KwaZulu Natal achieves a 90.6% pass rate in 2025 NSC examinations

The KwaZulu Natal Department of Education has recorded a 90.6% pass rate for the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, an increase from 89.5% in 2024.

This improvement signifies that 155,258 out of 178,010 learners who registered for the exam successfully passed, which is a testament to the hard work put into educational development across the province.

Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka attributed this success to the collaborative efforts within the education sector, stating, “The number of our schools that obtained a 100% pass rate has also increased significantly from 246 in 2023 to 321 in 2025.”

He described the reduction of schools performing below the 75% threshold from 288 in 2023 to 182 in 2025 as further evidence of continued progress.

“We are proud to report that no school in this province obtained a 0% pass rate,” he added, highlighting the effectiveness of their interventions.

Hlomuka took a moment to applaud the concerted support from district directors, who have fostered a spirit of collaboration across districts to elevate learner performance.

He emphasised, “It shows indeed that we are all working towards a common goal.”

Remarkably, KwaZulu Natal is now home to six of the top ten performing districts in the country, including Umkhanyakude, which ranked second nationally.

The performance of districts painted a positive picture, with all 12 districts achieving pass rates above 80%.

The top ranking district, uMkhanyakude, retained its spot with a pass rate of 93.2%, an incremental rise from last year’s 92.8%.

The other high-performing districts included Pinetown at 92.2%, Umlazi at 92.0%, and Ugu at 91.8%, showcasing significant improvement across the board.

“Our bachelor passes have also increased from 84,470 in 2024 to 89,161 in 2025,” Hlomuka stated, stressing the growing academic caliber in the province.

Notably, special needs schools excelled with an impressive 93% pass rate, marking a 52% bachelor pass rate and a 39% diploma pass rate.

This achievement highlights the efficacy of educational programmes tailored for learners with disabilities.

Nationwide, the overall pass rate for South Africa reached 88%, marking the highest figure recorded since the end of apartheid.

More than 920,000 learners participated in the NSC final exams, establishing this as a landmark achievement for the country's education system.

Minister of Education Gwarube recognised KwaZulu Natal's accomplishment, noting its position as the leading province, followed closely by the Free State and Gauteng.

Despite a slight decrease in the national bachelor pass percentage, more candidates than ever before achieved bachelor passes this year, with a record total of 345,000 learners securing this qualification.

This year’s results signal a collective effort aimed at enhancing the quality of education, and Hlomuka reaffirmed the department's commitment to further improvements, particularly in critical subjects like Mathematics and Physical Sciences.

Addressing the audience, Premier Thami Ntuli said the success of the Matric Class of 2025 compels the provincial government to look beyond examination results and to ask a critical question: what future awaits these young people once they leave the school system?

Ntuli said education must ultimately translate into opportunity, dignity, and meaningful participation in the economy.

“While strong matric outcomes are an essential foundation, they are not an end in themselves. They must be linked to post-school pathways that prepare learners for a rapidly changing world of work shaped by technology, innovation, and new forms of production.

It is against this background that education and economic development must be viewed as inseparable. The skills we nurture in our classrooms today must correspond with the jobs we seek to create tomorrow. If this alignment is absent, we risk producing qualifications without opportunity.

KwaZulu-Natal, like the rest of the world, is confronting major shifts in the labour market. Automation, digitalisation, the green economy, and the care economy are reshaping the nature of work and the skills required to participate meaningfully in it,” the premier added.

He further said the Provincial Government, had the responsibility to anticipate these shifts and to prepare young people accordingly.

“This preparation must begin at school level and be reinforced through further education, training institutions, and workplace exposure. It is for this reason that, within the first quarter of the year, I will host a Provincial Job Summit. This summit will focus, among other priorities, on identifying and preparing for jobs of the future within the context of KwaZulu-Natal’s economic realities and growth potential”.