Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says the 2018 matric results are the best achieved in democratic South Africa. The overall matric pass rate in the country stands 78,2%, including progressed learners.
This shows an improvement of 3,1% from last year. Provincially, Gauteng is first, followed by the Free State and the Western Cape in second and third places respectively.
This year has also shown the highest rate of progressed learners than previous years and since the implementation of the process. Motshekga announced the 2018 matric results in Midrand on Thursday. She described them as impressive.
“Actually, this is the best. 2013 was without your progressed learners. Here, if we move your progressed learners, we’re at 79,4%, 0,6% short of my 80% target. It’s actually the best ever because we have a percentage which has your progressed learners. In 2013, we didn’t have progressed learners. It’s the highest we’ve ever achieved.”
Gauteng top performer
Gauteng has showed the highest improvement in the matric pass rate when compared to 2017, followed by the Free State and the Western Cape.
Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, announced the 2018 matric results in Midrand, Johannesburg, on Thursday.
.@DBE_SA Minister Motshekga on Performance of the Provinces with @GautengProvince as the top performing for 2018, with an achievement of 87.9%, an improvement of 2.8% from 2017. ??? #MatricResults2018 pic.twitter.com/xBxPLeFeM4
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) January 3, 2019
Motshekga says except for Limpopo, all the other provinces have an overall pass rate of over 70%.
“Only one province achieved below 70% which is Limpopo though it had improved at 3.8% which puts them to be the 9th district. Eastern Cape comes at 8, Northern Cape is at 7, KZN at 6 with an improvement of 3.3%. Mpumalanga at number 5 and the four provinces that achieved above 80%, number 4 North West, number 3 Western Cape, the Free State number 2 and finally the top performing province is Gauteng with an achievement of 87.9% with an improvement of 2.8% from 2017.”
The rewrite for the National Senior Certificate will take place in June this year. Candidates will be able to write as many subjects as they want.
The 2018 Matric Results will be available through the SABC Education Matric Results service from midnight. To register SMS your ID number and exam number to 35658 or Dial *120*35658#
President Ramaphosa commends Matric Class of 2018
President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated the Matric Class of 2018 for keeping the National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate above 70 percent and said this achievement underscores the importance of learners, educators, families, administrators and political leadership working together.
“As South Africans, we can all take pride in the dedication shown by learners and educators. Together, they have presented our nation with another cohort of young people whose life chances have been significantly enhanced, and whose success in basic education is indeed reversing the damage inflicted on generations of South Africans who were deprived of quality education under apartheid,” said President Ramaphosa.
The Class of 2018 was the fourth large cohort in the history of basic education to register for any NSC examination.
Parly congratulates Matric class of 2018
The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education congratulates the matric class of 2018. The Chairperson of the committee Ms Nomalungelo Gina said the committee is excited with the 2018 matric pass mark and calls on the Department of Basic Education to sustain the improvement and the upward trend.
“We have noted the continued improvement of the Grade 12 results since 2014 and especially by the Free State province. But the committee wishes to congratulate the Eastern Cape province for the improvement it has made in the 2018 results. This kind of performance by the province is inspiring and should give all those who were involved in the sector comfort and hope that they can do better. Challenges in the system are there, most of which are not education related but impact on the performance of learners. The work that the Minister, MECs and the teachers have put into these results is worth commending” said Ms Gina.
The committee wishes to reiterate its call that more attention should be given to schools that are in rural communities.
Watch the full 2018 Matric Announcement below:
