EAST LONDON – The Eastern Cape’s top-performing matriculants were honored at the prestigious Matric Awards Ceremony held at the East London International Convention Centre(EL ICC) on 14th January 2025. The ceremony hosted by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, recognized the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2024 who excelled in the National Senior Certificate Examinations.
Eastern Cape Department of Education MEC Fundile Gade said, “This achievement is a testament to the hard work and determination of our teachers, learners and officials. Despite facing numerous challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic our learners have shown remarkable resilience and dedication to their studies.”
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane congratulated the Class of 2024 saying, “He who laughs last laughs best because we are now in the league of 80s like all the other provinces.”
Mabuyane emphasized that the Eastern Cape’s achievement is not about competing with other provinces but rather about providing learners with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills. The Eastern Cape Department of Education attributed the success to the department’s focus on improving the quality of education in the province.
“We have implemented various initiatives to support our learners, including the use of digital learning technologies and targeted interventions to address areas of weakness,” Gade said. A total of 117,767 candidates wrote the examinations at 1,099 centers across the province, with over 12,000 invigilators and officials involved in the process.
Furthermore, the provincial government has also committed to supporting top achievers with bursaries with 4,772 students benefiting from this initiative over the past five years.
Currently, the Eastern Cape government departments are supporting 1,239 students with bursaries worth R228 million.
In addition Mabuyane has praised the Class of 2024 for their outstanding achievement, saying, “The Class of 2024 did a great job, demonstrating that our education system is maturing daily. The effort put in by teachers, parents and all stakeholders is truly commendable.”
Mabuyane also emphasized the importance of collaboration stating, “When we work together with all hands on deck we can achieve greatness. I am thrilled to see these students succeeding despite facing incredibly challenging circumstances.”
The Premier specifically highlighted the achievements of girls from Mthatha who overcame the trauma of a rape ordeal to excel in their studies.
As the Eastern Cape continues to make strides in improving its education system, the future looks bright for these young achievers.
Photograph: Eastern Cape celebrates historic 84,9% matric pass rate
Photograph: supplied
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