Western Cape Matric Class of 2021 delivers top class performance
2 February 2022
Two weeks later, and thousands of WCED staff, candidates, teachers and principals are still smiling off the back of the release of the 2022 National Senior Certificate results.
We are celebrating an increase in all major indicators throughout the system, including:
- the pass rate,
- Bachelor’s pass rate, (1st in country)
- retention rate
- Distinctions (1st in country)
- Increases in a variety of subjects, like Mathematics and Physical Sciences, tech maths etc
We are also celebrating a decrease in the number of schools performing below 60%, as well as having two districts amongst the top ten in the country and the top three NSC candidates and Mathematics candidates, nationally.
The Western Cape obtained a provincial pass rate of 81.2% in the 2021 National Senior Certificate exams – an increase of 1.3 percentage points from 2020.
The results were announced by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Thursday, 20 January 2022.
The 2021 NSC overall pass rate stands at 76.4% – an improvement of 0.2% from the pass rate achieved by the Class of 2020.
Western Cape Education Minister Debbie Schäfer expressed her delight at the provincial pass rate saying that it even more remarkable considering that this was achieved after two years of a global pandemic.
“The Class of 2021 has had a tough two years. Their Grade 11 year in 2020 was marred by school closures, with their grade going back to class later than many others. However, their matric year has been very stable, with more time in class than in other matric years. Our schools, districts and Head Office have put in extensive time and effort to prepare these candidates, from providing extra classes in the afternoons and on weekends, extra revision materials, online revision support, and a host of other measures. The results speak for themselves.”
More than 6 000 extra candidates wrote the exams at the end of November 2021 and the Western Cape’s retention rate from Grade 10 to 12 – one of the most important education measures – has increased by 3.7 percentage points to 70.3% - the highest ever.
The Western Cape also achieved a record 45.3% percentage of Bachelors passes, the highest in the country!
In Mathematics, the province’s pass rate increased to 72.4% (+1.6 percentage points) and in Science increased to 77.1% (+2.2 percentage points).
Schäfer congratulated the Western Cape’s specialist teachers for their efforts in these subjects, and the learners for their excellent performance.
The Metro North Education District made it onto the top ten districts in the country for the second year and was joined by the Eden and Central Karoo Education District (ECKED).
Several Western Cape learners were also celebrated nationally for achieving top spots in the country.
The top learners for Mathematics were Ziyaad Banderker (Rondebosch Boys’ High School), Anna Christina Kriel (Rhenish Girls’ High School) and Ruan Hermann Buhr (Paul Roos Gimnasium).
Ulrich le Roux (Hoer Jongeskool Paarl) was the national top learner in quintile 5, followed by Simone Wessels (Stellenberg HS) and Ahyoung Moon (Rhenish Girls’ High).
Schäfer extended a hearty congratulations to the Class of 2021, their teachers, families and WCED officials, all of whom have put in so much effort to help them reach this excellent performance. “You have made your province extremely proud and proved that we can overcome the challenge of Covid-19. I remind you to celebrate safely!”
We all look forward to celebrating the success of schools and candidates at the 2021 NSC awards ceremony to be held at Leeuwenhof tomorrow, 3 January 2022!