Eastern Province powers 70% grade 12 pass rate
THE mouse eating province has been given the bragging rights over its tribal cousins from the North who will be forced to swallow the bitter facts that Eastern Province is a powerhouse in producing great grade 12 results in the nation.
This is after the Ministry of Education announced that Zambia’s grade 12 learners have pushed the national pass rate beyond 70 percent with Eastern Province topping the results for the fourth consecutive year.
The achievement marks the first time the nation has crossed the 70 percent barrier for grade 12 examinations, turning classrooms into launchpads for learner success.
Out of 197,777 candidates who registered for the 2025 school certificate examinations, 136,434 earned school certificates while 2,941 failed and 3,621 were absent.
This milestone reflects a 2.08 point rise from last year.
According to Minister of Education Douglas Syakalima, this highlights that even with more students in classrooms under free education, learning outcomes continue to improve.
Among those who sat for the exams in Zambia, 52.22 percent were female and 47.78 percent male, indicating strong female participation.
Syakalima said the results continue a five-year upward trend, with pass rates climbing from 63.93 percent in 2020 to 70.27 percent in 2025, proving that expanded access has gone hand-in-hand with better performance.
The minister attributed the achievement to deliberate reforms placed by government, including hiring more teachers, improving school supervision, supplying desks and learning materials.
Announcing the 2025 School Certificate and Teacher Education Examination results in Lusaka today, Syakalima noted that consistent disbursement of school grants and an enhanced school feeding programme that is helping learners stay in class have also contributed to the milestone.
“Further, it is worth noting that candidate absenteeism has continued to reduce, despite the consistent increase in candidature.
The recorded improvement in performance and all other achievements stated are a result of the sound policies and interventions the government is putting in place,“ said the minister.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba January 20, 2026
Grade 12 Exam Results are out. Simply text Exam Number SPACE year SPACE grade e.g (1234567890 2025 G9) to 8383 at a cost of only K4.18. The service is also available on MTN network.