By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended and applauded the Matric Class of 2021 on the success achieved by this cohort of learners, educators and parents.
The overall 2021 National Senior Certificate pass rate, with progressed learners included, stands at 76.4% an improvement of 0.2% from last year, with 256 000 learners eligible for university entrance.
“We applaud the multiple successes and improvements recorded by learners during the second year of challenges presented by COVID-19.
“Equally commendable is the support given to learners by educators and parents who made sacrifices of their own and placed the interests of learners ahead of their own concerns,” the President said on Friday.
The President has urged those who did not make it not to give up but return to school and make another effort to better their lives.
“This is a moment for celebration for learners who have passed and a moment for other learners to return to their desks and make another effort to advance their education and improve their quality of life into the future.
“Our Second Chance programme is another route to success,” he said.
Ramaphosa has also called on learners to celebrate responsibly and safely within the COVID-19 health protocols.
Meanwhile the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has commended the Matric Class of 2021 for their perseverance through very difficult times in South Africa’s education system to complete the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
Committee chairperson, Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba, said the Class of 2021 has had to endure two years of blended or rotational learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This class did not have a full Grade 11 year in 2020, which meant that the educators had to complete the curriculum that was not covered in that year in Grade 12, and that was an added pressure on our learners,”Mbinqo-Gigaba said.
This follows the announcement of the NSC matric results by Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga, on Thursday. The matric class of 2021 obtained an overall pass rate of 76.4%, an increase of 0.2% from 2020.
Mbinqo-Gigaba said despite the curriculum challenge that the learners faced, many also faced social challenges that included dealing with COVID-19-related illnesses and deaths in their families.
“This excludes the other common challenges of poverty, unemployment, gangsterism and drugs that our learners face on a daily basis. The committee notes these challenges and feels that under the circumstances, this cohort of learners made us extremely proud.
“We would like to congratulate them, their parents, caregivers, educators and the basic education sector as a whole,” Mbinqo-Gigaba said.
Free State is the leading province with 85.7%, an improvement of 0.6% from 2020, followed by Gauteng with 82.8%, and Western Cape with 81.2%. North West obtained 78.2%, KwaZulu-Natal 76.8%, Mpumalanga 73.6%, Eastern Cape 73%, Northern Cape 71.4%, and Limpopo 66.7%.
The number of candidates qualifying for admission to bachelor studies at universities is 256 031, an improvement of 21.4% from 2020.