South Africa’s largest-ever matric cohort is ready to write, and so is the system tasked with delivering one of the country’s most complex annual operations.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube today declared the Department of Basic Education ready for the 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, assuring parents, learners and the nation that comprehensive preparations have been completed to ensure a credible, secure and fair examination process.
The announcement comes as 962,832 candidates prepare to sit for the examinations, including a record 815,051 full-time candidates, making the Class of 2026 the largest full-time matric cohort in South Africa’s history.
“Today, I am here to confirm that our preparations are comprehensive, robust and ready,” Gwarube said during a national briefing on the state’s readiness for the examinations.
The declaration marks the culmination of months of planning involving thousands of schools, examination officials, invigilators, markers and support staff across all nine provinces.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that every eligible candidate has a fair opportunity to write, that examination materials are protected, that the rules are applied consistently and that every learner’s work is assessed with the care and accuracy it deserves,” the minister said.
More than an exam, a national undertaking
The scale of the operation is staggering.
This year’s examinations will be conducted across approximately 7,100 examination centres, supported by a network of officials overseeing everything from the secure printing and distribution of question papers to marking and moderation.
To ensure integrity throughout the process, the department has established 189 marking centres and appointed more than 51,000 experienced educators to mark examination scripts.
“I want to assure the public that the setting, moderation and quality assurance of all examination materials are complete,” Gwarube said. “All question papers and examination instruments have been rigorously reviewed by the DBE and approved by Umalusi.”
The minister said lessons from previous examination cycles had resulted in significantly enhanced security measures, including the strict vetting of officials and close cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
“Every candidate will encounter a fair, secure and standardised examination process,” she said.
The department has also implemented a risk-based monitoring system to identify and respond to potential vulnerabilities, while a 24-hour hotline has been established to report suspected irregularities.
A generation that overcame disruption
The Class of 2026 enters the examination period with a unique history.
These learners started Grade 1 in 2015 and reached Grade 6 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when school closures, lockdowns and rotational timetables disrupted learning across the country.
Gwarube acknowledged that the cohort experienced some of the most significant educational disruptions in recent history.
“The most significant disruption occurred during their transition from the Intermediate Phase to the Senior Phase, when learners should be consolidating important literacy and numeracy skills,” she said.
Despite those challenges, the department says extensive interventions have been implemented to ensure candidates are academically prepared.
The 2026 Learner Support Programme reached more than 159,000 learners through 1,262 support centres across all 75 education districts. Learners were provided with revision materials, past examination papers, digital resources and targeted academic interventions.
Mock examinations, teacher workshops and curriculum support programmes were also used to identify and address learning gaps before the final examinations.
“All candidates have been provided with all the support they would need to perform, and I am happy to declare that learners are ready for the 2026 NSC exams,” Gwarube said.
Shifting the focus beyond pass rates
While the briefing centred on examination readiness, Gwarube also used the platform to signal a shift in how educational success should be measured.
She warned that South Africa’s longstanding fixation on matric pass rates had created unintended consequences, including pressure on schools to prioritise statistics over learner development.
“Over the past years the quality of our basic education system has been reduced to this single figure, this single question: what is the pass rate?” she said.
Instead, the minister announced that provinces would increasingly be assessed against a broader basket of indicators, including bachelor passes, distinctions, learner retention and participation in critical gateway subjects such as mathematics, physical sciences, accounting and economics.
“The question will not only be whether learners passed, but whether provinces are improving literacy, numeracy, retention and gateway subject participation,” she said.
A call to protect the Class of 2026
With the examinations now imminent, Gwarube appealed to parents, communities and civic organisations to create conditions that allow learners to focus.
She urged parents to provide supportive home environments and avoid burdening candidates with unnecessary responsibilities.
The minister also made an impassioned plea for communities not to disrupt schools during the examination period.
“The NSC candidates cannot resolve societal problems,” she said. “It is ministers and elected representatives who must account.”
Addressing learners directly, Gwarube encouraged them to approach the examinations with confidence.
“Do not let fear or pressure rob you of what you know,” she said. “Remember you are not walking this road alone; the whole nation is behind you.”
For South Africa’s record-breaking matric class, the message from government is unequivocal: the systems are in place, the support has been provided and the country is ready.
“Having considered the comprehensive preparations reported by all nine Provincial Education Departments,” Gwarube said, “I am proud to announce that the Department of Basic Education and the Class of 2026 are ready for the 2026 National Senior Certificate examinations.”