Matric results: Basic education department says it’ll abide by court decision

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has reiterated that it will abide by the Pretoria High Court’s judgment on the release of the 2021 matric results on media platforms.

This after the high court on Tuesday morning ruled in favour of an urgent application brought by AfriForum, Maroela Media and Anlé Spies – a 2021 matriculant – challenging the DBE’s decision not to publish the results of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) in the media.

The department, which did not oppose the legal bid by the applicants, said the decision not to publish the results was meant to safeguard the personal information of pupils, in accordance with the recently introduced Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

ALSO READ: Court orders DBE to publish matric results in newspapers

The applicants disagreed with the department’s decision and argued that it was irrational and ill-informed to use the POPIA as an excuse not to publish the NSC results on media platforms.

Judge Anthony Millar agreed with the applicants and ruled in their favour.

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Visit The Citizen’s matric portal to view your results and see who South Africa’s top performers are.

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He ruled that while the department had set up an online platform for pupils to get access to their matric results, this was not enough for pupils who did not have access to the internet.

“Not everyone has access to those resources, particularly those from more modest backgrounds and a single newspaper can be shared amongst many people in order to check their results,” judge Millar said.   

He ordered the DBE to pay the applicants’ costs on an unopposed scale and not to reflect the first names and/or surnames of any of the matric pupils on media platforms.

DBE’s reaction

In a statement, the DBE’s spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the department would make available the NSC results to stakeholders who requested access.

Mhlanga said the conditions of the court ruling should be taken into account in line with the provisions of the POPIA.

“The Department of Basic Education has noted the Pretoria High Court ruling regarding the release of the National Senior Certificate examinations results on media platforms. The department will abide by the ruling,” he said.

In addition to getting access to the results on media platforms, the DBE also urged pupils to register on its website to view the results when they become available.

It said by lunchtime on Tuesday, more than 10,000 people had successfully registered to get their results.

“Candidates will have to go through a two-step verification process before receiving confirmation of their registration.

“A 13-digit ID number and exam number will be required for registration. The DBE website is zero-rated, which means it can be accessed whether you have data or not.”

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will release the national matric results on 20 January, while provinces then release the results the next day on 21 January.

Umalusi gives nod for matric results

At the same time, the council for quality assurance in education, Umalusi, on Tuesday gave the green light for the release of the 2021 matric results.

While the council said it was concerned about some reported incidents of exam irregularities, it said it was satisfied that the NSC exams were administered largely in accordance with the examination policies and regulations.

“Having studied all the evidence presented, the executive committee of the Umalusi Council, noted that apart from some examination irregularities identified during the writing and marking of the examinations, there were no systemic irregularities reported that compromised the credibility and integrity of the November 2021 NSC examinations as a whole,” said Umalusi Council chairperson, Professor Jimmy Volmink. 

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