President Cyril Ramaphosa praises the Class of 2020
Despite the challenges Covid-19 brought to the academic year, the Class of 2020 produced a pass rate of 76.2 per cent, down by 5.1 per cent from the previous year.
President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the matriculants who sat the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams in 2020 as scholars of courage.
“In the face of great difficulties brought about by the pandemic, our learners have been resilient; they have done themselves, their families and their country proud,” Ramaphosa said.
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The matric results were announced on February 22 by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).
The president said last year’s matriculants had to prepare for the crucial exam under challenging and highly pressured conditions, necessitating an adjustment to the lockdown restrictions as well as extra work and effort.
He thanked the country’s educators, teachers’ unions, school staff and parents for their support to the matriculants throughout the school year.
“The support our young people received made all the difference, making it possible for the crucial final year of schooling to be salvaged,” Ramaphosa said.
The president applauded the 75.8 per cent pass rate among female matriculants, as this lays an important foundation for the empowerment of young women in the country.
He added that the matriculants who sat the exam in 2020 were inheritors of the mantle of the brave generation of 1976.
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“Against the greatest of odds, our matriculants persevered to write their exams last year; as Tsietsi said that day, let us indeed honour the charge they made,” Ramaphosa said.
The president called on matriculants who did not pass the exam to take advantage of supplementary exams, the DBE’s Second Chance programme, and other support mechanisms.
