While the Sarah Baartman education district recorded the biggest improvement in the Eastern Cape’s 2025 matric results, it was the Joe Gqabi district that emerged as the province’s top-performing district.
Joe Gqabi led the 12 provincial education districts with a pass rate of 88.4%, improving by 3.2 percentage points from 85.2% in 2024.
The district moved from sixth position last year to first place in 2025, dethroning Chris Hani East as the best-performing district.
Chris Hani East followed closely in second place with an 88.1% pass rate.
The results were revealed on Tuesday by education MEC Fundile Gade.
Gade said he was encouraged that no district had recorded a pass rate below 80%.
The Nelson Mandela Bay metro improved from 86.7% in 2024 to 87.4% this year, moving from fourth to third place in the provincial rankings.
Sarah Baartman recorded the biggest turnaround, jumping from last place in 2024 with 78.6% to fourth position in 2025 with an 86.4% pass rate.
Buffalo City Metro completed the top five, rising from eighth place last year to fifth, after improving its pass rate from 84.4% to 85.3%.
Rounding out the top 10 Amathole East slipped from second place in 2024 to sixth, with its pass rate dropping from 87.8% to 85.1%.
Alfred Nzo West fell from third to seventh position after a decline of 2.7 percentage points, from 87% in 2024 to 84.3% in 2025.
Chris Hani West moved from seventh to eighth place, recording a slight decline from 84.4% to 83.8%.
OR Tambo Coastal and OR Tambo Inland retained their ninth and 10th positions, though both districts recorded declines of 1.8 percentage points, with pass rates of 82.2% and 81.2%, respectively.
The biggest drop was recorded in Alfred Nzo East, which fell from fifth place in 2024 to 11th.
The district’s pass rate declined by 4.8 percentage points, from 85.9% to 81.1%.
Amathole West slipped from 11th to last place, with its pass rate dropping from 81.5% to 80.3%.
Joe Gqabi education district director Dr Bedeshani Moses Mceleli said the district’s rise to the top had been years in the making.
“In 2021, the district achieved a 69.2% pass rate, and we have been on an upward trajectory since then, culminating in our 88.4% pass in the 2025 examinations,” Mceleli said.
“We are very excited and pleased as a district to come first in the provincial standings.
“This has been a long time coming, if you look at our performance trends over the past five years.”
This has been a long time coming, if you look at our performance trends over the past five years.
Joe Gqabi mayor Velile Stokwe described the achievement as historic, particularly for pupils from rural communities.
“This is a great and historic moment, and a moment of inspiration for rural children,” Stokwe said.
“It affirms that hard work pays, irrespective of your background and location.”
He said education required collective responsibility and continuous oversight.
“We understand that education is a societal matter and demands all of us to put in efforts.
“We continuously hold the department of education accountable and assess the state of readiness on a quarterly basis,” he said.
Stokwe credited targeted support programmes, including the Siyafukama initiative, for contributing to the district’s success.
“Through this programme, the office of the mayor provided all high schools with food vouchers of R5,000 each to purchase groceries for their matric camps.
“This has made a meaningful contribution to the improved results,” he said.
He said the district would also mobilise private-sector support to further strengthen the education system.
Gade said a record 44 schools across the province achieved a 100% pass rate in 2025.
Clarendon High School for Girls was the top-performing school in the Buffalo City Metro, after all 125 of its matriculants passed.
Clarendon placed third in the province, behind Pearson High School and Collegiate Girls’ High School, both in Nelson Mandela Bay, which took first and second positions, respectively.
In Buffalo City Metro, six schools achieved a 100% pass rate.
These included Vukuhambe Special School in Mdantsane, Umzuvukile High School, Beaconhurst School, Lilyfontein School and Jongilanga High School.
Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube said five Eastern Cape schools had maintained a 100% pass rate for five consecutive years, from 2021 to 2025.
These were King Edward High School in Alfred Nzo West, Lilyfontein School in Buffalo City, Cradock Prison School in Chris Hani West, and Collegiate Girls’ High School and Insight Learning Centre in Nelson Mandela Bay.
However, some schools continued to struggle.
Zangqolwane Senior Secondary School in Amathole East and St Thomas School for the Deaf in Buffalo City were among the worst-performing schools in the province, with pass rates of 8.3% and 20%, respectively.
Premier Oscar Mabuyane said the decline was a call for action.
“We must confront the realities reflected in these results with honesty and determination,” Mabuyane said.
He said the provincial government would conduct a detailed analysis of the results to identify specific areas requiring intervention, including subject-level performance, district trends and learner support needs.
“Based on this analysis, targeted academic recovery programmes, enhanced educator development initiatives, and strengthened monitoring and support for schools will be implemented,” he said.
ANC provincial spokesperson Yanga Zicina said the consistent above-80% performance over the past three years reflected the resilience of the province’s education system.
“This achievement is a testament to the unwavering resilience, unrelenting hard work, and collective effort of learners, educators, parents and communities,” Zicina said.
“In a province where rural communities face unique challenges, this accomplishment underscores the transformative power of education and solidifies the Eastern Cape’s position as a beacon of hope for quality education outcomes.”
He said the province had recorded 33,249 distinctions, with more than 40 schools achieving a 100% pass rate, adding that the province’s 11 percentage point increase from the 73% pass rate recorded in 2021 is a notable improvement.
“As we reiterate our commitment to education as an apex priority, we will continue to work towards achieving a 90% pass rate within the next three years, with the support of our education structures and multi-stakeholders.”
Provincial government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said the province would this week roll out a three-day back-to-school programme.
“Led by premier Mabuyane, provincial MECs and some cabinet ministers and deputies will visit selected schools across the province between January 14 and 16 to engage with learners, educators, school management teams and parents,” she said.
“The campaign aims to promote learner attendance, instil a culture of teaching and learning, and assess school readiness, including infrastructure, learner support materials and overall functionality.”
Rantjie said the initiative would allow leaders to identify challenges on the ground and offer support where needed.
“Through direct engagement with school communities, the provincial leadership seeks to reaffirm the government’s commitment to building a strong and responsive education system in the Eastern Cape,” she said.
Daily Dispatch
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