New analysis finds more than 60 percent of South African learners finish high school even though just 20 percent of Grade 4 pupils can read for understanding. Researchers identify nine specific policies and practices that enable progression through the system.
A working paper released in November 2025 by Ursula Hoadley, Gabrielle Wills, Carol Bertram and Servaas van der Berg examines how the education system maintains high participation rates while early-grade learning outcomes remain low. The study draws on teacher interviews in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape, 2023 student mark data and official policy documents.
The authors describe nine mechanisms that support student movement through high school. These include automatic progression rules after one repeat in a phase, heavy weighting of school-based assessments that teachers often scaffold, and widespread mark clustering near the 40 percent pass line. Examination papers are frequently recycled, English rubrics are lenient and passing requirements at the further education level stay low.
Teachers report pressure from districts to raise pass rates, while systematic remediation is largely absent before Grade 12. The paper notes that only 37 percent of a Grade 8 cohort reach matric without repeating. The researchers recommend clearer policy communication and earlier high-stakes checks such as a General Education Certificate at Grade 9.