Breaking Cycles of Poverty Takes Collaboration, Not Chance

By Afrika Tikkun

South Africa’s education challenges are often framed as inevitable. Inequality, under resourced schools, and youth unemployment are treated as problems too big to solve.

Our Matric Class of 2025 tells a different story, one grounded in evidence rather than optimism.

This year, our learners achieved a 94% pass rate, outperforming the national average by more than six percentage points. Sixty-one percent qualified for Bachelor’s degree admission at a time when national Bachelor’s passes declined. Across 1,061 learners, 443 distinctions were achieved, almost double last year’s total.

These results matter not because they are exceptional, but because they are repeatable.

Why These Results Are Different

Academic success does not happen in isolation. For young people growing up in under resourced communities, learning is shaped by realities far beyond the classroom. Food insecurity, trauma, unstable home environments, and limited exposure to opportunity all influence educational outcomes.
At Afrika Tikkun, education is supported by a comprehensive development approach. Learners receive academic support alongside psychosocial services, family strengthening, leadership development, arts and sports programmes, career guidance, and post school transition support.

Learning is enabled when the conditions for stability and growth are in place.
As our COO, Tiyani Mohlaba , explains, “You cannot educate a hungry child or prepare a young person for the workplace if their environment is in crisis.
Our results reflect what happens when those barriers are addressed holistically and consistently.”

Image: Afrika Tikkun