The Department of Basic Education, led by Minister Angie Motshekga, released the following executive summary of the 2019 matric examinations and results:
A total of 787 717 candidates entered for the November 2019 NSC examination. This number was made up of 616 754 full-time and 170 963 part-time candidates. This was the sixth cohort of candidates to write the NSC examination that is aligned to the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), a curriculum which is benchmarked against international standards.
Umalusi has shown great appreciation for the heightened standards under which the Department of Basic Education (DBE) administers the NSC examination. Apart from the marked improvement in the quality of question papers set for the NSC examination, Umalusi has commended the DBE for conducting a successful NSC examination with no systemic irregularities that would have jeopardised the integrity and credibility of the 2019 NSC examination.
The Class of 2019 is the second cohort to be introduced to 12 new subject offerings, comprising the South African Sign Language (SASL) as home language (HL), civil technologies, mechanical technologies, and electrical technologies – each with three subject specialisations; as well as technical mathematics and technical sciences. The number of candidates offering these new subjects is still generally low given that this is only the second year of implementation. It is encouraging that the number of SASLHL candidates has increased from 54 candidates in 2018 to 99 in 2019.
The overall candidate performance in the November 2019 NSC has improved significantly compared to the previous years. The Class of 2019 registered an overall pass percentage of 81,3 per cent, which is an improvement of 3.1 per cent to the performance of the November 2018 cohort and is the highest pass percentage recorded in the last 25 years.
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