The Eastern Cape has ranked last among the country’s nine provinces in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, achieving an overall pass rate of 84.17%.
This percentage highlights a slight decline from the province’s 84.9% pass rate in 2024 and places it at the bottom of the national performance table.
Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane welcomed the release of the results, congratulating learners who passed their matric examinations despite the challenging academic year.
Mabuyane acknowledged the dedication and perseverance of pupils, as well as the role played by educators, school management teams, parents and communities in supporting learners.
However, Mabuyane cautioned that the results should serve as a warning signal.
“We must confront the realities reflected in these results with honesty and determination,” Mabuyane said.
“A slight decline serves as a call to action to sharpen our focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in subjects that are critical to learner progression and access to further education.”
Province’s top achievers recognised
Despite the province’s overall ranking, several Eastern Cape learners were recognised among the top achievers nationally.
Ngazibini Unathi Ntungwa from Isikhoba Nombewu Technical Secondary School in Cofimvaba achieved third place in technical sciences.
Emma Booyens from Clarendon High School in East London achieved third place in physical sciences, while Maria Freercks from Collegiate Girls’ High School in Gqeberha was awarded overall second place nationally.
Sesona Masingili from Soqhayisa Senior Secondary School in Nelson Mandela Bay achieved third place in accounting.
The provincial government said the education department will conduct a detailed analysis of the results to identify areas requiring urgent intervention, including subject performance, district trends, and learner support needs.
The findings will inform targeted academic recovery programmes, improved teacher development initiatives, and strengthened monitoring and support for schools.
Mabuyane reaffirmed education as a strategic priority for the province’s long-term social and economic development, stressing that improving matric outcomes is a shared responsibility.
He also encouraged learners who did not meet their expectations to consider supplementary examinations and second-chance matric programmes.
Education MEC Fundile Gade is expected to brief the media on Tuesday to unpack the provincial results and outline plans to improve education outcomes in the province.
THE PROVINCIAL PERFORMANCES:Â
9th Eastern Cape: 84.17%
8th Limpopo: 86.1%
7th Mpumalanga: 86.55%
6th Northern Cape: 87.7%
5th Western Cape: 88.2%
4th North West: 88.4%
3rd Gauteng: 89.06%
2nd Free State: 89.33%
1st KZN: 90.6%
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