The Minister of Social Development Sisisi Tolashe has wished all social grants beneficiaries well as they write their National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
We understand the path that you have travelled and we wish you the best of luck as you write your examinations.
The 2024 NSC exams commenced on Monday, 21 October 2024 and a total of 732,448 full-time and 136,195 part-time candidates have registered to participate in the exams.
According to the records of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), there are 696,886 social grants beneficiaries writing the NSC.
The Department of Social Development (DSD) invested R46,6 billion in the Class of 2024 from 1997 to the current financial year to support the learners.
In the 2023 academic year, 556,133 social grant beneficiaries wrote their final matric exams and 451 578 passed, achieving an 81,3% pass rate.
The DSD says the pass rate among social grant beneficiaries reflects the importance of investing in social security programmes.
This success rate is a testament to the substantive positive impact and outcomes of comprehensive social security on the health and well-being of children.
Social grant beneficiaries are also encouraged to apply to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) for assistance with tertiary education.
NSFAS provides comprehensive bursaries and student loans to deserving learners enrolled in approved courses at universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Funding includes tuition and registration fees as well as several allowances for food, accommodation, and learning materials.
Sassa grant beneficiaries automatically qualify for NSFAS funding due to their household income falling within NSFAS requirements.
