Cape Town - Western Cape authorities have praised the matric class of 2022 for achieving a 81.4% provincial pass rate despite challenges related to Eskom’s blackouts, sporadic service delivery protests and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The province is ranked fourth nationally and recorded a 0.2% increase compared to 2021.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced it on Thursday evening. The overall pass rate was 80.1%.
Western Cape MEC for basic education David Maynier lauded the results, saying: “We are delighted that the matric class of 2022 increased the pass rate to 81.4% ... more importantly, every single one of our successful candidates received a matric pass that makes them eligible to apply at universities or colleges.”
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He added: “What makes this achievement all the more extraordinary is that the matric class of 2022 was at the greatest disadvantage due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other disruptions during the exam period but they gave their all, putting in hundreds of hours of extra work.”
While the overall pass rate improved by 3.7%, the Free State came out as the best-performing province with a pass rate of 88.5%, up from 2.8% in 2021.
The worst-performing province, Limpopo, achieved a 72.1% pass rate.
In the meantime, almost 40% of all 2022 matric students qualified for admission to study towards a bachelor’s degree, a staggering improvement of 8.9% from 2021.
KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng contributed the most bachelor passes, with 69 849 – an increase of 12.9% from 2021; and 58 119 – an increase of 4.1% from 2021, respectively.
The number of candidates who passed with a diploma is 193 357 – an improvement of 8.9% from 2021.
The number of candidates who passed with higher certificates is 108 159 – an improvement of 4.1% from 2021; and represents 14.9% of the total number of candidates who wrote the 2022 NSC combined examinations.
Those who did not do well, should not despair, said Motshekga.
“There are lots of life chances available. For instance, those who wish to improve their results, should consider enrolling for the Second Chance Matric Programme. Registration into the Programme, is already open, and will close on February 8, 2023. You will definitely receive support from the DBE and our partners; you won’t be left to your vices."
Weekend Argus