The KwaZulu-Natal education department is failing the province's pupils, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.
"According to early reports, KwaZulu-Natal's Ilembe and Umzinyathi districts are amongst the six worst performing districts in the entire country," MPL Mbali Ntuli said in a statement.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Monday that KwaZulu-Natal achieved the country's second-worst matric results, a pass rate of 69.7 percent, from 77.7 percent in 2013, the steepest decline of all provinces.
The national pass rate for 2014 was 75.8 percent.
"These results are the wake-up call that KwaZulu-Natal education MEC, Peggy Nkonyeni, and her department need. They follow on from confirmation of large-scale cheating at literally dozens of schools," Ntuli said.
Motshekga said 28 examination centres in the province, and 16 in the Eastern Cape, would be investigated after group copying allegedly took place there.
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