Pupils in the four-year high school programme proved to have adapted exceptionally well and excelled in last year’s examination results that were released yesterday.
This cohort was the first to sit for the EGCSE, EPCSE, and IPCSE examinations under the four-year programme, achieving a national pass rate of 89.38%, a slight increase of 0.15% from the 89.23% recorded in 2024.
A total of 2,529 pupils sat for the examinations under the four-year programme, alongside 17,558 candidates in the five-year high school programme and 3,070 private candidates. In total, 23,157 candidates sat for the year’s external examinations.
Announcing the results, Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo noted that 2025 had been a particularly interesting year, as it marked the first time that two cohorts sat for the same EGCSE and EPCSE examinations. One cohort was enrolled in the accelerated four-year high school programme, while the other followed the standard five-year programme.
The minister explained that in 2022, the ministry piloted the four-year high school programme in 32 schools. The programme reduced the lower secondary years of schooling from three to two. In 2023, candidates in the pilot schools were assessed for the first time under the Lower Secondary Checkpoint Assessment (LSCA).
Nxumalo further stated that graduates of the LSCA had then progressed to the Eswatini General Certificate of Secondary Education (EGCSE) and the Eswatini Prevocational Certificate of Secondary Education (EPCSE), alongside candidates who had enrolled in the Junior Certificate programme. As a result, candidates who participated in the pilot programme sat for the same examinations in 2025 as those enrolled in the five-year high school programme.
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He said, “I am sure our various stakeholders have eagerly awaited the release of the 2025 results and have been keen to see the performance of the four-year programme candidates.”
The minister expressed his pleasure in announcing that some candidates enrolled in the four-year programme had excelled in the 2025 examinations. He suggested that further analysis could help determine the true performance of the four-year candidates compared to those in the five-year programme.
In addition, he highlighted that the four-year high school programme had paved the way for stronger high school-leaving qualifications, namely the AS/A Levels. Nxumalo emphasised that these qualifications would give candidates a competitive edge in international universities, where the minimum entry requirement is often the AS/A Levels.
“As you may be aware, admission requirements vary across universities. Some tertiary institutions outside Eswatini accept the EGCSE/EPCSE qualifications, while others require the AS/A Levels,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister also addressed the renewal of contracts for contract teachers, adding that the ministry had engaged with the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and the ministry of public service, reaching an agreement that all teachers employed under contract would have their contracts renewed.
Nxumalo appealed for patience to the contract teachers whose contracts had not yet been renewed. He assured them that the Ministry had acted according to its obligations and was working to resolve the remaining issues. He urged the TSC to resolve the matter promptly, with the goal of ensuring that all outstanding contract renewals were processed by the following week.
