Jared Ryan Benn from Wynberg Boys High School in Cape Town is planning to study mechanical engineering at the University of Stellenbosch, or University of Cape Town, because he has always loved science. Benn congratulated his fellow matriculants and said he was happy to be a part of the top 34. ‘I’ve always seen the previous classes and in my head, I would always tell myself that if I shoot for the stars, the moon will be a part of the package, and this is exactly it’. He encouraged those who were still on their journey to pace themselves. ‘Do not burn out before the end of the year, just be steady and consistent throughout and it will pay off.’ Benn noted that this advice worked for him, especially when he needed it the most. ‘Like many others, I also put pressure on myself and this helped me to ease up on the pressure and that, it turn, showed everyone else that pressure was not really helping me and for them to ease up,’ he said. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
The class of 2023 recorded the highest pass rate post democracy with a whopping 82.9% – a 2.8% increase from 2022’s 80.1% and an improvement of 3.7% compared to the 76.4% pass rate achieved by the class of 2021, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced last night.
Earlier in the day, during the ministerial breakfast she hosted, Motshekga praised the top matric pupils at public schools for leading the pack and being ambassadors of excellence – calling them “a beacon of hope for our nation”.
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Melissa Müller from Renish Girls’ High School, who was the national top pupil for 2023, noted that hard work and discipline from a young age was what brought her to this point.
“It’s consistency that I’ve kept up for all these years. It’s not something that just started now and last year in my final year.
“I told myself in Grade 10, when two of Renish’s pupils actually got invited to this event, I never thought it was possible. But from then on I developed a good work ethic and time management skills that pushed me to work hard.”
Müller, who said she would be studying mechanical and mechatronic engineering at Stellenbosch University, encouraged the class of 2024.
“Consistency is the only currency that matters, just working hard consistently throughout the year you will be able to grasp what you need by the end of the year,” she said.
“And don’t shy away from asking for assistance. It’s as simple as that.”
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Motshekga said at least 4 080 more candidates have obtained admission to bachelor studies, while 546 more schools obtained an overall pass rate above 80%, with 501 of these schools from quintiles 1, 2 and 3.
“One of the most significant improvements is the increase of mathematics pass percentage from 55% in 2022 to 63.5% in 2023. This confirms that the DBE drive to increase the number of pupils that can enter the fields of science and technology is bearing fruit.”
She said the Free State was once again the leading province at 89.0%, an increase of 0.5% from 2022.
“KwaZulu-Natal, the third best improved province, achieved 86.4%, an increase of 3.4% from 2022. Gauteng achieved at 85.4%, an increase of 1.0% from 2022.
“North West achieved 81.6%, an increase of 1.8% from 2022, while the Western Cape achieved 81.5%, an increase of 0.1% from 2022. The second-best improved province is the Eastern Cape, with an achievement of 81.4%, an improvement of 4.1% from 2022.
“The best improved province is Limpopo, with an achievement of 79.5%, a 7.4% improvement from 2022. Mpumalanga achieved at 77.0%, a 0.2% increase from 2022.”
Motshekga said the class of 2023 had clearly demonstrated that with all requisite support and intervention programmes, “we can make it”.
“We must prioritise our interventions on teaching and learning losses. Support and intervention programmes must be implemented across the system,” she said.
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“We wish to recognise the confidence our communities have in our public education system. The fact that we had about 96% of the candidates who enrolled for the 2023 NSC exams, did so in public schools, shows the confidence communities have…”
Despite criticism of the education sector, Motshekga said the high-quality passes achieved this year, “especially the record number of bachelor and diploma passes, as well as passes with distinction” revealed that no province at a pass rate lower than 75%.
The fact is that none of our districts are performing below 60%.”
She added: “Our ‘no fee’ schools have contributed more than 65% of our bachelor passes. There is no room for error in the delivery of government’s “pro-poor” programmes and interventions.”
“The fact that the majority of our schools are performing at above 80% is an indisputable testimony that ours is a system on the rise.”
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