Johannesburg: The Western Cape Matric Class of 2024 has excelled with a matric pass rate of 86.6%, which is a 5.1 percentage point increase on last year’s pass rate and the province’s highest National Senior Certificate pass rate ever.
According to South African Government News Agency, Western Cape MEC for Education David Maynier announced on Monday that the bachelors pass rate has also increased by 5.6 percentage points to 47.8%, marking the highest rate the department has achieved to date. The province maintained top Mathematics and Physical Science pass rates, with scores of 78.0% and 79.4%, respectively.
The Western Cape saw 11,699 candidates achieve a total of 27,948 distinctions, securing the second highest distinctions rate in the country. Additionally, the province recorded the second highest pass rate for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) at 91.0%, and the highest bachelors pass rate for LSEN learners at 63.3%.
With the highest retention rate from Grade 10 to 12 at 68.3% in the country, nearly 3,800 more Western Cape learners passed their matric exams compared to 2023. The province celebrated the achievements of four top candidates, including Rayyan Ebrahim and Matthew Christopher Wise from Pinelands High School, Nicholas David Schreiber from Rondebosch Boys’ High School, and Jordan Raubenheimer from De La Bat School, who received awards at the NSC results announcement in Johannesburg.
David Maynier expressed his gratitude to the students, teachers, and parents for their hard work and dedication, emphasizing the importance of continued support for the Class of 2025. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced that the overall Matric Class of 2024 achieved an 87.3% pass rate, the highest in South Africa’s history, with 615,429 learners passing the NSC exams.