Consolidating the General Education Certificate in South Africa

1. The context of the General Education Certificate

This Education Policy Perspective (EPP) reviews South Africa’s General Education Certificate and provides suggestions for strengthening it. It has been developed following workshops and discussions with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), representatives from provincial offices, principals, teachers and learners in Grades 9 and 10 in South Africa.

The General Education Certificate (GEC) is a programme of teaching, learning and assessment implemented in Grade 9 (age 15) at the end of compulsory education in South Africa. The GEC is not intended to carry high stakes for students. Rather, the emphasis is on recognising learner’ skills and achievements; the introduction of the GEC aims to promote a shift in teaching and learning, while new assessment methods recognise a wider range of learners’ skills. The GEC also aims to support learners to reflect on their own talents and potential career paths before upper secondary education (Grades 10‑12). After piloting the GEC from 2021-24, the DBE began phased implementation in 2025, with full implementation expected by 2027.

1.1. The school system in South Africa

Compulsory education spans ten years from Grade R (Reception Year) to Grade 9 and is known as the General Education and Training (GET) phase. After completing compulsory education, learners can transition to upper secondary education – called Further Education and Training (FET) in South Africa (Grades 10‑12). During the FET phase, learners work towards the National Senior Certificate (NSC or more informally ‘the Matric’) in secondary schools or vocational qualifications in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Figure A A.1 shows the structure of education in South Africa.

1.1.1. Subjects and choices in lower secondary education

In Grade 9, all learners take nine subjects: Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Technology, Social Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, Creative Arts and Life Skills. Some schools can become technical schools and offer vocational subjects in Grades 8-9. Technical schools provide some vocational subjects such as Mechanical Technology or Food Production (DBE, 2020[1]).

The subjects taken in lower secondary aligns with the subjects required for the GEC. Students in technical schools taking vocational subjects would be able to take a vocational or occupational version of the GEC (Department of Basic Education, 2026[2]).

1.1.2. Streams and options after the GEC (Grades 10-12)

After Grade 9, learners can progress to upper secondary general (i.e. academic) or vocational education. In practice, almost all learners remain in general education in secondary schools. Provision for vocational education is limited. In 2023, approximately 2% of 15-19-year-olds were enrolled in TVET colleges (DHET, 2025[3]). Learners who stay in secondary schools after Grade 9 pursue largely general education and work towards the NSC. In Grades 10‑12, learners must take Home Language, First Additional Language, Mathematics1 and Life Orientation, as well as a minimum of three additional subjects selected by the learner. A wide range of subjects are on offer, from Accounting to Visual Arts.

South Africa is currently seeking to strengthen the diversity of pathways in upper secondary education (Grades 10‑12). The ‘Three Stream Model’ is being developed by the DBE to establish: an academic stream (i.e. the existing school-based programme); a vocational stream focused on broad skills areas; and an occupational pathway focused on skills for employment in particular in trades and professions (DBE, n.d.[4]).

1.1.3. GEC implementation is occurring in tandem with work on the curriculum

Since the late 1990s, South Africa has moved between a highly flexible curriculum with significant teacher autonomy to a more prescriptive approach specifying content in each subject. The current curriculum was introduced in the 2010s and is articulated via Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for each grade. The Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements provide more specification, in terms of subject content, sequencing and pace, than the high-level outcomes-based curricula that were in place in the 2000s. The GEC in Grade 9 integrates into the existing framework of CAPS at Grades 7‑9.

South Africa is currently undertaking a process called ‘Curriculum Strengthening’ which aims to create a “competency-infused” or “competency-strengthened” curriculum where content knowledge is integrated and developed alongside skills, values, character and attitudes (DBE, 2023[5]). This process has led to South Africa’s first Basic Education Competency Framework, which highlights expected knowledge, skills, character and attitudes, alongside cross-cutting priorities (Weston et al., 2024[6]). The GEC aims to align with the Basic Education Competency Framework by expecting learners to develop and demonstrate skills like critical thinking and metacognition.

1.1.4. The size and diversity of South Africa’s classrooms, teacher workload and shortages in specialised teachers create a challenging context for addressing learner needs

In South Africa, lower secondary education (Grades 8-9) teachers participating in the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024 reported an average of 77 learners per class. Larger classes can create challenging environments by contributing to teacher stress. Just over one‑third of teachers (34%) in South Africa report experiencing significant disruptive noise and disorder in their classrooms (compared to about one in five teachers (21%) across the OECD on average). Large classes also contribute to teachers’ workload. In South Africa, 72% of teachers report that too much marking is a source of stress (OECD average: 40%) (OECD, 2025[7]).

South Africa’s large classrooms have a diverse learner profile with some of the highest shares across all TALIS-participating countries of learners who have difficulties understanding the language of instruction and behavioural problems. Learners in South Africa’s classrooms are also academically diverse with teachers reporting both high levels of low achievers and gifted learners (Table 1) (OECD, 2025[7]). Teaching in diverse classrooms requires instructional adaptation and can place high demands on teachers’ time, focus and pedagogical agility (Hu, 2024[8]; Porta, 2025[9]).

Table 1. Class composition, TALIS 2024

Percent of teachers in classes where more than 10%, or more than 30% of learners, have the described characteristics

	More than 10% of learners			More than 30% of learners
	Have difficulties understanding the language(s) of instruction	Have special education needs	Have behavioural problems	Are from socio-economically disadvantaged homes	Are low academic achievers	More than 30% of learners are academically gifted learners
South Africa	67.3	32.7	60.1	56.0	48.5	40.9
Brazil	35.5	21.7	58.7	33.9	35.2	9.4
Colombia	22.2	15.9	42.6	37.6	24.6	40.7
Türkiye	22.4	10.5	44.8	25.4	38.2	6.7
OECD average-27	19.8	32.9	34.1	15.7	22.3	22.6

Note: The table indicates that, for example, 67.3% of teachers in South Africa are in classes where more than 10% of learners have difficulties understanding the language(s) of instruction.

Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia and the Republic of Türkiye (hereafter ‘Türkiye’) are referenced in figures throughout this EPP as comparison countries. The comparison countries were chosen based on contextual similarities to South Africa: level of development; geographic or demographic context; and/or shared education goals, like increasing completion of upper secondary education. These data refer to a class randomly selected from teachers' current weekly timetable during the week preceding the survey.

Source: OECD (2025[7]), Results from TALIS 2024: The State of Teaching, https://doi.org/10.1787/90df6235-en.

1.2. Assessment and certification

1.2.1. The NSC is the main school-leaving certificate

Learners in general upper secondary education (Grades 10‑12) take the NSC. Learners can achieve the NSC at four different pass levels including the “Bachelor’s degree pass” which is commonly required for higher education entrance. NSC grades are based on results from final examinations (75%) and school‑based assessment (SBA) (25%) (Umalusi, 2024[10]). The NSC and its results play a central role in South Africa’s education system – results from the NSC are seen as an indicator of the health of South Africa’s education system, and pass rates are often used as an indicator of province and school educational quality (Taylor, 2009[11]).

1.2.2. Across primary and lower secondary, learners are assessed by their teachers and schools

CAPS set out when, how and on what learners are assessed. According to CAPS, formal assessment comprises both “school-based assessment” (SBA) and “end‑of‑year examinations”. SBA is teacher-assessed and is task- or test-based. For example, in Grade 8 Economic and Management Science, the CAPS sets out that, in Term 1, learners complete a data response activity by week five and a controlled test in week ten. The weighting of SBA and exams is determined by the CAPS: in Grades R‑3, final grades are entirely made up of SBA while in Grades 7-9, final grades are made up of 60% SBA and 20% exams. End-of-year exams are typically developed by schools. The GEC introduces, for the first time, centrally developed exams at Grade 9.

1.2.3. School-based assessment and end-of-year exams carry stakes for learners

Learners’ grades are used to make decisions about their promotion to the next grade. Given the stakes of formal assessment, national and provincial procedures for social moderation of SBA aim to promote the reliability of results. However, in the absence of nationally standardised assessments, there are concerns that promotion and repetition decisions are not made based on reliable assessment data, with passing grades not always representing a consistent level of learner achievement across schools (Van der Berg and Shepherd, 2015[12]; Lam, Ardington and Leibbrandt, 2011[13]).

1.2.4. School-based assessment data informs school self-evaluation and improvement

Schools in South Africa are required to conduct internal whole-school evaluations. School self-evaluations are reviewed externally on a sample basis, and external evaluations conducted by supervisory units may also take place. Learners’ achievement and progress (i.e. learners’ standards of achievement at the end of each stage of education) are expected to be used as indicators for school improvement (DBE, 2001[14]). For secondary schools, NSC results are often used as an indicator of learner achievement. For primary and lower secondary, some provinces and/or districts develop and implement standardised assessments at the provincial/district level, which can be used to gain insights into learner performance and inform school self-evaluation and improvement. Beyond this, the lack of full cohort standardised assessment data means that SBA and school-set exams are the main source of assessment data available for monitoring progress and achievement.

1.2.5. National and international assessments provide some system-level data

In 2022, South Africa began implementing a new national assessment programme, known as South Africa’s Systemic Evaluation (SASE), for monitoring provincial and national performance and enabling greater understanding of school contexts. SASE is a sample-based assessment of reading, literacy and mathematics in Grades 3, 6 and 9 (DBE, 2024[15]). The next round of SASE is due to be conducted in 2026. Previously, full cohort Annual National Assessments (ANA) – a set of nationally standardised literacy and numeracy tests in Grades 1–6 and Grade 9 – were implemented on an annual basis starting in 2011 and ran through to 2014/15, after which they were discontinued.

South Africa participates in several international and regional large-scale assessments, including the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) since 1995 in Grades 5 and 9, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) in Grades 4 and 6 since 2006 and the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) assessments of reading literacy and mathematics at Grade 6. In the absence of consistent national assessment data from 2015, after the end of ANA and prior to the recent introduction of SASE, results from international assessments were the sole source of data for observing national progress trends.

1.3. The design and purpose of the General Education Certificate

The GEC was developed and is being implemented by the DBE, which is responsible for school education across Grades R-12. The Department has recently concluded GEC piloting, which began in 2021 with small-scale pilots (45 schools) and expanded to 3 000 schools in 2024. In 2025, Phase 1 of full-scale implementation began in 65% of the country’s schools. In 2026, the share of schools implementing the GEC increased to approx. 80% and all schools are expected to implement the GEC from 2027.

1.3.1. A central aim of the GEC is to recognise and promote each learner’s strengths and talents

In line with South Africa’s work to strengthen and modernise the curriculum by integrating knowledge with skills, values, character and attitudes, the GEC aims to help shift teaching, learning and assessment to a more holistic model that goes beyond knowledge. The GEC aims to showcase learners’ strengths in academic content, and social and emotional skills like collaboration, creativity and communication, all of which are integrated in assessment. By supporting learners to understand their strengths and linking these to future professions, fields of work and professional competencies, the GEC seeks to help young people identify pathways that will lead them through education and into rewarding work.

1.3.2. The GEC in Grade 9 covers several assessment components

The GEC assessment components and schedule are set out in Table 2. The GEC assessment model builds on the existing assessment expectations set out in the Grade 9 CAPS. This means that the GEC results are based on: SBA delivered across Terms 1-3 (60%) and end-of-year examinations (40%). The key differences between the GEC and what existed previously are the ‘Integrated Projects’ introduced as part of Term 3 SBA and some end-of-year examinations, also known as Curriculum Tests, which are centrally set. The GEC also includes assessment of 21st Century Skills (integrated into SBA) and an Inclinations Assessment (which does not count towards final grades). The key elements of the GEC assessment model are:

• School-based assessment (60%):

  • Learners develop and are assessed on skills and knowledge throughout the year. In Terms 1 and 2, learners are assessed in each of their subjects. Assessment instruments include written tasks, oral presentations, assignments, investigations and mid-year exams. This practice is common to other grades and existed prior to the introduction of the GEC.

  • SBA for the GEC includes ‘Integrated Projects’ in Term 3. Learners do two projects in groups across multiple subjects, with subject-specific knowledge and skills contributing to overall cross-subject project objectives.

  • Though it does not contribute to learners’ final subject grades, as part of the Integrated Project teacher observations are undertaken to assess learners’ 21st Century Skills.

• Curriculum Tests (40%):

  • In Term 4, at the end of the school year, learners have final tests. Curriculum Tests for Languages, Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences and Mathematics are developed nationally by the DBE and marked locally by schools using DBE marking criteria. For other subjects (Life Orientation, Social Sciences, Technology and Creative Arts), tests are developed locally in school (or, in some cases, at the provincial level). Curriculum Tests combine multiple-choice questions (80%) with short-answer response questions (20%).

• Inclinations assessment:

  • This is not an assessment of skills and knowledge, but rather a quiz to gain insights into learners’ “worker types” (e.g. Builder, Helper, Thinker, Influencer, Creator or Organiser) and suggest sectors and occupations that might interest the learner for their future careers.

Table 2. Assessment components and schedule of the GEC

Assessment component	Terms 1 & 2	Term 3	Term 4
School-Based Assessment (60%)	School-Based Assessment	Integrated Project - for Humanities subjects
		Integrated Project for Science, Technology and Maths subjects
Curriculum Tests (40%)			DBE developed written tests for Languages, Natural Sciences, Economics and Mathematics
			School/province-set written tests (for Life Orientation, Social Sciences, Technology & Creative Arts)
Inclinations Assessment		Inclinations Assessment
21st Century Skills	21st Century Skills Assessment

Note: In each subject, learners receive an overall grade combining grades from School-Based Assessment and Curriculum Tests. Depending on the subject, Curriculum Tests may be standardised (i.e. centrally developed by the DBE) or developed by the school or province.

It is planned that the GEC will become a national certificate on South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework. Despite the DBE’s framing of the GEC as an ‘access’ certificate – providing access to Grade 10‑12 general and vocational programmes, there are concerns that, if formally awarded as a qualification, the GEC could be misunderstood as an ‘exit’ certificate (DBE, 2019[16]). This could have negative consequences for progression if learners who do not achieve the GEC are not able to progress in their education. The formal consequences for students who do not achieve passing grades in the Curriculum Tests or School-Based Assessment remain unclear. Although, typically in South Africa, students’ grades are used to make decisions about their promotion to the next grade.

1.3.3. The GEC aims to be inclusive of learners with Special Education Needs

In South Africa, from age 14/15, learners2 with Special Education Needs (SEN) can enrol in Schools of Skills. As well as general subjects, Schools of Skills provide technical training to develop skills to continue with technical training or enter work. At present, the Schools of Skills do not have a dedicated certificate to recognise learners’ general skills and knowledge at the end of school. During the piloting of the GEC, 70 Schools of Skills implemented the GEC by adapting its assessments to their curriculum. In particular, the Integrated Project component is being adapted to include more of a focus on the technical and occupationally oriented skills that learners in Schools of Skills develop.

1.4. Participation, performance and labour-market outcomes

1.4.1. Participation in education falls as compulsory education ends

In South Africa, participation in education remains high and stable during compulsory education (Grades R-9). Up to age 16, over 90% of children are enrolled in education (Figure 1, Panel A). However, at 16 – the end of compulsory education and the start of upper secondary (Grades 10-12 or FET) – participation begins to fall. By the end of school at age 18, only 60% of young people are enrolled in education (Stats SA, 2023[17]). In contrast, on average across the OECD, 75% of learners are enrolled in education at age 18 (OECD, 2022[18]).

Figure 1. Education outcomes, South Africa and comparison countries

Note: Grade repetition rate calculated based on the number of learners who will repeat in the next year, divided by the total learners in the current year.

Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia and Türkiye are referenced in these figures as comparison countries. The comparison countries were chosen based on contextual similarities to South Africa: level of development; geographic or demographic context; and/or shared education goals, like increasing completion of upper secondary education.

Source: A: Stats SA (2023[17]), Statistical Release Census 2022, https://census.statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release.pdf; OECD (2022[18]), Enrolment rate by age (indicator), OECD Data Explorer, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/s/31c; B: OECD (2025[19]), Education at a Glance 2025: OECD Indicators, , https://doi.org/10.1787/1c0d9c79-en.; C: von Davier et al. (2024[20]), TIMSS 2023 International Results in Mathematics and Science, https://timss2023.org/results/; Mullis et al. (2023[21]), PIRLS 2021 International Results in Reading, https://pirls2021.org/results; D: Gustafsson (2023[22]), Grade promotion, repetition and dropping out 2018 to 2021, https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2023/Flows%20Through%20Grade%20Report%202023.pdf?ver=2023-10-26-141503-740.

1.4.2. Completion of upper secondary is gradually improving but remains comparatively low

The NSC, taken by learners at the end of Grade 12, indicates completion of upper secondary education and acts as an important passport to higher education. In 2024, just 57.2% of 25-34-year-olds in South Africa had completed upper secondary education (Figure 1, Panel B). While the proportion of young adults completing upper secondary has improved, progress since 2012 has been slower than in the comparison countries (OECD, 2025[19]).

1.4.3. Learning outcomes are comparatively low with modest improvement

According to TIMSS 2023 assessment in Grade 9 mathematics, over half of learners in South Africa (55%) are not achieving the lowest benchmark (‘Low International Benchmark’). Overall, South Africa’s average performance in all key domains – mathematics and science at Grade 9 in TIMSS, and reading at Grade 4 in PIRLS – is below the lowest international benchmark (Figure 1, Panel C) (von Davier et al., 2024[20]; Mullis et al., 2023[21]). In recent years, the share of learners not achieving the low international benchmark in reading has increased slightly from 78% in 2016 to 81% in 2021. By comparison, in Brazil and Türkiye only 39% and 14% of Grade 4 learners, respectively, are not achieving the low international benchmark for reading (Mullis et al., 2023[21]). It should be noted that the drop in South Africa’s reading performance occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many other systems also observed drops in performance. In contrast, the performance of learners has improved in maths and science. Between 2011 and 2023, Grade 9 learners not achieving the low international benchmark for mathematics fell from 76% to 55%, with smaller improvements in science (von Davier et al., 2024[20]).

In the country’s own sample-based national assessment, South Africa’s Systemic Evaluation (SASE), many young South Africans are at the lowest performance levels. SASE uses performance levels of “emerging”, “evolving”, “enhancing” and “extending”. Among Grade 9 learners for reading, 30% of learners are functioning at the ‘emerging’ level. At this level, learners are beginning to develop grade-level foundational knowledge and skills but will require extensive guidance and support to function at the expected level for Grade 9. Results are similar for mathematics, with 23% of learners functioning at the ‘emerging’ level (DBE, 2024[23]).

1.4.4. There are inequities linked to socio-economic background and gender

South Africa has by far the greatest inequities in outcomes compared to comparison countries (Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia and Türkiye) and the OECD average, linked to income and gender, among the countries that took part in PIRLS in 2021 (World Bank, 2025[24]). Learning outcomes were also significantly more inequitable in South Africa than in other developing economies that participated in PIRLS 2021 (World Bank, 2025[24]).

1.4.5. At transition points, repetition rates are high

Repetition is common in South Africa, particularly at transition points like the end of lower secondary (Grades 8-9) and the start of upper secondary (Grades 10-11). Grade repetition occurs when a learner does not meet the requirements to advance to the next grade and must repeat the year. In 2019, 17% of the Grade 8 cohort were due to repeat in 2020 (Figure 1, Panel D). In contrast, grade repetition is relatively uncommon across OECD countries, averaging between 1.4% in primary and 2.6% in upper secondary general education in 2023 (OECD, 2023[25]).

While grade repetition is often intended to help struggling learners master grade-level content and skills, its effectiveness is disputed. Repetition provides limited durable learning benefits and is associated with lower academic performance, reduced motivation for learning, reduced confidence and ultimately, increased likelihood of early school leaving (OECD, 2016[26]) (OECD, 2025[19]) (OECD, 2023[27]). When grade repetition occurs in some grades more than others – as is the case in South Africa – this can exacerbate problems of large class sizes as more learners are added to already large classes. This can make it even more challenging for teachers to cater to the individual needs of their learners and those who are already behind may struggle to catch up.

1.4.6. Many NSC graduates do not go on to higher education and many young adults are not engaged in education or employment

Figure 2. Selected employment indicators, South Africa and comparison countries

Notes: Panel A shows the percentage of the working age population (15 to 64 years) in employment. Panel B shows the percentage of young people (18 to 24 years) who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). Panel C shows the employment rate of 25-to-34-year-old adults with below upper secondary and upper secondary attainment, 2023. Panel D shows qualification mismatch, 2019, based on the share of employed people aged 15-64.

For Panel C, countries are in ascending order based on the difference between the employment rate of 25-to-34-year-old adults with upper secondary attainment and below upper secondary attainment.

For Panel D, data refer to 2019, with the following exceptions: they refer to 2020 for Argentina and Chile; 2017 for Korea; to 2016 for Australia; to 2015 for Türkiye; and to 2014 for Brazil.

Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia and Türkiye are referenced in these figures as comparison countries. The comparison countries were chosen based on contextual similarities to South Africa: level of development; geographic or demographic context; and/or shared education goals, like increasing completion of upper secondary education.

Source: OECD (2025[28]), Employment rate (indicator), OECD Data Explorer, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/s/2wq; OECD (2024[29]), Education at a Glance 2024: OECD Indicators, https://doi.org/10.1787/c00cad36-en; OECD (2017[30]), Getting Skills Right: South Africa, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264278745-en.

Young people in South Africa aged 18-24 participate in education at significantly lower rates (38%) compared to the OECD average (54%) (OECD, 2025[19]). This lower rate of participation at ages 18-24 – compared with the relatively high rate of participation at ages 15-19 (82%) – may suggest that many young people are either not able to attend higher education (e.g. for financial reasons) or they do not see the value in higher education.

South Africa has a high rate of young people who are neither employed nor in education or training (NEET), an indicator that provides an additional measure of young people’s social exclusion and limited pathways. In South Africa, the share of NEETs among young people aged 18-24 was 48.8% in 2022, compared with an OECD average of 13.7% in 2023. As shown in Figure 2, Panel B, this is significantly higher than the comparison countries – in Brazil, Colombia and Türkiye – where the NEET rate is around 20-30% (OECD, 2025[19]).

1.4.7. Many young people in South Africa struggle to find employment, although an upper secondary certificate can help

South Africa has low levels of employment at all levels of educational attainment, but employment is particularly low for young people. As shown in Figure 2, Panel A, in 2025, the employment rate in South Africa was 40.2% (OECD, 2025[28]). Despite challenging labour-market conditions overall, completing upper secondary education and gaining the NSC is still valuable. While overall employment rates for 25-‑34 year-olds are relatively low, those who complete upper secondary education perform better in the labour market than their peers with below upper secondary attainment (Figure 2, Panel C).

Young people who complete post-secondary education are not always able to find jobs that match their qualifications. In 2019, South Africa had high levels of qualification mismatch, with a particularly high share of people who were overqualified for their jobs (Figure 2, Panel D) (31%, compared with the OECD average of 16%) (OECD, 2022[31]). There are also skills oversupply and undersupply in South Africa. Qualification mismatches and skills surpluses suggest that education systems and the labour market are not aligned, and result in individuals’ skills not being used productively. In South Africa, surpluses are mainly found in skills related to manual tasks, like equipment maintenance and repairing. Shortages are mainly in cognitive skills areas, such as complex problem-solving, judgement and decision making and social perceptiveness (OECD, 2017[32]).

Notes

← 1.  To fulfil the NSC mathematics requirement, learners can take either Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy.

← 2.  The DEB defines that learners with “mild to moderate” intellectual disabilities are eligible for admission to Schools of Skills.