The matric pass rate is losing its crown, and here’s why that’s good news
· The South African
For years, the matric pass rate has been the number everyone waits for.
It makes headlines. It ranks provinces. It’s celebrated or criticised every January.
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But Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says that obsession has come at a cost.
And she’s changing how provinces will be judged.
Here’s why: Gwarube says the focus on the pass rate has pushed some schools to hold weaker pupils back and steer them away from difficult subjects, just to protect their results.
From now on, provincial education performance will be measured using a broader basket of indicators, not mainly the matric pass rate.
WHAT WILL BE MEASURED ALONGSIDE THE MATRIC PASS RATE?
Gwarube made the announcement at the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) briefing on matric exam readiness in Pretoria on Sunday, 11 October.
According to SAnews, provinces will be assessed using a wider range of quality indicators, including:
Bachelor passes, which allow learners to apply for university degrees.
Distinctions.
Learner retention, meaning how many learners stay in school.
Participation and performance in gateway subjects, such as mathematics, physical sciences, accounting and economics.
“The question will not only be whether learners passed,” Gwarube said in her official speech.
Instead, she said, it will also be whether provinces are improving literacy, numeracy, retention and participation in key subjects.
WHY GWARUBE WANTS TO END THE ‘OBSESSION’
Gwarube didn’t hold back.
According to the minister, the drive to post the highest matric pass rate had led to “culling”, where perceived weaker learners were not promoted into Grade 12 to protect the potential pass rate.
Then there was “gatekeeping”, where learners who should be progressed according to the rules are kept back in Grade 11.
Schools had also steered pupils away from mathematics, Gwarube warned.
Some schools, she said, encouraged learners to take Mathematical Literacy instead of Mathematics to boost pass numbers.
She said this has damaged South Africa’s ability to produce skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as in accounting and economic sciences.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR CHILD
For families, the change could be good news.
If provinces are judged on retention and gateway subjects, schools have less reason to hold learners back or push them away from mathematics and science.
That could mean more learners getting the chance to write matric, and to take the subjects they need for the careers they want.
A RECORD NUMBER OF MATRICS
The announcement comes as a record number of learners prepare to write.
According to IOL, the DBE has registered 815,051 full-time candidates, up by 48,508 from 2025.
With 147,781 part-time candidates, the total comes to 962,832 registered for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Gwarube said the rise in full-time registrations shows that more learners are staying in school and finishing matric on time.
The matric pass rate will still matter. In 2025, South Africa recorded a national pass rate of 88%, the highest since the advent of democracy.
I think this change is long overdue.
A single pass rate never told the full story of a learner’s education.
No child should be held back just to make a school’s numbers look better.
To the Class of 2026: we’re rooting for you.
DO YOU THINK THE MATRIC PASS RATE SHOULD STILL BE USED TO RANK PROVINCES?
Let us know in the comments below…