Social Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, will today meet with social grant beneficiaries who passed last year’s Grade 12 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination in Cape Town.
According to the department, social grant beneficiaries who wrote the 2022 National Senior Certificate examination recorded an improved performance (which) proved the important role played by the country’s social protection system.
“The social grant beneficiaries showed an impressive increase from 0.2% to 8.7% in 2022, as compared to the previous year. The class of 2022 also saw more female learners (256 902) sitting for their Grade 12 examinations when compared with the 191 490 male counterparts, and the higher pass rate registered by male beneficiaries, which was 72.5% and 70.39 % females.
“The results also showed that the learners who were receiving the grant in their matric year registered better results than those whose grant had discontinued due to their age. Inactive social grant beneficiaries achieved an overall pass rate of 75.22 %, while learners who were getting the grant in their matric year got 87.20%,” the department highlighted.
The department said these findings may be demonstrating that the impact of social grants is likely to be greater the longer the transfer duration, especially, if child-specific grants are kept until the learner completes their Grade 12.
“Statistics released by the Department of Basic Education showed that 39 724 of the social grant beneficiaries passed with distinctions in critical subjects such as Accounting, Business Studies, Economics, Mathematics and Physical Science. This academic performance reflects the significant role played by pro-poor policies in addressing intergenerational poverty and child wellbeing for children living in poor households,” the department said.
During a meeting with beneficiaries in the late afternoon, Zulu will encourage learners to work harder as they move to the next chapter of their education.
The Minister will be joined by National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) CEO, Andile Nongogo.
“The department and NSFAS have been working together to make sure that social grant beneficiaries who are accepted at institutions of higher learning are not means tested as they have been receiving the grant from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA),” the department said.
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