At least 21.8% of learners failed the national senior certificate exams in 2018, but the national pass rate is up 3.1 percentage points.

CAPE TOWN - The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) has encouraged matric pupils who have fallen short not to lose hope.

At least 21.8% of learners failed the national senior certificate exams in 2018, but the national pass rate is up 3.1 percentage points.

Sadag’s Cassey Chambers has urged those who did not do well to either to seek help by talking to close friends and family.

“There are so many different options and we really want to urge all matriculants who are feeling helpless and hopeless. It’s normal to feel down, but there is help available. You can just pick up the phone and talk to someone at Sadag, who can help you through the phone.”

THE NUMBERS

A total of 624,733 pupils sat for their exams last year at 6,888 examination centres, with over 400,000 passing.

All provinces achieved a more than 60% pass rate, with Gauteng taking top spot as the best-performing province.

However, 12 schools across the country recorded a 0% matric pass rate for 2018. This is up from nine in 2017.

At a provincial level, Gauteng achieved the highest provincial pass rate at 87.9%, while Limpopo achieved the lowest at 69.4%.

The Free State took second place with 87.5%, while the Western Cape ranked third with 81.5%. Despite being at the bottom two, the Eastern Cape has improved, achieving a 71.2% pass rate.

Help is a phone call away for distressed matrics. Anyone seeking counselling can call the Sadag Destiny Helpline for Youth and Students on 0800 41 42 43, or the Sadag suicide line on 0800 567 567.

Additional reporting by Bonga Dlulane and Lungelo Matangira.