Pretoria - South Africans have a reason to be proud of the Class of 2010, who have recorded a pass rate of 67.8 percent.
An elated Angie Motshekga, the Minister of Basic Education, announced the results on Thursday at the Union Buildings.
This is a major improvement of 7.2 percent from 2009's 60.6 percent national pass rate.
"We'd like to congratulate the class of 2010, they did us proud! Their unrelenting determination is commendable," said Motshekga.
"The class of 2010 is truly distinctive!"
Motshekga assured the nation of the credibility of the results, saying they were a true reflection of the achievement of learners.
"We've worked hard to ensure the credibility of the exams. Umalusi convened standardisation of exams on 24 December to ensure the quality of results is the same as in other years."
She said the department's determination to change the status quo of previous results which were in decline, came from the recognition that education was the driver of national change and played an important role in improving people's lives.
Pass rates for the provinces were encouraging in 2010, with all registering an improvement from the previous year:
Gauteng: 78.6% (71.8% in 2009)
Western Cape: 76.8% (75.7% in 2009)
North West: 75.7% (67.5% in 2009)
Northern Cape: 72.3% (61% in 2009)
KwaZulu-Natal: 70.7% (61.1% in 2009)
Free State: 70.7% (69.4% in 2009)
Eastern Cape: 58.3% (51% in 2009)
Limpopo: 57.9% (48.9% in 2009)
Mpumalanga: 56.8% (47.9% in 2009)
