor of 39 matric top achievers.