Johnathan Paoli
THE Microsoft Corporate offices were abuzz with learners, parents and educational staff as the Gauteng Department of Education awarded top-achieving candidates from the province’s 2023 cohort in Bryanston on Friday.
The ceremony, facilitated by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Education MEC Matome Chiloane, follows the publishing of the National Senior Certificate exam results on Thursday night which showed that Gauteng’s pass rate was among the top three in South Africa after the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
Free State kept its top spot with an 89.03% pass rate, KwaZulu Natal followed with 86.4%, and Gauteng retained its national top 3 position with an 85.4% pass rate.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Thursday evening that the matric class of 2023 achieved an overall pass rate of 82.9%.
The province’s top-performing candidate will be awarded bursaries to study at any South African higher education institution of their choice.
KZN and Gauteng contributed the most Bachelor passes to the national tally.
In addition, a total of 253 807 distinctions were achieved, with the main contributors towards passes with distinctions being KZN, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Limpopo.
In a preliminary technical stakeholder briefing held before the event, the department confirmed that 132 570 candidates enrolled, 127 697 candidates wrote the examinations, with 109 030 candidates passing, culminating in the provincial pass rate of 85.38%.
INSIDE EDUCATION
