In a comprehensive progress report, the Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, Hubert Mathanzima Mweli, has revealed significant developments in South Africa’s education landscape, highlighting both achievements and ongoing challenges facing the nation's school system.
“The National Development Plan drives the work that we do every day,” Mweli said, underlining the strategic vision guiding basic education.
“If you are in basic education, when you wake up every morning, what will come to your mind is to deliver on the imperatives of the National Development Plan.”
Mweli provided a detailed technical briefing on the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination cycle, including system readiness, marking and moderation processes, standardisation outcomes and integrity assurance measures.
The technical briefing took place at the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Johannesburg, ahead of the official announcement of the 2025 NSC examination results by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube on Monday evening.
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According to the Director-General, the education sector has experienced substantial growth. “We’ve seen the growth of over 200 000 learners that got into the system.”
Challenges
However, he candidly acknowledged that this growth has not been proportionally matched by an increase in teachers or schools.
The report addressed multiple challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning.
“This class experienced a number of disruptions,” he said, referring to the Class of 2025, which started Grade 8 in 2021 at the height of the pandemic.
The pandemic led to rotational timetables, reduced contact time with teachers and a curriculum that was not fully covered.
Vocational training
The Director-General (DG) stressed the critical importance of vocational training. “The future holds better for those who follow the technical scheme,” he said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has since challenged the department to increase technical subject enrolments, with an ambitious goal of establishing “a technical school for every circuit” in the country.
The presentation highlighted growing support for learners with special educational needs.
“Experts are saying you also measure [a country’s development] by the extent to which it looks after its most vulnerable,” the DG explained, noting an increase of over 4 000 learners with special education needs.
While celebrating the successful management of national examinations, Mweli did not shy away from discussing challenges.
He acknowledged a leaked question paper incident, praising the national investigation team for their diligent work during the festive season.
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One of the most positive notes was the performance of female learners.
“Female learners are doing exceptionally well. The data seems to tell a different story... girls are coming back, and girls are coming back better than boys.”
Future outlook
The Director-General remained optimistic, emphasising the continuous improvement and commitment to educational excellence.
“We need to up our psychosocial support, not only in Grade 12, but even from the lowest grade, covering both learners and teachers,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, he said provinces like Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal have emerged as leaders in various academic metrics.
Mpumalanga leads in progress learners’ performance with 54.30%, while KwaZulu-Natal dominates in bachelor passes and distinctions.
The Director-General highlighted a “silent revolution” where the distribution of bachelor passes is becoming more equitable.
“In 2000 and before, 80% of bachelors were accounted for by 20% of affluent schools. In 2025, you can see we’ve moved leaps and bounds.
“In the next five to 10 years, we need to look at 80% of bachelors coming from quintile one to three schools,” he said.
The presentation acknowledged slight performance drops in some areas, particularly noting that learners receiving social grants saw a percentage decrease from 86.06% to 77.70%, though the absolute number of passing learners increased.
The Director-General stated that every learner deserves an opportunity, including progressed learners who can still achieve remarkable results. – SAnews.gov.za
