WCED achieves its highest NSC pass rate

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has pat itself on the back for achieving its highest National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate ever since inception of 2008.

The Class Of 2024 has excelled with a matric pass rate of 86.6%, which is a 5.1% increase on last year’s pass rate. Moreover, the province’s bachelors pass rate, which is a crucial indicator of the quality of matric passes, has also increased by 5.6% to 47.8% - the highest bachelors pass rate the WCED has achieved to date.

The top Mathematics and top Physical Science pass rates again came from the Western Cape, with a Mathematics pass rate of 78.0%, and Physical Science pass rate of 79.4%.

The WCED also boasted that its candidates achieved a highest number of subject distinctions to date, with 11 699 candidates achieving a total of 27 948 distinctions for the second highest distinctions rate in the country.

‘’We have the second highest pass rate in the country for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) at 91.0%, and the highest bachelors pass rate in the country for LSEN learners at 63.3%. We have the highest retention rate from Grade 10 to 12 in the country at 68.3%, and nearly 3 800 more Western Cape learners passed their matric exam this year compared to 2023,’’ said David Maynier, Education MEC.

‘’We are also delighted that our candidates have once again shone on the national stage, with four Western Cape matrics receiving awards this evening including the top candidate in the country,’’ he added.

Despite Pinelands High School being in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2024, this did not deter one matriculant from this school, as Rayyan Ebrahim was crowned the top candidate in South Africa.

With regards to education districts in the Western Cape, Eden and Central Karoo Education District was the top performing district, with a pass rate of 89.28% - an increase of 4.69% from 2023.

‘’This is the highest pass rate ever achieved by the district in the NSC. Congratulations to district director Jewel Jonkers and his team for this excellent achievement! This is my third year celebrating matric results as Minister of Education, and it is my third year doing so in the Metro East Education District. Gone are the days when Metro East held the bottom spot on the district log. They have gone from strength to strength, and this year have improved their pass rate again, by 4.98 percentage points to 88.50%. This is again the highest pass rate the district has achieved in the NSC to date. Congratulations to Director Landie Diamond and her team as they continue to drive improvement in the district,’’ said Maynier.

Every district in the Western Cape improved their pass rate, and every district now has a pass rate above 80% for the first time since 2016: Metro North Education District – 88.46% (+3.06); Overberg Education District – 88.21% (+4.33); Metro Central Education District – 84.20% (+3.31); West Coast Education District – 84.19% (+6.50); Metro South Education District – 83.83% (+5.94); Cape Winelands Education District – 83.44% (+8.83)

Maynier encouraged learners who did not pass their exams or unhappy about their results to apply for a re-mark or re-check or write the exams in June. Those who needs counselling are encouraged to contact the Safe Schools Hotline on 0800 45 46 47.

‘’Congratulations to our #ClassOf2024, and thank you for the hard work that you put in to ensure that you achieved your goals. You made a decision to invest in your own futures, and we can’t wait to see what you will go on to achieve after matric. The outstanding results would not have been possible without the support of matric teachers and matric parents. Thank you for everything that you have done to allow our candidates to shine, and for helping them to take their next steps,’’ said David Maynier, Western Cape Education MEC.

‘’To the ClassOf2025: last year’s matrics have shown you what can be done with dedication to your studies. We will do everything we can to support you, and if you use the year wisely, we will be celebrating with you next year!,’’ he added.

 

Done By: Mitchum George