Gauteng basic education MEC Matome Chiloane has congratulated the matric class of 2025 for achieving an 89.06% pass rate but expressed concern about the decline in mathematics passes, down six percentage points.
Chiloane was addressing the top achievers, parents, sponsors, teachers and other stakeholders at Telkom Park in Centurion on Tuesday. Gauteng came third in the provincial breakdown, surpassed by KwaZulu-Natal (first) and the Free State. All 15 Gauteng districts performed above 83%.
“Our mathematics pass rate declined from 72.7% to 66.7%. Physical science improved, but modestly, from 74.6% to 76.5%, a 1.93% increase. Life sciences remained strong at 81.94%.
“These are gateway subjects. They open doors to scarce skills and economic participation. They determine access to engineering, to science, to technical careers,” said Chiloane.
The MEC emphasised that the department would make undertakings to ensure that the teaching systems were evaluated, and management and teaching barriers speedily addressed.
“We will not accept schools performing below 70%. We will not accept teachers in key subjects not meeting the standard. We will accelerate the school of specialisation programme.
“We saw improvements in maritime economics (21.72%), electrical technology (5.81%), civil technology (1.15%), and sport and exercise science (5.83%). We will deepen that, because the skills economy is where opportunity lives,” said Chiloane.
Quality assurer Umalusi last week announced that it had decided to withhold the results of 40 pupils who were implicated in the exam paper leak last year.
“The credibility of these results: Umalusi, our independent quality assurer, has examined these results thoroughly. They have pronounced that they identified no systemic irregularities that have compromised the credibility and integrity of the National Senior Certificate examinations.
“These results are earned, not gifted. Our examination process in Gauteng was clean and successful. The integrity of these qualifications is assured,” said Chiloane.
“Tshwane achieved 90.3% – unchanged from 2024, showing sustained excellence," said Chiloane.
“West Rand District Municipality improved to 89.2% from 88.2%.
“Ekurhuleni achieved 86.8% – a slight decline from 89.2%, but still above our provincial minimum standard.
“Johannesburg achieved 90.6%, up from 89.6%.
“Sedibeng achieved 86.8%, up from 85.5%.
“All five regions are performing above 80%. All five showed improvements or sustained performance. That is the spread of systemic excellence across the province,” said Chiloane.
Top achieving districts
- Johannesburg West district achieved 96.2%
- Tshwane North, with 92.03%, was second in the province and fifth nationally.
No-fee township schools achieved a 87.3% pass rate this year, up from 86.4% in 2024. Non-township schools achieved 93.8%, up from 93%, he said.
“Let me congratulate the 186 township public schools, including LSEN schools that achieved above 90% pass rates. Of these, 18 schools achieved 100% passes, including three LSEN. This is excellence spreading. We had 10,530 progressed learners write matric in 2025,” said Chiloane.
TimesLIVE
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