Private school pupils who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) through the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) achieved a 98.42% pass rate in last year’s exams, which is slightly higher than the 98.39% in 2021.
At least 89.32% of the cohort attained entry to degree study at university while 7.52% passed with a diploma and 1.57% with a higher certificate.
A total of 12,580 full time and 945 part-time candidates from 232 centres sat for the exams.
Describing the performance of the class of 2022 as “outstanding”, Anne Oberholzer, CEO of the IEB, said there was enough credible research on the effect of Covid-19 on the educational aspects of children to provide insight into where we are, coming out of the pandemic almost three years later.
“It is fair to say that it is the 2022 cohort of learners that were hardest hit by the pandemic when it broke in 2020 in their grade 10 year.
“Various strategies have been employed to mitigate these — moving teaching online, catch-up programmes, weekend school lessons and so on — some more successful than others.”
She said while this cohort saw how the grade 12 pupils of 2020 and 2021 managed to adapt to a new reality, “this was the class that missed out the most in their grade 10 and 11 years which are fundamentally important to success in their grade 12 performance”.
“They have had to work hard to maintain their drive and perseverance to succeed and, in many respects, dig deep to play catch-up in terms of lost time and experiences.”
She said the social and emotional effect of the pandemic on pupils cannot be overlooked — the effect of lockdown, the absence of normal social interaction with friends — should not be underestimated.
“The dedication of the teaching community to implement various strategies to support their classes during this black swan event is exemplary.”
Pupils attending Curro schools achieved a 98.63% pass rate.
A total of 1,893 Curro pupils wrote the IEB exams and nine pupils featured on the prestigious IEB’s Outstanding Achiever’s list after being declared the top 5% of pupils in the IEB exams in six or more subjects.
They included Isabella Campbell from Heron Bridge College who obtained nine distinctions, Natasha Honey from Curro Hazeldean who achieved eight distinctions and Mohamed Ismail Salejee from Heritage House who also obtained eight distinctions.
Curro Holdings CEO Cobus Loubser said: “We commend our pupils who have proven their talent and acumen to produce remarkable results. It has been wonderful to watch our pupils grab every opportunity to learn, grow and succeed in the classroom. The sheer calibre of these pupils is evident in their results, and these qualities will stand them in good stead as they take on new challenges as leaders of tomorrow.”
Pupils who wrote the matric exams through the other examining body, the South African Comprehensive Assessment Institute (SACAI), recorded a pass rate of 72%, which is a 4% decline from 2021.
Given that they have independent boards, they must also be investing time and resources in the recruitment of quality teachers and principals who will uphold the ethos and good academic performance of the school.”
— Prof Chika Sehoole, dean of education at University of Pretoria
A total of 4,951 registered for the exams and 1,474 obtained entry to degree study while 866 got a diploma pass and 343 a higher certificate.
Responding to the IEB results, Prof Nadine Petersen, executive dean of the education faculty at the University of Johannesburg, told TimesLIVE Premium that the results “speak to the incredible will of these pupils to recognise the effect of the reduction on teaching time on their educational success”.
“There was also not only the availability of good teachers willing to support pupils but also access to technological resources needed to go online to access classes and other resources.”
She said the digital divide during the pandemic “may have affected these learners slightly less than their peers in state schools with fewer resources in school and in pupils’ homes”.
Her colleague at UJ, Prof Mary Metcalfe, said the exceptional performance by pupils in the IEB exams “is because this is a segment of the population that can afford to go to private schools”.
“Without saying on relative quality across private schools and state schools, it’s likely that these learners would achieve similar positive results if they were in the public system.”
Prof Chika Sehoole, dean of the education faculty at the University of Pretoria, said these schools are well-resourced “with favourable learner-teacher ratios which are critical in the delivery of quality education”.
“It is also much easier to maintain discipline with manageable numbers. Given that they have independent boards, they must also be investing time and resources in the recruitment of quality teachers and principals who will uphold the ethos and good academic performance of the school.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Prof Labby Ramrathan from the University of KwaZulu-Natal said the high school fees “come with a lot of accountability in outcomes from learners, parents, schools and teachers”.
“Learners from private schools can also afford to pay for extra tuition and there is more independent learning. There are also collegial support groups among learners.”
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