By Johnathan Paoli
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said on Monday night that South Africa’s 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) result was evidence that “excellence is becoming a pattern”, but warned that deep, early learning reforms remain essential to sustain progress and close persistent inequalities.
Announcing the historic national pass rate of 88%, the highest on record and up from 87.3% in 2024, Gwarube said the results reflect a system that is stabilising, expanding participation and holding firm on integrity, while beginning a decisive shift toward quality learning from the earliest grades.
“The 2025 results show us that excellence is spreading into communities that have carried the heaviest burdens, but they also remind us that the number of learners enrolling should never run ahead of our ability to ensure that they perform well,” Gwarube said.
More than 656,000 learners passed the NSC in 2025, with KwaZulu-Natal emerging as the best-performing
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