The official release of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam results is on 19 January 2024, the ministerial announcement was on 18 January 2023.
MTN sponsored the NSC celebrations and gave top learners scholarships, laptops and R5 000 cash prizes.
NSC candidates pass
Angie Motshekga announced that 82.79% of matriculants passed. 2022 was named the best-performing class ever by Director-General for Basic Education Mathanzima Mweli, he pointed out that the class faced COVID-19 at a crucial period in grade 9.
The province with the highest pass rate for 2023 was KZN. Angie Motshekga said the 2023 class got the most degree passes and distinctions in history.
South Africa Matric 2023 results by province
The pass rates for all nine provinces are as follows:
| Province | Matric 2023 pass rate |
| Free State | 89% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 86.4% |
| Guateng | 85.4% |
| NorthWe | 81.6% |
| Gauteng | 81.5% |
| Eastern Cape | 81.4% |
| Limpopo (most improved) | 79.5% |
| Mpumalanga | 77% |
| Northern Cape | 75.8% |
IEB 2023 matric results
The private school-educated matriculants in South Africa had a 98% rate. Some private schools such as St Johns, Rodean School, and more boasted a 100% pass rate.
MEC flexes Matric Results online system
The 2023 matric started grade 1 in 2012, and 1 million kids were registered, but just over 800 000 wrote the NSC exam in 2023. Director-General for Basic Education Mathanzima Mweli said the drop could be due to others going to TVET colleges. He said there is a high grade 11 dropout because some students get excluded from proceeding to the next grade to avoid bad failure rates.
Mzi Khumalo, the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs e-Government, Research, and Development. Has emphasized the system’s transformative impact on learners. He further stated, “The Matric Results Online System is a testament to our commitment to harnessing the power of technology to enhance our education system.”