President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Monday that education is about more than personal betterment or obtaining a qualification to seek gainful employment, it is a ladder out of poverty, he said.   

In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa wrote that in a country such as South Africa, universal access to education was by far the most impactful intervention in breaking the cycle of inter-generational poverty.

“It is our most effective weapon to overcome the effects of centuries of racism, discrimination and marginalisation of the black majority,” he said.

Last week Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga released the 2023 matric results, which showed an 82.9% pass rate for the cohort of matriculants who sat the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam last year.

Ramaphosa said this was the highest pass rate obtained since the NSC was introduced in 2008 and was a stellar achievement.  

He noted that while government was proud of all matriculants, it was particularly proud of the young people who had succeeded in the face of great hardship and adversity.  

Included in the cohort of successful matriculants from last year were young people with disabilities, child care grant beneficiaries, learners from child-headed households, and orphans from informal settlements and from some of the poorest districts in the country, he noted.  

“Of the 110 top performing learners in last year’s NSC exam, 62 were social grant beneficiaries. In 2023, matriculants who receive some form of social grant together achieved more than 160 000 distinctions, and more than 200 000 qualified for university entrance,” said Ramaphosa.

He added that learners from no-fee paying schools constituted more than 65% of the total bachelor passes obtained. Three of the country’s most rural provinces – Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo – contributed 59% of total passes with distinction, he said.

He noted that government had made the call for businesses to invest in the nation’s future by employing more young people, and, where possible, to do away with the requirement of prior work experience.  
 
“I encourage companies to use the Employee Tax Incentive to hire more young job-seekers, to make more training and mentorship opportunities available, and to sign up with the Youth Employment Service and other initiatives being rolled out in partnership with government,” he said.