Matric Results - 2003
The following statistics have been extracted and summarised from:
Speech by the Minister of Education, Professor Kader Asmal, MP, on the Release of 2003 Senior Certificate Examinations Results, Goodhope Auditorium, Cape Town – 30 December 2003.
Pass Rate Percentages:
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 20002 | 2003 |
| % pass rate | 48.9% | 57.9% | 61.7% | 68.9% | 73.3% |
“If we consider where we were in 1999, we have improved the pass rate in grade 12 by 24.4% over the past five years. We have gone beyond our initial target of a 20% improvement by 2004.”
Provincial Pass Rate Percentages:
“This year, once again, I am also very pleased to announce that all nine provinces have recorded improvements in their Senior Certificate pass rates.”
| Province | 2002 | 2003 | Increase |
| Free State | 70.7% | 80.0% | 9.3% |
| Eastern Cape | 51.8 % | 60.0% | 8.2% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 70.8% | 77.2% | 6.4% |
| Gauteng | 78.1% | 81.5% | 3.4% |
| North West | 67.8% | 70.5% | 2.7% |
| Mpumalanga | 55.8% | 58.2% | 2.4% |
| Northern Cape | 89.9% | 90.7% | 0.8% |
| Western Cape | 86.5% | 87.1% | 0.6% |
| Limpopo | 69.5% | 70.0% | 0.5% |
Total number of Under-performing Schools (0–20% category):
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 20002 | 2003 |
| No. of Schools | 1034 | 559 | 472 | 242 | 154 |
Note: these numbers are out of a total of 6045 schools
Number of Under-performing Schools per Province (0-20% category):
| Year | 2002 | 2003 |
| Free State | 8 | 3 |
| Eastern Cape | 109 | 56 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 42 | 37 |
| Gauteng | 15 | 15 |
| North West | 2 | 2 |
| Mpumalanga | 13 | 9 |
| Northern Cape | - | - |
| Western Cape | 4 | 4 |
| Limpopo | 20 | 15 |
University Endorsement:
| University Endorsement: | 2002 | 2003 |
| % matrics with University Endorsement | 16.9% | 18.6% |
| University Endorsement: | 1999 | 2003 |
| No. of matrics with University Endorsement | 63 795 | 82 010 |
Nationally Examined Subjects’ Pass Rates (a few examples):
| Subject | 2002 | 2003 |
| History | 76.6% | 85.5% |
| Accounting | 84.7% | 91.1% |
| Biology | 71.4% | 73.4% |
| Mathematics | 56.1% | 58.8% |
| Physical Science | 76.4% | 80.3% |
| English Second Language: | 97.1% |
Girls in Education:
| Year | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| No. of girls who wrote matric | 148 577 | 162 148 | 238 761 |
| % pass rate of girls | 60.1% | 67.4% | 71.8% |
“Furthermore, no student who has the necessary academic potential should be deterred from entering the higher education system due to a lack of funds. In this regard, the Government has established a National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to assist those in need. The NSFAS now administers nearly a billion rands in loans and bursaries for nearly 100 000 deserving students each year at higher education institutions. As a result the enrolment of black students, who represent the overwhelming majority of needy students, has increased by 65% over the last 10 years. Despite the pessimistic predictions from some quarters, NSFAS-funded students, many of whom come from the poorest areas of our country, achieve a pass rate of nearly 75%, which is far better compared to those who pay their own way through higher education.
As the Scheme develops there will be a greater focus on channelling funds to students who are studying courses in areas where there is a scarcity of skills in South Africa in line with the country’s Human Resource Development Strategy, with the emphasis on science, maths technology, history and those who wish to pursue teaching as a career.”