Mpumalanga province is working on plans to establish its own university that will develop a skills base for the area and retain school-leavers, many of whom relocate after matric in search of education and jobs.

For three years in a row Mbilwi Secondary School in Limpopo has remained in the elite Club 100 with more than 100 matric pupils who passed maths and science on higher grade.

Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga has urged all learners who did not succeed in the 2009 matric examinations to try again.

Turnaround strategies implemented by the KwaZulu-Natal education department early in 2009 helped the province increase its matric pass rate by 3.5 percent, said MEC Senzo Mchunu on Thursday.

Education levels among South African adults have significantly increased in the past ten years, the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Tuesday.