Matric pass rate for IEB exams increases

The Independent Examinations Board (IEB) has seen an increase for the 2021 matric pass rate.

The overall matric pass rate for 2021 increased from 98.06% to 98.39%.

IEB's CEO Anne Oberholzer said all candidates who passed achieved a pass that is good enough to enter tertiary study. 

“There were 12,857 full-time and 968 part-time candidates from 238 examination centres writing in 267 venues across Southern Africa who wrote the exams in October and November. This is an increase from 2020 when there were 12,024 full-time candidates and 1,139 part-time candidates, and from 2019 when there were 11,818 full-time candidates and 779 part-time candidates,” she said. 

Oberholzer said the grade 12 pupils were true victims of Covid-19.

“The class of 2021 has had to dig deep mentally and emotionally to find the strength to face the tremendous challenges of a radically changed teaching and learning environment in the last two years. They truly deserve the accolade they receive,” she said. 

Oberholzer also acknowledged the tremendous work of the teaching community and school management.

“Society cannot ignore the professionalism and commitment of teachers shown in developing a new way of teaching as demanded by the pandemic. Despite the naysayers who were prepared to write off the academic year, the people directly facing the challenge did not flinch. The fact that the examinations took place during the fourth wave is testimony to the strength and capacity of our education system,” she said. 

Oberholzer said the closing date for application for remarking is Friday next week and the results will be released on March 15. 

“The closing date for learners who qualify to enrol for May/June exams is March 30.”