The matriculants in PROTEC’s 2025 Learner Excellence Programme, which mainly accommodates learners in non-fee-paying high schools and provides education support in STEM subjects and English, achieved “remarkable” pass and bachelor pass rates, outperforming those achieved by the 2025 IEB matriculants, according to Balan Moodley, PROTEC’s CEO. The PROTEC learners achieved a 99,3% pass rate and a 91,4% bachelor pass rate, compared with the 2025 IEB National Senior Certificate pass rate of 98,3% and an 89,1% bachelor pass.
“Although our PROTEC programme matriculants attend schools within the lower quintiles, a far cry from the highly resourced private school sector, their results demonstrate that with this level of educational support and effective motivational interventions delivered by PROTEC , combined with learner dedication, exceptional results can be achieved,” explains Moodley.
“These results are a testament to the learners’ single-minded commitment and hard work, as well as the dedication and professionalism of the PROTEC staff and the programme facilitators – and we applaud them all,” he adds.
The 292 learners from six branches in KwaZulu-Natal (Inanda, Mandeni, Stanger, Tongaat, Umbogintwini, Umlazi), one in Mpumalanga (Nelspruit) and projects in Gauteng (Altron Soweto, AngloGold Ashanti Diepsloot, Abbot Roodepoort) and Altron Dimbaza (Eastern Cape) achieved a total of 461 distinctions in all subjects, with five learners achieving seven distinctions each. Two learners failed – one in Nelspruit and one in Umlazi – and the reasons are being investigated to support and guide these learners to successful futures.
Beyond the learner excellence programme, PROTEC also partners with non-academic programmes that includes the GE Vernova Next Engineers that is achieving its aims of inspiring and guiding more learners into science and technology related careers. The 37 matriculants who passed achieved 47 distinctions, 33 achieved bachelor passes of whom two are among PROTEC’s top 10 learners.
The top learners in PROTEC’s Class of 2025
- Tania Motimele from the PROTEC AngloGold Ashanti Project in Diepsloot attended Diepsloot Secondary #2. She achieved 7 distinctions, which included 97% in maths, 92% in physical sciences and 91% in English. She is PROTEC’s Overall Top Learner, Top Maths Learner, Top Science Learner and Joint Top English Learner with Makhubu Zandiswa from the PROTEC Inanda Branch.
Tania was also recognised by the Gauteng Department of Education as the top-performing township learner in the Johannesburg North District.
She gives credit to PROTEC for her outstanding academic achievements. “PROTEC helped me a lot. I remember in Grade 10 team I was struggling with Maths. Physics and English and the PROTEC facilitators encouraged me to pull up my socks. I also particularly valued and enjoyed the vacation camps they organised.”
Tania has expressed a passion for Life Sciences and related subjects and aims to pursue a career in medicine, with particular interest in fields such as neurosurgery. She will be starting her studies this year at the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences.
- Makhubu Zandiswa from the PROTEC Inanda Branch attended Durban Girls High achieved 7 distinctions and is the Joint Top English Learner with Tania Motimele with 91% in English.
- Fanele Mngadi from the PROTEC Mandeni Branch attended Impoqabulungu Secondary School and achieved 7 distinctions.
- Samuel Mokonyane, also from PROTEC AngloGold Ashanti Project in Diepsloot, attended Diepsloot Secondary #3 and achieved 7 distinctions, including 94% in maths.
- Simphiwe Mahlomaholo from the GE Vernova Next Engineers Project attended St. Barnabas SOS and achieved 7 distinctions.
Learners who achieved 6 distinctions
- Kwanele Xulu from PROTEC Mandeni, who attended Impoqabulungu Secondary School
- Olwakhe Biyela from PROTEC Umbogintwini, who attended Zuzumqhele High
- Rayyaan Rayman from GE Vernova NE, who attended UJ Metropolitan Academy
PROTEC highlights
Four of the six PROTEC branches in KwaZulu-Natal achieved 100% bachelor pass rates (Mandeni, Stanger, Tongaat, Umbogintwini). These 109 learners achieved a total of 220 distinctions, with Tongaat’s 39 learners leading the pack with 90 distinctions.
PROTEC Abbott Laboratories Project in Roodepoort achieved a 100% bachelor pass rate, signifying a big improvement on last year’s bachelor pass rate of 74%. The project’s 26 matriculants achieved a total of 30 distinctions.
PROTEC Altron Dimbaza recorded a 100% pass rate and an 81% bachelor pass rate, both up from last year. The 37 matriculants achieved 51 distinctions.
Of the 461 distinctions achieved by 290 learners, 14 were in maths, 8 in science and 42 in English.
Education in South Africa
Moodley notes that while there is much to be celebrated in the analysis of the PROTEC matriculants’ achievements, there is also a need to dig deeper in an effort to extend PROTEC’s reach and impact, in the knowledge that it makes a difference in the lives of its learners and their wider communities.
“We know that there is much work to be done within the broad scope of South Africa’s education system. Sadly, the country’s matric results, while commendable in many instances, still highlight vast gaps that need to be addressed to ensure that the children of South Africa are given better opportunities for successful futures.
“As examples, we know that there is an approximate 27% dropout of learners between Grade 8 and matric, which is far too high. We also know that our key STEM subjects of maths and science are not achieving the results needed for STEM careers. Of the 34% of learners who wrote maths, according to available figures, fewer than 5 000 students achieved distinctions, which is reported to be far lower than were achieved in 2024.
“It remains clear that matric results are not a true reflection of the state of education in South Africa – and we look forward to a systemic approach that takes into account improved foundational education, upskilling of teachers, equitable distribution of resources, accountability across the board and many other interventions that would go a long way to enable our children to achieve their potential.”
For more information about PROTEC, please visit www.protec.org.za.
