President Cyril Ramaphosa offers his congratulations to the Matric Class of 2022 for outstanding individual and collective performances in the face of challenges arising from two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Senior Certificate results announced by Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga on 19 January 2023 highlighted numerous advances in the basic education system, including:

An overall pass rate of 80.1 percent;

An increase of just under 9 percent, compared to 2021, in the number of learners qualifying for Bachelor studies;

A 77.2 percent pass rate among candidates from no-fee schools;

A 91.5 percent pass rate in independent schools;

Nearly two-thirds of distinctions have been achieved by female candidates, as evidence of growing gender equity in education, and

A 10 percent increase in the number of female candidates obtaining Bachelor passes.

President Ramaphosa said: "The Class of 2022 deserves the congratulations and respect of the nation for rising above the challenges of COVID-19, loadshedding and a period of unrest.

"We must all work together to build a society where learners are not measured only by their resilience in testing times but where they can fulfil their potential in conducive conditions.

"The Class of 2022 has through its commendable performance made our future more hopeful; a future in which this generation of young South Africans will take our country to new heights.

"As much as we celebrate individual achievement, the Class of 2022 also constitutes a pass for our education system; it vindicates the extensive and unwavering investment we have made in education during nearly 30 years of freedom.

"We owe the achievements of 2022 to the diligence of learners alongside the commitment and support of teachers, who also endured the challenges of the year, as well as education officials.

"For the relatively small proportion of unsuccessful candidates, this is not the end of the road; you can pick yourself up and take advantage of a number of options that will empower you to continue your journey to success."