Star College Durban’s Diya Hargoon Shines as KZN Top Achiever in Historic Matric Year

Star College Durban has once again reinforced its standing as a leader in academic excellence after learner Diya Hargoon emerged as KwaZulu-Natal’s top matric achiever in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, earning an outstanding 11 distinctions and a 93% aggregate.

Hargoon, who completed a demanding subject load including English, Afrikaans, Mathematics, Advanced Programme Mathematics, Physical Science, Life Sciences, Accounting, Business Studies, Tourism, Religion Studies, and Life Orientation, attended the Provincial Awards ceremony, where she was recognised for her exceptional academic performance.

Reflecting on her achievement, Hargoon said she approached matric without unnecessary pressure. “I didn’t treat matric as something overwhelming. I took it as just another year,” she said. “My advice to the class of 2026 and future matriculants is simple: don’t stress and don’t let pressure get to you.”

She also shared what she calls her ’10pm rule’, a strategy designed to prevent burnout. “If you don’t understand something by 10pm, stop studying and go to bed. Stay consistent, stay disciplined and stay true to yourself,” she said. Hargoon expressed gratitude to her parents, educators and the Star College community, noting that she was supported throughout her academic journey.

Ahmet Kaya, Principal of Star College, shared, “Diya has made our entire school community immensely proud. Diya’s achievement is a testament to her dedication, hard work, and exceptional ability.

''She embodies the spirit of excellence we strive to nurture at Star College. We are incredibly proud of her remarkable success and look forward to seeing the bright future she will undoubtedly build.”

Star College Durban and Nizamiye Network Deliver Exceptional Results

Diya Hargoon’s achievement formed part of a broader story of success at Star College Durban, which achieved a 100% matric pass rate in 2025. The school recorded a 94% Bachelor’s pass rate, highlighting its strong academic performance and commitment to high educational standards.

Other high achievers from Star College Durban included Minenhle Mkhize, who earned seven distinctions and plans to study medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand. “I’d like to thank all of the staff and the teachers for working so hard.

''We dedicate this moment to them and to our parents who worked so hard throughout the year. I am going to study medicine at Witwatersrand University.” said Mkhize.

Kiya Singh, who achieved an exceptional nine distinctions, encouraging future matriculants to believe in themselves and remain confident: “Some advice for this year’s coming matrics and future matrics, is that you just need to be sure of yourself and have confidence that you will do well and that you are going to achieve what you want to achieve”.

The success at Star College Durban reflects the broader performance of the Star College and Nizamiye Schools network, which continues to deliver top results across South Africa.

Star College Cape Town achieved a 100% pass rate, with all 41 matriculants passing the 2025 examinations and a 90.25% Bachelor’s pass rate. Learners accumulated a total of 118 A symbols, with an overall aggregate of 2.88. Top performers included one learner with nine distinctions, two learners with eight distinctions, three learners with seven distinctions, two learners with six distinctions, and two learners with five distinctions.

At Star College Pretoria, Noah Abraham Tesfay emerged as the top achiever with eight distinctions, followed by Lusanele Sivuyile Runganga, who obtained six distinctions. Star College BridgeTown also recorded a 100% pass rate, alongside a strong 92.68% Bachelor’s pass rate.

“I am happy to say I got 8 distinctions for Matric in 2025. I’d like to thank my teachers, particularly Maths and Science teachers for always being there to support me. Our Accounting, Life Science, Life Orientation and English teachers are also fantastic” said Noah Tesfay upon receiving his results.

Within the Nizamiye Schools network, Nizamiye School Mayfair delivered an outstanding performance, achieving a 100% pass rate and a 100% Bachelor’s pass rate.

Learners collectively earned 118 distinctions, with exceptional achievements from Romisaa Fadel, who secured 10 distinctions, Rana Irhuma with 8 distinctions; and Maryam Ravat, M. Yaseen Mohammad, and Riyad Bhabha, who each earned seven distinctions. Sameeha Asmal and Sanam Ramkelewan also performed admirably, each achieving five distinctions.

Nizamiye School Midrand also maintained its high standards, with all 19 matriculants passing the 2025 NSC examinations and a 94.8% Bachelor’s pass rate. Learners achieved 53 A symbols, with an overall aggregate of 2.78, further reinforcing the school’s academic strength.

Horizon Star Academy Learners Excel in STEM Subjects



Learners from Horizon Star Academy have delivered an outstanding performance in this year’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) examinations, with particularly strong results in mathematics, physical sciences, and advanced program mathematics.
 In Mathematics, 52 out of 115 candidates achieved distinctions.

Physical Sciences saw 31 learners earn A symbols from a cohort of 117. The most striking achievement was in Advanced Programme Mathematics, where 22 of the 32 learners secured A symbols—a result that highlights the academy’s strength in advanced quantitative fields.



The results reinforce the academy's reputation for high-calibre teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Historic National Matric Results

The 2025 NSC results, announced by Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, marked a historic milestone for South African education. The national pass rate rose to 88%, the highest in the country’s history, with more than 900,000 learners writing matric examinations nationwide.

KwaZulu-Natal led the provinces with a 90% pass rate, followed by the Free State and Gauteng. Despite ongoing challenges in Mathematics nationally, the results reflected continued improvement, with all provinces surpassing all others.