The North West region has recorded one of its strongest Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) performances in recent years, emerging among the most improved areas in the country. According to the Botswana Examinations Council’s (BEC) 2025 provisional report, North West achieved 68.88 percent of learners obtaining Grades A–C, a significant rise from the previous year.
This upward trend reflects an impressive +3.77 percent improvement, making North West the second most improved region in the country, behind only the South East region, which led national gains at +5.10 percent. In its analysis, the BEC attributes the national and regional improvements to reinforced examination standards and enhanced monitoring processes introduced in the 2025 cycle.
“The performance at the qualification level indicates an improvement compared to the previous year,” the report notes, citing improved standard setting, increased visibility of examination administrators, and stricter compliance to regulations.
National performance varied widely across the country’s ten educational regions. South East dominated the 2025 results, with 88.91 percent of candidates achieving Grades A–C the highest nationally. North East followed with 82.14 percent, while Kgatleng and Chobe also delivered strong outcomes at 75.97 percent and 75.83 percent respectively.
Chobe, in particular, saw a marked rise in performance, recording a +3.11 percent improvement over the previous year. This places it alongside North West among the top three most improved regions nationwide. Education officers in the district have credited this shift to closer collaboration between schools and assessment officials, as well as targeted support for learners in core subjects.
Meanwhile, several large regions Central, Kweneng and Southern posted steady but moderate results, scoring between 65 and 73 percent in the A–C band. On the lower end of the spectrum, Kgalagadi recorded a marginal decline, while Ghanzi experienced the most notable drop, slipping to 50.99 percent, the lowest national performance in 2025.
The gender gap remains a defining feature of the PSLE results, with female candidates continuing to outperform males across all regions and subjects. Nationally, girls led significantly in Grades A, B and C, particularly in English, Setswana, and Social Studies. Boys, however, were more represented in Grades D and E. This pattern is mirrored in the North West region, where girls demonstrated stronger comprehension, communication, and application skills. The BEC notes that “female candidates outperform their male counterparts in all syllabuses at Grades A to C,” pointing to a consistent trend that has held for several years.
Education analysts say the improvement in North West is both notable and encouraging, coming after calls for greater instructional support and tighter examination oversight. The BEC’s report credits part of the improvement to the use of technology in marking particularly the DataSmart system which sped up processing and minimized errors. Additionally, the expansion of examiner training and increased monitoring efforts across exam centres were designed to enhance fairness and consistency.
With seven out of ten regions showing improvement, the 2025 PSLE outcomes suggest a strengthening national education landscape.
