By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane is pleased with the improvement in the quality of matric results over the years, the highest ever for the province.
The province attained 81.4% for the matric class of 2023, a 4% improvement from a 77,3% pass rate in 2022.
The Eastern Cape Department of Education has attributed the high pass rate for the 2023 matric to a variety of support systems put in place for learners.
The department has applauded educators and various stakeholders for their dedication to creating a conducive environment for learners to achieve this milestone.
The top-performing learners received accolades during an award ceremony in East London for their sterling work.
The province has seen a surge in the number of bachelor’s from 34 974 in 2022 to 37 898 in 2023. Addressing the media MEC Fundile Gade said with the systems in place, the province is most likely to perform even better going forward.
“Hence, I’m saying it’s not going to be difficult for the province to get the 85% this year because our strategic planning was cantered getting 5% every year, so it is not farfetched that we can be able to get the 85% we are talking about.”
While this pass mark remains a flattering milestone, more needs to be done to improve the quality of education in the province. Mabuyane said schools in rural areas and townships need a major infrastructural boost.
“We are working hard to address the issue of infrastructure at our schools. We have scholar transport, we are dealing with that. We are working hard in ensuring that we improve.”
Meanwhile Limpopo Education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya said the performance of the province’s matrics in 2023 will serve as motivation for the next cohort of pupils.
The province achieved a pass rate of 79.5% for the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams, an increase of 7,4% to the previous year.
Speaking on Friday morning, Lerule-Ramakhanya said Limpopo will look to improve on its seventh place in the provincial rankings.
“The class of 2023 has really made the province proud. The province has indeed outperformed itself qualitatively and quantitatively.
“By all means, we have to keep moving, improving, excelling and performing. We accordingly issue a stern warning to anyone who’d want to derail this fast-moving train.”
The MEC said the 2023 matric results show that hard work always pays off in the end.
“This is the hard work by our districts, the circuit, the schools as well as pupils. What should resonate with us, as we announce these results, is that there is no substitute for hard work, and a reward is always within reach where hard work is involved.”
Elsewhere KZN Education MEC Mbali Frazer said the 2023 matric results were testament to “the resilience and maturity of the KwaZulu-Natal education system.
KZN had improved its pass rate from 76.8% in 2021 to 83% in 2022 to a high of 86.36% in 2023.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the unprecedented success recorded by the matric Class of 2023 is evidence of the determination and ambition of learners.
Ramaphosa offered his warm congratulations and that of government to the matriculants and the extended support system of educators, parents, school governing bodies and health care providers who carried this cohort of learners through the COVID 19 pandemic when they were in earlier grades.
The 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) overall pass rate reached 82.9%, compared with 80.1% in 2022, and 76.4% in 2021.
This is an improvement of 2.8%, and 6.5% from the pass rates achieved by the Classes of 2022 and 2021 respectively.
The matric results are an irrefutable indicator of our comprehensive national development during 30 years of freedom and democracy. Our success in education must motivate us to achieve even greater things in all areas of our development, “Ramaphosa said.