The Eastern Cape education department has set a target of 85% for the matric pass rate this year, despite a decline in grade 12 performance and various challenges. Education MEC Fundile Gade reported that the province's third-quarter grade 12 performance stood at 82%, down from 83.9% in 2025. This has raised concerns about the prospects of the 127,666 full-time and part-time candidates registered for the 2026 National Senior Certificate examinations.
The province recorded an 84.98% matric pass rate in 2024, but failed to achieve its 87% goal in 2025, when the matric pass rate slipped to 84.2%. Gade attributed the weaker performance to several factors, including an increase in progressed pupils, the suspension of 40 teachers over allegations of molesting pupils, and the departure of experienced teachers through voluntary early retirement. The number of progressed pupils increased from 8,500 last year to 9,270.
The Eastern Cape education department is addressing the challenges through various interventions, including extended-hour classes, weekend lessons, and holiday programmes aimed at addressing gaps in pupils' understanding of their subjects. The department has also strengthened curriculum monitoring and school-based assessments and procured 17,800 calculators for pupils taking mathematics, science, and business-related subjects.
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has questioned whether the interventions are sufficient to overcome the challenges facing the matric class of 2026. DA provincial education portfolio committee member Horatio Hendricks expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the department's interventions, citing a reported 2.9 percentage-point decline in the June assessment results.
Hendricks also raised concerns about the estimated R82bn school infrastructure backlog, including 104 mud structures, 836 schools affected by asbestos, and 876 schools still using pit latrines. He pointed to the need for effective departmental leadership and measurable interventions to address persistent shortcomings.
Provincial education portfolio committee chair Monde Sondaba said the committee was satisfied with the department's examination preparations and the commitment shown by teachers, parents, and pupils. However, he acknowledged concerns about the post-provisioning model, which had resulted in some teachers taking subjects outside their specialisations or teaching multiple subjects because of staff shortages.
The department has appointed 120 independent provincial monitors to oversee examinations across all districts and will monitor the unauthorised deregistration of candidates to prevent pupils from being excluded from the examinations. A total of 5,063 pupils have been granted examination accommodations and concessions because of disabilities or other barriers. Gade warned that examination irregularities, including cheating and administrative misconduct, would not be tolerated.
Key points
- The Eastern Cape education department aims to achieve an 85% matric pass rate despite challenges such as a decline in grade 12 performance, teacher shortages, and a rising number of progressed pupils.
- The province has implemented interventions, including extended-hour classes and strengthened curriculum monitoring, to address the challenges.
- The DA has questioned the effectiveness of the department's interventions, citing concerns about school infrastructure and scholar transport.
