While more social grant beneficiaries sat for the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, their overall performance has declined, raising concerns about the stability of social support during a critical academic year.
According to the latest data, 78% of candidates who were receiving social grants passed the NSC in 2025, down from 86% in the previous year.
This decline comes despite an increase in the number of grant beneficiaries writing the exams, a trend that education authorities say must be carefully analysed and urgently addressed.
The results highlight a clear link between social protection and learner performance.
Candidates whose social grants remained active performed better than those whose grants became inactive after turning 18, indicating the value of sustained financial support for learners completing Grade 12.
Effects of discontinuing social grants
Education officials have warned that the automatic discontinuation of social grants when learners reach adulthood can place significant pressure on households, forcing matriculants to contend with food insecurity, transport challenges, and increased responsibilities at home, all of which negatively affect academic outcomes.
In response, Siviwe Gwarube, the Minister for the Department of Basic Education, indicated that it will urgently engage the Department of Social Development to explore ways of ensuring that Grade 12 learners do not lose access to social grants during their final year of schooling.
“When we speak about deep roots, we are speaking about the whole ecosystem that makes learning possible,” the department said, emphasising that education outcomes cannot be separated from broader socio-economic conditions.
Despite the concerns, the 2025 NSC results also delivered a powerful message of hope. Excellence is increasingly evident in communities that have long carried the heaviest burdens, particularly in township and rural areas.
Bachelor passes increase in no-fee schools
The number of learners from no-fee schools achieving Bachelor passes continued to grow, with more than 66% of all Bachelor passes obtained by candidates from these schools. An increasing number of no-fee schools also recorded pass rates between 80% and 100%.
“For many of these young people, a Bachelor pass will not just open a door – it will change a family’s story,” the department said.
“It may mean the first university graduate in that home, the first teacher, lawyer, doctor, engineer or scientist, and the first person to break a generational cycle of poverty.”
Districts such as uMkhanyakude and Umlazi were cited as examples of what is possible when schools are properly supported and district structures are strong, even in communities facing deep socio-economic challenges.
While the decline in pass rates among grant beneficiaries serves as a warning, the overall picture suggests that progress is possible when support systems are sustained. Education authorities say the task ahead is to protect what is working, deepen successful interventions and ensure that growing enrolment is matched by strong, durable performance that prepares learners to thrive beyond the school gate.
