‘No surprise’: KZN tops provinces as 2025 matric pass rate hits record high
KwaZulu-Natal education authorities have welcomed the release of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results, emphasising the impact of targeted academic strategies in supporting learners across the province.
The 2025 matric results were announced nationally on Monday, with Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube reporting an overall pass rate of 88%, the highest in the history of the examination cycle, and noting that KwaZulu-Natal led the nine provinces with a 90% pass rate.
“In 2025, over 656,000 learners passed the National Senior Certificate. That figure carries the effort of teachers, learners, and families in every corner of our country,” said Gwarube.
Speaking on behalf of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said the results met expectations based on sustained interventions throughout the year.
“We’re excited about having achieved the results. However, it comes as no surprise to us because of the academic improvement plan that we had at the beginning of the year, and we kept rolling it out throughout,” Mahlambi said.
Here is how the provinces performed:
KwaZulu-Natal – 90.6%
Free State – 89.33%
Gauteng – 89.06%
North West – 88.49%
Western Cape – 88.2%
Mpumalanga – 86.55%
Limpopo – 86.15%
Eastern Cape – 84.17%
“To every Premier, every MEC, every Head of Department, every district director, every principal, and every teacher: these outcomes are built day by day, term by term, year by year – and we honour the work behind them. Even as we celebrate progress, we have been honest about the risks ahead,” Gwarube said.
Mahlambi paid tribute to those he said were instrumental in attaining the province’s results.
“We take this opportunity to thank our educators for the dedication and resilience that they demonstrated throughout the year” he said, acknowledging the prolonged efforts of teachers under challenging circumstances.
In his comments, he also recognised the broader education community: “We also thank the contribution made by teachers’ unions and all other stakeholders in the education sector within the province.”
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