Learners who don’t get expected results mustn’t lose hope: Metcalfe

Education expert, Professor Mary Metcalfe

Education expert Professor Mary Metcalfe says learners from the Matric Class of 2025 who don’t achieve the results they expected should not lose hope, as there are many avenues they can still pursue to achieve their goals.

This as Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube is expected to announce the National Senior Certificate results Monday evening.

Earlier Monday, the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) announced an overall pass rate of 98.31%.

Metcalfe says learners have variety of options.

“There’s a variety of routes and institutions and if things don’t work for you now and immediately it’s possible to accumulate courses, accumulate credit, study part time, do a skills training course and all of those courses need to be registered on the national qualifications framework. So, over the course of your life you’ve built your CV and you can move up the levels of the national qualifications’ frameworks and across.”

(LIVE) Education specialist, Professor Mary Metcalfe on what to expect when the 2025 National Senior Certificate results are announced #sabcnews #SABCNewsRadio pic.twitter.com/Ltegt89QFm

— SABC News Radio (@SABCNews_Radio) January 12, 2026