• Government is happy with the class of 2024 matric exam average pass rate, which is much higher than last year according to official numbers.
• Around 87.3 percent of matric learners passed the exams with at least a 30 percent average.
• Almost half of all candidates achieved a Bachelor pass.

The release of the class of 2024 matric results got off to a rocky start when the Department of Basic Education revealed that the system that contained the final results had been breached just three days before the release date.

Despite this, the South African government has commended the matrics of 2024 and revealed an “unprecedented” pass rate for the year.

According to a statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa, the national pass rate for matrics who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams sat at 87.3 percent, increasing significantly from 82.9 percent last year.

It is among the highest pass rates in recent memory, but it is also important to note that the passing mark for the NSC exams is 30 percent.

“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,” shared Ramaphosa.

Another major milestone is that “almost half” of matric learners who wrote achieved Bachelor degree passes, meaning they achieved an average of over 50 percent in a number of key subjects and can apply to study most university degrees.

Additionally, learners achieved a total of 320 000 distinctions.

Of the 727 121 full time matric exam candidates that wrote the exams, the President confirms that 615 429 learners passed the exams. This still means that around 111 692 were not able to successfully complete their matric year.

While there is a discrepancy in the pass rate percentage here from the official number, it is likely that the government is not counting private high school learners in the announcement.

“The achievements of the Class of 2024 must also sharpen our resolve to attend to challenges affecting the education sector and our economic performance. We are confident the Class of 2024 will itself produce some of the answers to these challenges,” added the president.

The department is now investigating the cause of the breach and who were the culprits. According to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, the Hawks and other authorities are not involved in the investigation.