Inmates achieve 94.4% Matric pass rate with 132 distinctions
Mapaballo Borotho
- Inmates who wrote the 2025 matric exams achieved a 94.4% pass rate, surpassing the national average.
- A total of 180 candidates from 18 correctional services schools participated, earning 132 distinctions.
- The Minister of Correctional Services praised the results as evidence that education continues beyond prison walls.
South African inmates who wrote the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in correctional facilities have once again outperformed the national average of 88%, achieving an overall pass rate of 94.4%.
Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald announced the results on Monday at the Goodwood Correctional Facility in the Western Cape, describing the achievement as proof that learning does not stop at prison walls.
A total of 180 candidates from 18 correctional services schools sat for the 2025 NSC examinations.
While 19 correctional services schools are registered to offer Grades 10 to 12, Zuzicebo Senior Secondary School in Standerton did not present Grade 12 candidates as it was newly established.
Groenewald said 15 schools achieved a 100% pass rate in 2025, an increase from 13 schools in 2024. Candidates also achieved a combined total of 132 distinctions.
“Two of our schools, Usethubeni in Durban-Westville and Baviaanspoort in the Gauteng region, have maintained a 100% pass rate for the past ten years. This consistency reflects the integrity and credibility of our examination system,” Groenewald
Groenewald further praised the Johannesburg Female Correctional Centre School for achieving a 100% pass rate in 2025.