30% pass mark motion: Maimane warns SA after vote outcome

Build One South Africa (BOSA) has lost the fight against the 30% pass mark motion for matric this time around.

Members of Parliament (MPs) voted on the BOSA-led motion in the National Assembly on 2 December 2025.

BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane brought the motion in a mini-plenary debate in Parliament on 28 November 2025.

His argument stands that no learner can be proficient in a subject by obtaining a 30% pass mark.

He said the benchmark misleads the country into believing the education sector is performing better than it is.

PARLIAMENT’S VOTING OUTCOME ON THE 30% PASS MARK MOTION

Eighty-seven MPs voted in favour of the motion, while 190 voted against it.

The MK Party with 43 votes, the Economic Freedom Fighters with 28, and the Inkatha Freedom Party with 10 supported BOSA’s bid.

Meanwhile, the African National Congress (101), the Democratic Alliance (75) and the Patriotic Alliance (8) voted against the motion.

MAIMANE SAYS LOW STANDARDS HOLD LEARNERS BACK

Maimane maintains that the 30% pass mark sets young people up for failure.

In his recent address, he argued that South Africa cannot defend a system that lowers expectations.

“We wanted an education system that will make sure South Africans can compete with anyone in the world,” Maimane said.

He added that expecting proficiency at only a 30% pass mark undermines academic growth.

“It’s the belief in the young person… if you up the standards, young people rise up to reach it,” he puts it.

Maimane said keeping the 30% benchmark protects a “fictitious” pass rate that hides the real performance gaps in key subjects.

He also questioned why the government continues to defend the policy despite its impact on learner outcomes.

30% PASS MARK MOTION: CALLS FOR SYSTEMIC IMPROVEMENT CONTINUE

Although the motion was defeated, BOSA insists that raising academic standards must form part of fixing the broader education system.

Maimane further said improving Early Childhood Development, reducing classroom sizes and filling vacant teaching posts remain urgent priorities.

For him, the goal is to ensure every young person leaves school with real choices.

“True freedom must mean that young people become lawyers, doctors, teachers, professionals… not limited by low standards,”  he further stated.

Today we lost the vote to end 30% as a pass mark at any level in our public education system.

The following parties voted to keep Bantu education standards – ANC , DA, VF, PA and Al Jamah. They hugged incompetence and embraced mediocrity. Now SA knows.pic.twitter.com/3CabOyWSyQ

— Mmusi Maimane MP (@MmusiMaimane) December 2, 2025