By: Abigail Visagie

The Northern Cape has exceeded expectations after achieving an 87.9% pass rate in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, placing the province sixth nationally. The results reflect steady improvement over recent years, signalling a maturing and stabilising education system. Releasing the NSC results on January 12, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said the Northern Cape recorded the greatest improvement of all provinces. Northern Cape MEC for Education Abraham Vosloo attributed the achievement to consistent support for matriculants under the leadership of Premier Zamani Saul. The province improved from 74.2% in 2022 to 75.8% in 2023, 82.4% in 2024 and now 87.9% in 2025. Vosloo acknowledged that learner retention and dropout rates remain a challenge but said interventions are being strengthened to curb the problem and ensure learners remain committed to completing their schooling and obtaining the NSC. The province has five education districts, 551 schools and about 330 000 learners, with nearly 14 000 candidates sitting for the 2025 NSC examinations. Despite challenges such as long travel distances to schools, Vosloo vowed that the department would continue to prioritise quality education delivery. “We have had a process in place for the past five years and have shown gradual improvement. We have worked closely with various stakeholders under the leadership of the Premier’s office,” Vosloo said. “Important programmes have been rolled out, and we are focused on building on these gains to deliver quality education across the province.”