About 67,8 percent of matrics passed last year's exams - up from 60,7 percent in 2009, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga announced on Thursday.
She described the pass rate as a “remarkable achievement” and said it was possible that the 2010 public sector strike might have robbed the department of its targeted 70 percent pass rate.
Chief Director of Exams Nkosinathi Sishi said at the same news briefing in Pretoria that 364 513 pupils passed their exams.
There were 643 546 candidates who sat for the exams of whom 537 543 wrote all seven subjects. Of those 23,5 percent obtained university entrance, up from 19,9 percent.
There were 18 schools where no pupils passed and 504 schools that achieved a 100 percent pass rate.
In 2009, 60,7 percent of matrics passed the 2009 exams which was just under two percent down from 2008.
In 2008, 62,5 percent of matrics passed.
Sishi said nine subjects had been adjusted upwards and 10 had been adjusted downwards.
Exam papers were marked at 127 marking centres and the results were made available to Umalusi, the Council of Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, on December 24.
Gauteng was the top province with a 78,6 percent pass rate, followed by the Western Cape which achieved 76,8 percent, Motshekga said.
This was followed by the Northern Cape with 72,3 percent - the biggest improvement by a province. In 2009 the Northern Cape had a 61,3 percent pass rate.
KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State each had a pass rate of 70,7 percent.
The Eastern Cape had a 58,3 percent pass rate followed by Limpopo and Mpumulanga which had 57,9 percent and 56,8 percent respectively.
Gauteng also led with the number of pupils who obtained university entrance at 33,9 percent.
It was followed by the Western Cape with 31,5 percent.
There were 2142 schools that obtained a pass rate of between 80 and 100 percent, while 1 848 obtained a pass rate of between 60 percent and 79,9 percent.
Some 1510 schools obtained a pass rate of between 40 and 60 percent, and 844 schools had a pass rate of between 20 and 40 percent.
About 172 obtained a pass rate of 20 percent or less.
Motshekga said there was still much work to be done to further improve the results.
Deputy Basic Education Minister Enver Surty said the results were accurate.
By the time of the World Cup and subsequent public sector strike, most schools had already completed the syllabus, he said.
“The teachers themselves have worked hard, notwithstanding the industrial action.”
