Education MEC says Gauteng recorded its highest number of Bachelor passes since 1996.
Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane issued a stern warning to underperforming schools, saying the provincial department would no longer tolerate institutions achieving pass rates below 70% or teachers in key subjects failing to meet required standards.
Announcing the Gauteng 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results in Centurion on Tuesday, Chiloane said decisive action would follow where schools continued to underperform, despite Gauteng recording a historic 89% matric pass rate.
“The department will undertake rapid evaluations, and where management or teaching is the barrier, we will act.”
Of the 140 927 students who wrote matric in Gauteng, 125 513 passed, marking the highest provincial pass rate ever recorded in South Africa. All 15 districts achieved pass rates above 83%.
How many schools achieved below 70%
Despite the overall improvement, Chiloane said performance gains would not shield struggling schools from intervention.
“We have reduced the number of schools performing below 70% from 34 to 19, but those 19 schools will receive intensive intervention,” he said.
He said this would include rapid school evaluations, academic improvement plans and, where necessary, changes to management and teaching personnel.
“The purpose is not to punish, but to provide the right combination of incentives, support, and resources to accelerate change,” Chiloane said.
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Bachelor passes hit historic high
Chiloane said the quality of passes remained a key indicator of progress, with Gauteng recording its highest number of Bachelor passes since 1996.
A total of 67 861 pupils achieved Bachelor passes, translating to 48.15% of all candidates who wrote, making Gauteng the second-largest contributor nationally.
“75.87% of learners who passed achieved either a Bachelor or Diploma qualification, positioning them for entry into higher education,” Chiloane said.
He added that Gauteng contributed 19.6% of all Bachelor passes nationally, with 11 of the province’s 15 districts showing improvements in Bachelor pass rates compared to 2024.
Equity gains narrow long-standing gaps
Chiloane said the results pointed to meaningful progress in closing the performance gap between fee-paying and no-fee schools, which has narrowed from 24 percentage points in 2009 to seven points in 2025.
“No-fee township schools achieved an 87.3% pass rate, while non-township schools achieved 93.8%,” he said.
“That is not accidental policy. That is deliberate investment in equity.”
He added that 186 township public schools achieved pass rates above 90%, while 18 schools recorded 100% passes, including three special needs schools.
“No-fee township schools are producing the majority of our Bachelor passes,” he said. “This proves that poverty is not destiny.”
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Matriculants reflect resilience and faith
Gauteng’s top achiever was Mihir Modi from Greenside High School, who earned seven distinctions.
He told The Citizen he was proud of his achievements and spoke about the stress that so often overwhelms matrics during exams.
“I think the truth is that sometimes you can’t manage the stress, and sometimes stress manages you. There were a lot of times that I felt very overwhelmed this year, but I would talk to my parents, get support from my peers, and from my teacher, so I had a lot of opportunities to talk to people, to help me get through difficult times.
He wants to study accounting at Wits University.
Lyttelton Manor High School student Reshoketswe Masemola, who obtained six distinctions, said matric was “mentally draining”, while fellow student Tumelo Makateng, who achieved five distinctions, credited faith and strong support systems.
“Not everyone gets to achieve five distinctions,” Makateng said. “I will be studying mechanical engineering at UCT.”
Zubenathi Ndiki from Alberton High School, who earned four distinctions, served her school and community as a welfare executive councillor.
She said that in the role, she visited orphanages and donated boxes of supplies for children and various community service projects and described it as a fun and rewarding experience.
“It was such a small part, but now I’m going to miss it when I go to university, but breaks with my friends and just laughing at nothing were a peak. ‘I’m really going to miss that, because I was laughing with them today as we were getting our statements, and I was like ‘Wow, I’m really not going to have this again,”’ Ndiki said.
She added that she faced challenges with maths and physics, noting that she is proud of herself for persevering and trying her best.
Ndiki advised the Class of 2026 not to overwork themselves, and she emphasised the importance of self-care to avoid burnout. She wants to study health sciences at Stellenbosch University.
Limpopo students celebrate
Meanwhile, in Limpopo, Rethabile Abigail Mofomme from Mmantutule Senior Secondary School achieved five distinctions, including level six results in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, despite a year marked by illness and depression.
“My 2025 was very difficult. I fell ill at the beginning of the year and was in and out of hospitals,” she said. “One thing I can say is that God is always the way. I prayed and let God lead my way.”
Mapula Reneilwe Machoga from Maserunyane High School said discipline and consistency helped her secure a Bachelor’s pass with five distinctions.
“I stopped procrastinating and realised that everything is possible only if you put your mind to it,” she said.
Lebo Lesodi from Mmantutule Senior Secondary School also secured five distinctions and said it had been a long, tough journey.
“I am truly very proud of myself. I wasn’t the best learner in the lower grades, and I have been working towards this since grade 10, so it feels good to see my efforts have not gone in vain.
“What challenged me the most, I think, was the fact that we weren’t given proper attention from our educators in the lower grades. This caused us to start from the beginning in grade 12, and thus we didn’t have enough time to perfect what we already knew, which also multiplied the pressure because when attending with students from other schools, we were always behind.”
“Another challenge was the fact that we were over 70 in my class, and the fact that we all had different learning paces meant that we had to move more slowly with the syllabus to accommodate everyone. This was good for others, but also hindered us who were already ahead and needed clarity on other topics.
She advised the Class of 2026 to make sacrifices to achieve the marks they want.
“Slacking around will only leave them with regret. Come the end of exams, they will realise that sleeping is no longer a luxury. But at the same time, they should enjoy this growth, plan properly and discipline themselves.
“For those who didn’t make it, as much as education is the key to success, it is not the only one. Of course, we are not all academically gifted, and someone said that our abilities do not define who we are, but our choices do.”
Additional reporting by Chulumanco Mahamba
