Western Cape Education Department welcomes highest pass rate ever, but opposition parties call for education inequalities to be addressed

The Matric Class of 2024 has delivered the Western Cape’s highest pass rate ever, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) confirmed.

The national class of 2024 also managed to obtain the highest-ever pass rate in the country with a pass rate of 87.3%, surpassing the 82.9% attained by the class of 2023.

Western Cape Education MEC, David Maynier said welcomed the results announced on Monday evening. 

“The class of 2024 has excelled with a matric pass rate of 86.6%, which is a 5.1 percentage point increase on last year’s pass rate and the Western Cape’s highest National Senior Certificate pass rate ever.

"Moreover, our bachelors pass rate, which is a crucial indicator of the quality of matric passes, has also increased by 5.6 percentage points to 47.8%. This is also the highest bachelors pass rate our department has achieved to date,” Maynier said.

The Western Cape also achieved the top pass rates in Mathematics and Physical Sciences in the country with a Mathematics pass rate of 78.0%, and a Physical Science pass rate of 79.4%.

“Our candidates achieved our highest number of subject distinctions to date, with 11,699 candidates achieving a total of 27,948 distinctions for the second highest distinctions rate in the country. We have the second highest pass rate in the country for Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) at 91%, and the highest bachelors pass rate in the country for LSEN learners at 63.3%,” Maynier said.

He stated the Western Cape has the highest retention rate from Grades 10 to 12 in the country at 68.3% and nearly 3,800 more learners in the province passed their 2024 exam this year compared to 2023. 

“We are also delighted that our candidates have once again shone on the national stage, with four Western Cape matrics receiving awards this evening including the top candidate in the country,” Maynier said.

The top candidate in the country is Rayyan Ebrahim from Pinelands High School.

The African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape congratulated the class of 2024 and said their achievements are a testament of hard work, resilience, and dedication. 

However, the ANC said it noted the province achieved a pass rate below the national average despite the Democratic Alliance claiming to deliver the best governance.

“The province ranks 5th nationally in bachelor passes, a position that is entirely unacceptable given the significant resources allocated to the Western Cape by the national government. Provinces with far fewer resources continue to outperform the Western Cape year after year,” ANC provincial spokesperson Khalid Sayed said.

The party said this ongoing decline in education outcomes under the DA’s administration reflects their lack of commitment to addressing inequality and improving education in poor and working-class communities. Areas in desperate need of funding and support are ignored, further entrenching the divide between the wealthy and the underprivileged.

“The DA’s plan to cut teaching posts will exacerbate this crisis, leaving learners in poorer areas with overcrowded classrooms and fewer opportunities to succeed. The ANC calls on the Minister of Basic Education to urgently intervene and halt these reckless teacher cuts before they deepen the inequalities already plaguing our education system,” Sayed said.

He further stated the ANC is committed to ensuring that every child in the Western Cape has access to quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background. The party said it calls on all stakeholders to work together to address the systemic failures in the province’s education system and give learners the future they deserve.

The GOOD party’s secretary-general, Brett Herron said it called on the Western Cape government to prioritise education and save teacher posts.

“Despite its overall performance, the province did have successes. Pinelands High boasted the top achiever of all public schools and all three of the country’s top achievers in the 5th quintile, schools that cater for the least poor 20% of learners, were from the Western Cape,” he said.

Herron said the sobering reality is that the Western Cape remains a province divided. 

“Learners from less affluent schools, in less privileged areas, face the greatest barriers and the least resources. This disparity will be compounded by the province’s looming teacher cuts, which threaten to deepen these inequities. Reducing teaching staff will intensify overcrowded classrooms, limit subject offerings, and erode critical learner support, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable students,” he said.

Herron said underprivileged areas, which already receive limited resources, will bear the brunt of the cuts. 

“Areas like Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain will lose 142 and 176 teachers, respectively. By contrast, Claremont will lose only nine teachers and Constantia three. In an already strained education system, these cuts could cripple opportunities for future generations, making it even harder for schools in poorer communities to achieve parity with their wealthier counterparts,” Herron said. 

A total of 615,429 learners passed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams this year — the highest number in the country’s history. Nearly half of all candidates earned a Bachelor’s pass, while approximately 320,000 distinctions were awarded.

robin.francke@iol.co.za

IOL