JOHANNESBURG - More girls matriculated in the 2025 matric year than boys.
A huge concern for the Department of Basic Education, says Minister Siviwe Gwarube.
She has sounded the alarm over the higher rate of boys dropping out of school.
A noticeable behaviour is prevalent among boys between Grade 10 and 12 some of which never return.
Gwarube warns that this results in a boy child being left behind and underrepresented in matric cohort.
Reasons why boys drop out among those being grade repetition as well as giving up and leaving school entirely.
More concerning is that boys are susceptible to social ills those which go as far as being recruited into gangs after dropping out.
READ | Gwarube calls for continued drive towards equal opportunities
According to the department girls now make up 56 percent of matric candidates compared to 44 percent.
According to the Minister, this gap reflects a stronger protection for the girl child including the removal of pregnancy as a barrier to education.
“We need to try where these learners are but also we need to plug those gabs. We can not have these learners lost to us,” she says.