Minister Angie Motshekga is impressed by the 2023 matric pass rate of 82.9%.

VAAL TRIANGLE - Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga says the performance of the Class of 2023 is the highest ever since the inception of the National Senior Certificate examinations in 2008. The matric class achieved an 82.9% pass rate, which is an improvement of 2.8%. The Free State was once again the top-performing province with a pass rate of 89%, followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 86.4%, and Gauteng at 85.4%. Announcing the results yesterday evening, Motshekga says the matrics performed exceptionally well despite the challenges.

However, the DA says it disputes the Department of Basic Education’s 2023 matric pass rate of 82.9%, as the real rate is only 55.3%. The party’s Baxolile Nodada, says the real matric pass rate is calculated by bringing into account the number of learners that dropped out and never made it to matric. He says while some learners pursue their matric through technical and vocational education and training after grade nine, a large number drop out completely.