The Free State MEC for Education, Dr Mantlhake Julia Maboya, has celebrated the province’s second-highest matric pass rate in history, whilst acknowledging the unique obstacles faced by the Covid-19 generation.
The Class of 2025 has achieved a remarkable 89,3% pass rate, despite beginning their secondary education journey during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, she announced at the provincial results function held at the Central University of Technology, Free State, in Bloemfontein on Friday 16 January.
Speaking to the ten of the best, educators, parents and stakeholders at the Matric Well Done function, Maboya described the cohort as “not defined by circumstance, but by resilience and an unwavering commitment to persevere and succeed”.
ALSO SEE THE SUPPLEMENT: Celebrating the Class of 2025
The 38 205 learners who wrote the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations represent the largest cohort ever in the province, with 34 129 achieving the NSC qualification.
This translates to the highest absolute number of matriculants ever to pass in the Free State’s history.
Pandemic generation
Maboya emphasised the unique obstacles this generation faced, having started Gr.8 in 2020, when educational institutions worldwide grappled with learning disruptions, social dislocation and institutional strain.
“Their foundational and transitional years were marked by learning losses that research by Unesco, the World Bank, and our own Department of Basic Education confirmed created compounding challenges in literacy, numeracy, and higher-order reasoning,” she explained.
The challenges extended beyond the pandemic, with interrupted delivery of basic services such as water and electricity in some areas, coupled with sustained budgetary constraints across the public sector. The province for 2025 achieved the feat of being the second-best performing province nationally, trailing only KwaZulu-Natal’s 90.6% pass rate. Maboya congratulated KwaZulu-Natal, acknowledging the province’s size and complexity.
Quality outcomes
The quality of passes reflects a robust educational foundation, with 16 728 learners (43,8%) obtaining Bachelor passes, 11 926 (31, 2%) achieving diploma passes, and 5 407 securing higher certificate passes.
These figures underscore what Maboya termed “progression that, when properly supported, strengthens rather than compromises system performance”.
Whilst the pass rate represents a marginal decline of 1,67% from the province’s record-breaking 91% in 2024, Maboya placed this in historical context.
“The 2025 pass rate of 89,3% remains our second-highest achievement and must be understood within a context of stability, recovery and continuous improvement rather than as an aberration.”
Jim Fouché High School in Bloemfontein boasts the number one matriculant in the Free State for 2025. Jaco Deysel of this school received the prestigious honour on Friday, 16 January, at the Free State Department of Education’s banquet to honour the top matric achievers, which were presented at the Central University of Technology’s (CUT) Bloemfontein campus. In addition to this achievement, he achieved distinctions in all his subjects: Afrikaans (home language), English (home language), life orientation, mathematics, economics, physical science, accounting, information technology and mathematics (IEB).
“Thank goodness, what a great relief. I can only thank God for this,” was Jaco’s first reaction when he received his matric results.
Jaco is looking forward to a bright future and will be studying actuarial science at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
His excitement about this new academic adventure is palpable, and he tells us that he really liked the subjects of economics, mathematics and information technology.
“I believe that this is the perfect combination for what I want to achieve with my studies. My achievements wouldn’t have been possible without my teachers and my parents.”
Jaco’s advice to matrics, but also to other learners in the school, is: “Stay calm, be fearless and take chances. Try the things you want to try, or you’ll never know if it could work out for you.”
Historical excellence
The MEC paid tribute to the legacy of excellence established by her predecessors, notably the late comrades Mantsheng Ouma Tsopo and Dr Pule Tate Makgoe, known as Mr Simply the Best. She emphasised that excellence in education “is built over time, through continuity of purpose and institutional memory”.
The Free State’s consistent performance is evident in its sustained leadership nationally. Comparative data shows the province has consistently outperformed the national average: 89,33% versus the national 88% in 2025, following a pattern established since 2018 when the province achieved 87,5% against a national average of 78,2%.
Skills revolution
A key component of the forward strategy involves diversifying educational offerings through a five-year plan to increase technical schools, agricultural schools, arts schools, and high-tech institutions offering coding, robotics, and drone technology.
“Education must become an engine of economic inclusion, not merely a gatekeeper of credentials,” Maboya declared.
The MEC concluded by invoking Oliver Reginald Tambo’s words about the continuing struggle for freedom, applying them to contemporary educational challenges.
“In our time, that struggle includes freedom through education, liberation through skills, and economic participation that transforms communities.”
As the department prepares for the 2026 academic year, Maboya’s message was clear: Whilst celebrating achievements, the province remains committed to continuous improvement, competing not with other provinces, but with itself, “striving always to be better than yesterday”.
