Private school pupils who wrote the National Senior Certificate (NSC) through the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) achieved a 98.46% pass rate in the 2023 exams. 

The figure was a slight improvement on the 98.42% recorded in 2022. 

At least 88.59% of those who passed the exams attained university entrance. This was a decline compared to 89.32% in 2022. 

"[About] 8.31% qualified for entry to diploma study, compared to 7.52% in 2022 [while] 1.57% achieved entry for study at the higher certificate level, same as the 1.57% in 2022.”

The IEB said it was pleased the 2023 exams were “free of any irregularity that may have undermined the integrity” of the exam. 

A total of 13,967 full-time and 1,213 part-time candidates sat for the exams — a 15,180 in total.

The number of candidates was higher than the 12,580 in 2022.

The IEB said it had registered 17 new schools in the past academic year — 12 of them brick and mortar schools while the other five were online providers.

IEC CEO Confidence Dikgole welcomed the results, saying the impressive performance reflected the dedication and tenacity of both pupils and the teaching community.

Dikgole, however, said there were some challenges.

“What however is not often talked about, is the tremendous pressure brought to bear on learners by society. Schools’ experience with young people points to escalating mental health issues, which is perhaps one of the greatest challenges our youngsters face and does impact their ability to perform at their peak in a high stakes examination.

“Mental wellbeing is directly linked to the stress society is placing on our young people to perform, to get top results and secure spots in top tertiary institutions. The competition is huge, and this is a global issue, not just unique to the South African context. Research also points to a correlation between a learner’s independence and their overall wellbeing,” says Dikgole.

To ease the pressure on pupils, Dikgole said success had to be viewed differently. 

“Schools are faced with a challenge to grow and nurture confident, courageous, and independent young people — this is directly linked to wellbeing and ultimately their ability to achieve and succeed. This is a journey together with parents, who in the current times have become either not involved or far too protective of their children, sadly to the detriment of their own wellbeing and success.

“Most of all, we need learners to know that the world of education does not end after matric. On the contrary, it is only the start of a myriad of doors and opportunities. There are many educational routes — not all of them necessarily need to lead to a university degree — that releases their talents and their enthusiasm to be the very best they can in a field that has captivated their interest. We need to remove this pass-rate obsessed lens of competition, so we — and they — can start to see the success of their achievement with different eyes,” Dikgole added.

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