Minister Maynier congratulates York High’s Abigail Kok at 2025 NSC Awards Ceremony

Hoërskool Outeniqua named as one of only five ordinary public schools in the Western Cape to receive an award for showing the greatest increase in the percentage of candidates achieving subject distinctions between 2024 and 2025.

GEORGE HERALD - York High School’s Abigail Kok was formally congratulated by Western Cape Minister of Education David Maynier today, Thursday 29 January, during the Western Cape 2025 National Senior Certificate Awards ceremony held in Cape Town.

In his address, Maynier singled out Kok for special recognition, praising her exceptional academic performance and dedication. He said her results placed her at the top nationally, describing the achievement as a source of pride for both the Western Cape and South Africa.

Local schools were also in the spotlight, with Hoërskool Outeniqua named as one of only five ordinary public schools in the Western Cape to receive an award for showing the greatest increase in the percentage of candidates achieving subject distinctions between 2024 and 2025.

The awards ceremony formed part of a broader celebration of a record-breaking year for the province’s Class of 2025, which achieved the highest matric pass rate ever in the Western Cape at 88.2%, along with the highest bachelor’s pass rate to date of 49.2%.

Maynier said the results reflected sustained hard work by learners, supported by committed teachers and parents across the province.

He added that while strong pass rates were encouraging, the focus going forward would increasingly shift towards improving the quality of passes, particularly in key subjects such as Mathematics and Physical Science.