By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has published the matric results for the 2021 cohort, with the group achieving a pass rate of 76.4%.
This is an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to the 2020 matric pass rate (76.2%). 256,031 learners received a Bachelor’s degree pass, and with it, possible entry to one of the country’s universities.
Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga noted that 36.4% of matric students achieved a bachelor’s pass (2020: 36.4%), 25.2% achieved a diploma pass (2020: 26%), and 14.8% achieved a higher certificate pass (2020: 13.7%).
A total of 897,163 candidates sat to write the 2021 NSC examination – an increase of 23.6% from 2020. This includes 733,198 full-time students, the largest full-time cohort over the last few years. A total of 163,967 part-time candidates registered to write the examination.
Presenting the results on Thursday (20 January),Motshekga said the class of 2021 was the ‘most impacted’ by the Covid-19 pandemic as it endured two years of restrictions and disruptions.
These include differentiated timetables, a trimmed curriculum, and additional after-school interventions to keep learners safe during the pandemic. Together, these issues contributed to a ‘hostile’ learning environment, she said.
“For the past ten years, the NSC pass rates have consistently been going up from 60% in 2009, to above 70% in recent years. The class of 2021 must be commended for maintaining this trend, despite the astronomical challenges they faced,” she said.
The pass rates at a provincial level were as follows:
- Free State: 85.7%
- Gauteng: 82.8%
- Western Cape: 81.2%
- North West: 78.2%
- KZN: 76.8%
- Mpumalanga: 73.6%
- Eastern Cape: 73%
- Northern Cape: 71.4%
- Limpopo: 66.7%
This was the eighth cohort of candidates to write the NSC examination that is aligned to the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), a curriculum that is benchmarked against international standards.