RUSTENBURG— The Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati (Dr RSM) District has recorded a strong improvement in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) results, with the district pass rate rising from 84.72% in 2024 to 87.17% in 2025. A total of 6,086 candidates wrote in the district and 5,305 passed, placing Dr RSM third among North West’s four education districts, according to the MEC’s results release address.  

In highlighting district progress, the MEC also singled out operational gains within Dr RSM’s structures, noting that the Lekwa-Teemane Local Education Office was the most improved local education office in the province — climbing from 79.6% to 89.61%, an improvement of 10 percentage points.  Manthe Circuit was also recognised as the best performing circuit in the province with 15.35% improvement to the previous exam year. 

A major highlight for the district was the announcement that North West’s top performing candidate for the Class of 2025 comes from Dr RSM.

The MEC announced Temogo Matong of Setswakgosing Secondary School—a quintile 2 school—as the province’s best performing candidate, after achieving 1,727 calculated marks (excluding Life Orientation) across the best six subjects.  This also makes his one of top performers in the entire country, as recognised by the Minister of Basic Education, Honourable Siviwe Gwarube, on Monday, 12 August 2026

Education stakeholders in the district say Matong’s achievement is a major morale boost for rural and township schools, demonstrating that top outcomes remain possible even in lower-quintile contexts when learner commitment is matched by school-level support.

Beyond the pass rate, the MEC’s address also pointed to quality indicators across the system, including improved performance in no-fee schools, which reached 87.01%, narrowing the gap with paying schools.  

The MEC also reported an increase in subject distinctions across the province, with the Class of 2025 achieving 8,050 distinctions (excluding Life Orientation).  

If the sentiments of the MEC are anything to go by, for families, schools and communities across the Dr RSM district, the MEC’s figures are a reflection of a district on an upward trajectory: improving overall performance, producing the province’s top candidate, and delivering standout progress in the Lekwa-Teemane area.

Education officials are expected to build on these gains by strengthening learner support programmes, sustaining academic accountability, and ensuring that schools—especially in lower-quintile areas—continue to receive focused interventions that improve both pass rates and quality passes.

-NW Education 

-The VIP Team