The matric class of 2022 has scored a remarkable 80.1% pass rate, despite being the group that was mostly hit by the effects of Covid-19 and load-shedding.

Department of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga made the announcement of an overall improved pass rate at the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Gauteng, yesterday.

The National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate increased with 3.7% compared to 76.4% recorded in 2021.

Motshekga noted that last year’s Gr 12s were exposed to the effects of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 when they were in Gr 10 and Gr 11.

“The class of 2022 is the first cohort to write the NSC (National Senior Certificate) exams, post the pandemic. Exacerbating the devastation caused by the pandemic, this class was subjected to the challenges of enervating load-shedding and sporadic service delivery protests.”

Despite this, learners managed to bag high-quality passes and distinctions.

Highest number of Bachelor passes

• 922 034 candidates registered for the 2022 final exams.
• 725 146 were full-time learners.
• 278 814 achieved Bachelor passes (9% more than in 2021 and the highest number ever in the history of the NSC exams).
• 161 235 female candidates obtained Bachelor passes (10% more than in 2021).
• 117 579 male candidates obtained Bachelor passes (7% more than in 2021.)
• 193 357 achieved diploma passes.
• 108 159 achieved higher certificate passes.
• 117 achieved plain NSC passes.

Provincial results 

KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng contributed the most Bachelor passes, with 69 849 (an increase of 12.9% from 2021) and 58 119 (an increase of 4.1% from 2021), respectively.

The Free State was the best performing province once again, with a pass rate of 88.5%.

“None of the provinces performed below a 70% pass rate; and none had a decline when their 2022 results are compared with the previous year,” Motshekga said.

While five provinces performed above the 70% pass rate, four achieved more than 80%.

The provinces with the highest improvements in their performances are:
• KZN (6.2% improvement)
• Limpopo (5.3% improvement)
• Eastern Cape (4.2% improvement)

No fee schools show improvement

‘No fee’ schools achieved 169 903 Bachelor passes, an increase of 13.4% from 2021.

Motshekga acknowledged that the dropout rate was a concern, and vowed to address the matter and the repetition rates.

However, according to her, the number of learners reaching Gr 12 has been increasing progressively in recent years.

“It is therefore, not coincidental that 775 000 of the cohort of learners from the class of 2022 reached Gr 12, from about 1.18 million learners who entered formal schooling in 2011,” she says, adding that 96% of these learners wrote last year’s NSC examinations.

The Minister has paid tribute to a ‘happy, young’ cohort of teachers, principals, support staff and parents.

“What you do at the school level is what matters the most. The future of our learners and the prosperity of our nation, is in your hands.” – SAnews.gov.za