By: Matshidiso Selebeleng
...Marking the end of the provincial government’s long-standing slogan, ‘Retla ba phetha rebaphethe hofihlela ba tlwaela’
For six years, the Free State province reigned supreme in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results. That streak came to an end as KwaZulu-Natal clinched the top spot with a pass rate of 90.6%, pushing the Free State into second place at 89.33%. Speaking on the results, Free State Department of Education spokesperson Howard Ndaba expressed satisfaction despite the drop. “We want to congratulate the class of 2025 for doing an excellent job. Out of 38,205 candidates, over 34,000 passed, and 43% achieved Bachelor passes. Every district recorded over 85% pass rates, with Mangaung leading at 92%,” he said. Ndaba noted that the province’s decline was largely due to lower performance in mathematics and accounting, which also saw national declines. To address this, the department plans retreats to strategize interventions and boost results in these critical subjects. On the goal for 2026, Ndaba emphasized that the priority is quality, not ranking. “Our obsession is not position one, but achieving targets that allow learners to access higher education with strong marks. This year, our target was 95%, which we did not reach. Soon, new targets will be set, and we will work towards them,” he said, adding that the province’s only competition is itself. Ndaba also praised KwaZulu-Natal for its achievement, noting the province had more than 100,000 exam candidates. He highlighted individual excellence, including 17-year-old Bokang Mokubung from Bluegumbosch Secondary School in Phuthaditjhaba, who ranked first among the top three learners in quintile 3 schools nationwide for Mathematics. Mokubung will be celebrated among the top 100 learners at a function hosted by the Department of Education in partnership with the Central University of Technology today. “We also want to thank learners, parents, teachers, and partners such as corporations. Education is a societal issue, and we need collective support to improve and maintain strong results,” Ndaba said. National Senior Certificate 2025 Overview: • Overall pass rate: 88% (slight increase from 87.3% in 2024) • Higher Certificate passes: 13.5% • Diploma passes: 28.1% • Bachelor passes: 46.6% Provincial pass rates 2025 vs 2024: • KwaZulu-Natal: 90.6% ↑ (89.5%) • Free State: 89.33% ↓ (91%) • Gauteng: 89.06% ↑ (88.4%) • North West: 88.49% ↑ (87.5%) • Western Cape: 88.2% ↑ (86.6%) • Northern Cape: 87.79% ↑ (84.2%) – largest improvement • Mpumalanga: 86.5% ↑ (84.9%) • Limpopo: 86.15% ↑ (85%) • Eastern Cape: 84.17% ↓ (84.8%) The Northern Cape emerged as the province with the most significant improvement compared to 2024, showcasing the ongoing efforts to strengthen education across the country.
