KZN is among the provinces in need of special attention, following the release of the 2015 matric results.
According to Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams have developed in leaps and bounds since they were first written in 1996.
“The class of 2015 has recorded the highest enrolment of grade 12 pupils in the history of the basic education system in South Africa.
The total number of candidates who registered for the November 2015 NSC examinations was 799,306; written by 667,925 full time candidates and 131,381 part-time candidates. This is 110,000 candidates more than those enrolled for the 2014 NSC examinations,” she said.
In KZN, the pass rate was 60.7%, which is 9% lower than 2014. Of the 428,752 who wrote the exams in KZN, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, 49,8% failed.
“Clearly, we must pay particular attention to KZN, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape if we want to improve the overall NSC national picture,” said Motshekga.
In her report she said of the 81 districts in the country, 59 had a pass rate of 60% or higher, of which 29 were 80% or more, while 14 districts achieved a pass rate in the fifties and eight districts were below 50%.
“For the past four years, the NSC pass rate has been above 70%. The 2015 NSC overall pass rate stands at 70.7%, which represents 455,825 candidates who have passed the 2015 NSC exams, the largest in history. This represents an increase of 51,952 candidates from those who passed in 2014.”
Motshekga was also delighted by the finding of the Quality Assurance Council, Umalusi that the NSC exams were ‘free, fair and credible’.
