FS keeps top spot but KZN emerges as shining star in 2023 matric results

"We're coming for the top spot this year."

These were the words of an elated KwaZulu-Natal education MEC Mbali Frazer after her department's impressive showing in the 2023 national senior certificate (NSC) exam results. 

The province clinched the second spot behind Free State, which continued its impressive run as the top-performing province in 2023.

KwaZulu-Natal not only beat Gauteng for the second position, it also achieved the most distinctions and had four of its districts featured in the top 10.

Basic education minister Angie Motshekga released the NSC exam results in Randburg, Gauteng on Thursday night.

A total of 715,719 full-time candidates enrolled to write the exams, and of those 572,983 passed. Motshekga reported 182,056 enrolled part-time and a total of 897,775 candidates wrote the exams.

Commenting on the 2023 class, Motshekga spoke about the group's "unique profile".

This included that they were the 10th group to be taught under the curriculum and assessment policy statement (Caps) system, and 88.2% of the full-time pupils and 47.8% of the part-time ones were aged between 16 and 20 when they enrolled for the 2023 exams.

Motshekga reported 1.2-million students started school in 2012 but only 740,566 progressed from grade 1 to 12 in 2023.

"This cohort was exposed to Covid-19 while they were in grades 9 and 10 in 2020 and 2021, respectively, thus, placing them at the eye of the Covid-19 storm," she said.

In terms of overall performance, the class achieved a 82.9% pass rate, up by 2.8% from 80.1% in 2022.

Free State achieved 89.3% from 88.5% last year, KZN came in second  with 86.36% from 83.0% in 2022, and Gauteng was third with 85.38%, up from 84.4% in 2022.

Rounding off the top five were North West (81.63%) and Western Cape (81.54%).

All 75 top performing districts achieved pass rates higher than 60% and 55 achieved 80% and above.

The top 10 districts featured three from Free State and Gauteng and four from KZN.

KZN also overtook the Western Cape to become the province with the most distinctions. The province jumped from 6% to 8.3%.

It also scored highest in the technical mathematics category, achieving 95,2%%.

Thirteen KZN pupils featured in the top achiever categories.

Even inmates incarcerated in KZN prisons who had registered for the 2023 matric exams performed well,. All registered full-time candidates achieved a 100% pass rate.

Commenting on the province's performance  Frazer said: "It's the result of hard work. They've been working very hard, the teachers, pupils and  parents.

"What we've been doing in KZN is that everyone is involved. That is why we are witnessing what we're seeing today. Congratulations to them and I hope the class of 2024 will do even better."

Frazer said the next step was to overtake Free State, even with KZN's challenge of having a higher number of pupils.

"Trust me, we are going there next year."

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