The 2020 matric class has achieved a 76.2% pass rate which is a drop of 5.1 percentage points from the previous year. The Free State leads the pack with an 85.1% pass rate followed by Gauteng at 83.3%.
Tshwane South is the top-performing district for the second year in a row.
Announcing the results, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said Gauteng registered six of the top 10 best-performing districts. She said that she is proud of what the class managed to achieve despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus.
“And chair, as much as we had a drop, I am very grateful to all South Africans for having helped us because in essence, I was expecting a bloodbath.”
Breakdown of 2020 results:
She has also noted the assistance that the sector received from different stakeholders to save the 2020 academic year.
“The teachers themselves assisted in making sure they sacrifice their own time in their work even beyond the call of duty. We also had professionals from different universities who came up with different strategies. There were ICT interventions that included the provision of devices, data, online virtual classes, and radio lessons.”
A total of 86.3% of inmates passed. Of the 124 candidates that sat for examinations, 71 got bachelors and 23 got diplomas.
The class of 2020 wrote 12 languages including sign language which was written by 100 candidates. 147 question papers were set and eight million question papers were printed.
Motshekga says the Council of Sector Ministers has approved priorities that lay the foundation for quality education. The priorities include improving foundational skills in numeracy and literacy.
“Which should be underpinned by a reading revolution. Ramping up Early Childhood Development, which includes urgent implementation of a two-year ECD before Grade 1 and therefore, we have to migrate the 0 to 4-year-olds from the Department of Social Development to Basic Education and develop a framework for ECD.”
Minister Angie Motshekga announces the 2020 National Senior Certificate results:
