How Gauteng township schools are shattering records — and why 2025 was their breakthrough year

In honouring Gauteng's top-performing schools, Education MEC Matome Chiloane singled out Lufhereng Secondary School, a no-fee township school, for its outstanding performance.

“Last year, Lufhereng Secondary achieved a 100% matric pass rate, with 97% of learners earning Bachelor passes,” Chiloane said.

Lufhereng Secondary is a no-fee township school where learners travel long distances, study under immense pressure, and face challenges that few can imagine.

This year, the school surpassed even its previous achievements, becoming the top-performing township school in Gauteng with 98.4% Bachelor passes, a 1.4% improvement on an already outstanding result, all while operating entirely from mobile classrooms.

Chiloane also announced a milestone in the school’s development: “During my budget vote last year, I committed that we would reward and encourage excellence. Today, I am proud to announce that the contractor is on-site, and we are building Lufhereng Secondary in brick-and-mortar classrooms. Construction progress is already over 25%.”

Gauteng’s top matric achievers were celebrated in Centurion on Monday, as Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Education MEC Matome Chiloane officially revealed the province’s 2025 results, praising the dedication of parents and teachers whose guidance helped shape the year’s standout performers.

The Class of 2025 in Gauteng has achieved an historic 89.06% matric pass rate, the highest in the province’s history.

Chiloane stressed that this success was “not by accident. Not by lowering standards. But by 140,927 young people showing up, many of them against the odds and just doing the work.”

The province accounts for 19% of all learners who wrote matric nationally, with 125,513 students passing. Chiloane also revealed a landmark achievement that all 15 Gauteng districts performed above 83% for the first time.

He explained that the results came at a cost and required a multi-faceted strategy. 

“We address quality learning through improvement strategies that transform classroom performance. We work with teachers to improve their craft, invest in active learning in classrooms across all schools, and introduce interventions to compensate for poor family literacy levels and the impact of poverty in communities across Gauteng.”

The province also mobilised volunteer tutors from communities and universities and leveraged ICT interventions, including devices, data connectivity, online content, virtual classrooms and broadcast lessons, ensuring township learners had access to the same resources as students elsewhere.

Highlighting what drives the education excellence, Chiloane invoked Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of “the threshold,” where conditions, commitment, and opportunity align to make extraordinary outcomes inevitable.

“It is not magic. It is what happens when you have dedicated teachers, strong leadership, and a district that believes excellence is non-negotiable, no matter which side of the province you are on,” he said.

Chiloane emphasised that Gauteng not only improved its matric pass rate but also recorded the highest number of Bachelor passes since 1996, with 67,861 learners, 48.15% of matriculants, achieving the qualification.

“This achievement ensures many learners can pursue university studies of their choice. For township learners, this proves once again that poverty is not destiny, and the data proves it.” Chiloane said.

Lesufi echoed MEC Chiloane’s praise, highlighting the remarkable progress of township schools over the past decade. “Ten years ago, these two schools were miles apart. There was no real competition. Every time results were announced, it was clear which schools would dominate,” he said.

''Today, we celebrated the extraordinary achievements of Lufhereng Secondary School scoring a 100% matric pass rate; Menlo Park achieved a 100% matric pass and also achieved 98.5% bachelor passes, while township-based Lufhereng Secondary attained 98.4% bachelor passes.

“What this demonstrates is that we are ready. We now have one equal education system in the province. It doesn’t matter where you are; learners can achieve matric success from a township or a suburb. The results show that the investments and hard work to make township education competitive are paying off,” Lesufi said.

He added that there are 18 other township schools that also scored 100%, with Raymond Mhlaba Secondary School standing out as a model of sustained excellence. 

“This school will continue to defend its 100% pass rate. The new schools coming in will add even more 100% classes to the townships. This kind of investment is genuine and demonstrates what is possible when commitment meets opportunity,” he said.

The Star

masabata.mkwannazi@inl.co.za