Minister Pieter Groenewald: National Senior Certificate results announcement and awards ceremony

Address By the Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Pieter Groenewald, MP on the occasion of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Results Announcement and Awards Ceremony, Goodwood Correctional Facility 

Programme Director
The National Commissioner and the Executive Management Representatives of the Department of Basic Education Educators
Heads of Correctional Centres and officials
Most importantly, our matriculants and award recipients Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Today is a proud and deeply affirming moment for the Department of Correctional Services and for our country.

We gather not merely to announce results, but to celebrate resilience, discipline and educational excellence. This ceremony stands as a powerful reminder that learning does not stop at prison walls, and that hope, when nurtured through education, can flourish even in the most constrained environments.

South Africa’s educational system serves over 13.5 million learners, and it is important to state unequivocally that inmates enrolled for formal education form part of this national cohort. They are not outside the system, they are within it. They matter. Their success matters. Their future matters.

As Correctional Services, we pride ourselves on something that cannot be compromised, and that is the integrity of our examination system.

Over many years, our National Senior Certificate examinations have been conducted without irregularities, and we intend to keep it that way for many years to come. We owe it to ourselves, to the Department of Basic Education, and to the credibility of the NSC qualification to maintain a water-tight, credible, and ethical examination environment. Our results are not a favour, but they are earned, and they are credible.

As the Department of Basic Education works to finalise the review of White Paper 6 on Inclusive Education this year, it is important that Correctional Services is part of this national conversation. Some learners who disappear from the educational system do not drop out permanently, but they enter our correctional centres.

Our responsibility is clear, we have to take them back into formal education so that they are not lost to the system, irrespective of finding themselves in conflict with the law. Education in a correctional environment requires deeper reflection and collaboration, and we stand ready to make a meaningful contribution to shaping inclusive education policies that respond to these realities.

South Africa is deliberately channelling learners towards gateway subjects because this is what our economy demands and the path a developing country like ours must pursue. In this regard, we must confront a concerning trend within our correctional schools, where more

inmates are dropping Mathematics and opting for Mathematical Literacy. This has to be corrected.

Mathematics remains a critical gateway subject. Correctional Services schools have never struggled with Mathematics in previous years. We recruit capable educators, and we are confident that our learners can succeed when properly supported.

Offenders continue to perform well in Accounting and other technical subjects, and we must channel our efforts towards subjects that will reshape their career paths post-incarceration. What is unique about our environment is that learners are able to put theory into practice through our production workshops, farms, and other training platforms.

We must also confront the growing challenge of the boy child being left behind in the education system. Boys are increasingly underrepresented in matric cohorts and are less likely than girls to return through second-chance pathways.

In the 2025 NSC examinations, girls outnumbered boys by 56 percent to 44 percent. This imbalance requires urgent and targeted intervention. Our inmate population is largely male, and many require educational redirection and support. As we often say, corrections is a societal responsibility, just as education is a societal responsibility.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2025 National Senior Certificate results for Correctional Services Schools give us every reason to celebrate. There are 19 registered Correctional Services schools offering Further Education and Training from Grade 10 to Grade 12.

In 2025, 180 learners from 18 schools sat for the NSC examinations. Zuzicebo Senior Secondary in Standerton did not present Grade 12 candidates this year as it is a newly established school.

The overall pass rate for Correctional Services Schools in 2025 stands at an impressive 94.4 percent, once again surpassing the national average of 88 percent. Fifteen of our schools achieved a 100 percent pass rate, improving from 13 schools in 2024, and a total of 132 distinctions were earned.

Two of our schools, Usethubeni in Durban-Westville in KwaZulu-Natal and Baviaanspoort in the Gauteng Region, have maintained a 100 percent pass rate for the past ten years. We are also immensely proud of the Johannesburg Female Correctional Centre School, which achieved a 100 percent pass rate.

KwaZulu-Natal deserves special recognition for producing the highest number of matriculants, with 50 learners, of whom 45 attained Bachelor passes. Usethubeni alone accounted for 31 learners, all of whom achieved Bachelor passes. These results demonstrate that our focus is not merely on achieving a pass, but on producing quality outcomes.

Ons wil ook vandag hulde bring aan elke opvoeder, elke beampte en elke leerder wat bewys het dat onderwys ’n kragtige instrument vir verandering is. In korrektiewe sentrums gaan dit nie net oor akademiese prestasie nie, maar oor die herbou van waardigheid, selfdissipline en hoop. Hierdie uitslae wys duidelik dat wanneer geleenthede geskep word en ondersteuning gebied word, herstel en sukses moontlik is, ongeag omstandighede.

None of this would be possible without the unwavering commitment of our educators, who continue to teach under uniquely challenging conditions with dedication and professionalism. We commend Heads of Correctional Centres and all officials whose daily support ensures that learners remain focused in an environment where distractions may emerge.

We also acknowledge the vital role played by parents and families, whose encouragement sustains learners through difficult journeys. Our appreciation also goes to the Department of Basic Education for its continued collaboration with our Formal Education Directorate and correctional facilities across the country.

To our matriculants, you have shown that your past does not define your future. Through discipline, perseverance, and commitment, you have invested in yourselves and in the future of this country. Education remains one of the most powerful tools for rehabilitation, reintegration, and nation-building.

As the Department of Correctional Services, we remain resolute in ensuring that every inmate within our care is given a fair opportunity to succeed.

Congratulations to all our achievers. May your success today serve as the foundation for a productive, dignified, and hopeful tomorrow.

I thank you.