Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube has candidly acknowledged the deep challenges facing South Africa’s school system, saying it is still failing to produce enough pupils with critical maths skills. On Monday night she announced the results of the national senior certificate (NSC) exams, which recorded a historic 88% pass rate — the highest since the advent of democracy in 1994. “Just 162,947 students achieved 30% or higher for maths, a sharp decline on the 173,774 who attained this threshold in 2024.” However, just 34% of the 927,000 matric candidates took maths, compared with 38% in 2024, and only 64% of these students passed, compared with 69% the year before.
Maths is not only vital for students who wish to pursue science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at university, which frequently lead to careers in industries that are vital to the economy, but it is also required for some non-STEM subjects such as law. The class of 2025 was the biggest cohort yet to write the NSC exams, but the promise of access to education has yet to be matched by quality outcomes, said the minister. “The system is growing, but not fast enough in the subjects that most powerfully shape access to further study, scarce skills and economic participation….
More learners writing [NSC exams] doesn’t always mean better results.” If we want to widen the gateway pathway, we must ensure that learners have the foundational skills required to take on these gateway subjects successfully. The drop in performance of the learners who took maths is “a lesson for the country”, as it reflects weaknesses in the lower grades. “If we want to widen the gateway pathway, we must ensure that learners have the foundational skills required to take on these gateway subjects successfully,” she said.
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The central role of maths and physical science in economic growth is emphasised in the government’s medium-term development plan, which set a target of 115,000 pupils passing maths and 100,000 passing physical science by 2029. Of the students who wrote matric in 2025, 46% achieved a “bachelor’s pass”, the minimum requirement for university entry, compared with 48% in 2024. Candidates’ individual results are expected to be released on Tuesday.
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