Dropout rate of male pupils is reason for grave concern

The Class of 2025 did exceptionally well, achieving a pass rate of 88% in the National Senior Certificate, representing an increase of 0.7 percentage points from 2024.

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More than 900000 full-time and part-time candidates wrote the matric exam at more than 6000 examination centres around the country.But behind this success lurks a disturbing trend. Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has raised concerns over data showing that female pupils are consistently outperforming boys and now significantly outnumber them in matric classrooms.

Girls make up 56% of the matric cohort, compared to boys at 44% - a gap that reflects stronger protections for the girl child but also highlights a troubling trend of boys dropping out of the schooling system.