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President Jacob Zuma this morning, 06 January 2011, congratulated the Grade 12 class of 2010 for the improved overall national pass rate of 67.8%.

President Zuma also congratulated education authorities at national, provincial and district level as well as principals and educators for their hard work during what was, in a number of respects, a challenging year for education.

“It is an exciting day for government and for the nation. Education is an apex priority of government and we are determined to continue investing a lot of time, money and other resources to it. The 2010 results indicate that we are on the right track; we are delighted with this significant improvement from the 2009 pass rate. This takes us somewhere closer to the 80% target for 2014.

“To those matriculants who did not make it, we urge you not to give up. This doesn’t mean the end of the world. Many people have been in a similar situation that you are in today, and they emerged successful after another attempt. We want to celebrate with you soon when you have emerged victorious after this setback, we are fully behind you all the way,” said President Zuma.

He added: “As schools re-open next week, we urge principals and educators to ensure that lessons take place without any delay. The Department should also ensure the availability of learning materials timeously, we cannot afford to waste any time so that we can continue to do better each year,” said President Zuma.