Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga will announce the outcome of the 2019 National Senior Certificate examinations on 7 January 2020, and the pass rate is expected to be over 80%.

The matric pass rate has steadily increased over the past decade – from 60.6% in 2009 to 78.2% in 2018.

According to the City Press, the matric pass rate will increase even further in 2019 and will reach 80% for the first time.

Despite the tremendous increase in the pass rate, a government review noted that there are issues with the “quality of academic outcomes”.

Only 172,043 (33.6%) grade 12 students passed at bachelor level in 2018, against the 255,000 Medium Term Strategic Framework target for 2018, it said.

Concerns about mathematics

The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, also stated it remains concerned about the country’s mathematics marks.

Umalusi chairperson John Volmink said the body is “pleased” with the improvement in learner performance in matric subjects such as geography, physical science, and mathematical literacy.

However, mathematics is not progressing in tandem with cognate subjects in terms of learner performances.

“For example, performance in physical science seems to be improving year by year, but performance in mathematics is not showing any signs of improvement,” he said.

Volmink added that there are concerns about the number of candidates opting for the mathematics exam compared to mathematical literacy.

He said a growing number of learners are selecting mathematical literacy instead of mathematics – a trend which should be addressed by the government.

Matric pass rate – 2009 to 2019

The graph below shows the matric pass rate between 2009 and 2019. It should be noted that the 2019 pass rate is currently only speculation as it is based on a media report – and not an official figure.

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