Matric Results in Limpopo Increase, Yet at a Very Gradual Pace
“In 2025, over 656,000 learners passed the National Senior Certificate. That figure carries the effort of teachers, learners and families in every corner of our country.”
These were the words of the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube during the announcement of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) for the Class of 2025.
Nationally, the NSC pass rate is 88% — an increase of approximately 0.7% from 2024.
This incredible achievement marks the highest pass rate recorded in South Africa’s history.
Limpopo Province is the second-lowest performing province after the Eastern Cape.
The northern province reached 86.15%, showing a small rise from the 85% pass rate of 2024.
“To expand access in our rural provinces, we established an Outcomes-Based Education Fund. Through this, we are investing R496 million to expand safe, quality early learning and to create over 100 000 new learner spaces in Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal,” said Gwarube.
Limpopo Department of Education (Image: Limpopo Department of Education)
She also tackled the urgent matter of dropouts, stating that the department has successfully kept the majority of students from Grade 1 to 10.
“In 2014, 1.2 million children entered Grade 1. By the time that same cohort reached Grade 10 in 2023, a decrease of around 4% was noted. We therefore have very high retention rates between Grade 1 and Grade 10.
“However, between Grades 10 and 12, a large number of learners begin to repeat, and others even leave the school system. The full-time Grade 12 class of 2025 had around 778,000 learners enrolled. This tells us something important: the largest dropout pressure is not across the whole system – it intensifies late, as learners move into Grades 11 and 12. Nationally, only about 84% make it from Grade 10 to Grade 11, and about 78% from Grade 11 to Grade 12,” added Gwarube.
The 2023 NSC examinations improved the Limpopo provincial pass rate to 79.54 %, a significant increase from 72.1% % in the previous year (2022), and 66.7% in 2021.
sizanazo365.co.za wishes these learners great success in their future endeavors.