2025 Matric results: A closer look at the pass rate and critiques from GOOD, DA, and ActionSA
The Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube announced the results for the matric class of 2025, during an event held in Fairlands on Monday evening.
Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
With the class of 2025 smashing the highest matric pass rate since democracy, many are cheering, while others are side eyeing the results, calling them a little too perfect.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced an overall national pass rate of 88%, the highest ever recorded in the examination cycle, and confirmed that KwaZulu-Natal topped all nine provinces with a 90% pass rate.
However, Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader Mmusi Maimane is among those who remain critical of the Department of Education.
"How can children who cannot read for meaning, 8/10, end up with 88% of passing NSC," he said. "It's a lie told to South Africans...Complete farce."
GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron congratulated the class of 2025 on their results, while cautioning that headline pass rates continue to obscure deep-rooted weaknesses within South Africa's education system.
"Congratulations to the Matric class of 2025. You have completed a long journey, often in difficult circumstances at home, in your community or at school, putting in the hard work and demonstrating the resilience to reach an important milestone," he said.
Herron also commended educators, particularly those working in under-resourced communities, describing them as an often-overlooked pillar of the education system.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) also welcomed the release of the results, paying tribute to learners who succeeded despite significant barriers.
"The DA extends special recognition to learners from no-fee schools, learners who succeeded despite socio-economic hardship, and those who overcame personal and structural challenges to complete matric," Nazley Sharif said.
Sharif said the party had also noted progress in inclusion within the schooling system, including improved outcomes for learners with special education needs, and congratulated Independent Examinations Board (IEB) candidates on their performance.
She further welcomed the DBE's assessment of the results, particularly its acknowledgement of persistent challenges.
ActionSA's Parliamentary Chief Whip, Lerato Ngobeni, also commented on the results, stressing the limitations of headline pass rates.
"Any learner who perseveres to the end of matric deserves recognition," Ngobeni said, highlighting the effort required to complete schooling under challenging circumstances.
However, she claimed that official figures do not capture the full picture of the education system’s performance.
“However, headline pass rates alone do not reflect the true performance of South Africa’s basic education system. While government celebrates an official matric pass rate of 88%, ActionSA’s analysis shows that the ‘real’ matric pass rate tells a far more sobering story,” Ngobeni said.
She explained that only 57.7% of learners who entered Grade 10 in 2023 successfully completed matric.
Ngobeni further criticised government for focusing on optics rather than systemic reform. "Despite the Basic Education Minister’s triumphal rhetoric, nearly half of the learners who started the final phase of schooling did not successfully complete matric," she said.
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