Justice and Correctional Services Minster Michael Masutha on Thursday congratulated more than 100 prisoners who passed their matric 2016 exams.
Four correctional services schools achieved a 100% matric pass rate in the 2016 academic year, the department said in a statement.
Collectively, the country’s prisons attained a 72.1% pass rate. A total of 140 inmates sat for the examinations.
“Formal schooling inside correctional centres is the beating heart of rehabilitation and remains crucial in building a more informed citizenry,” Masutha said.
Four students scored more than four distinctions.
Kwandokuhle Ngcobo, of the Usethubeni Youth Centre at Durban Westville prison, was the top achiever, scoring 84.9%. He got five distinctions, in mathematics, IsiZulu, life orientation, accounting, and business studies.
The department would support those offenders who failed.