The department of basic education has decided to publish the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results. This is despite the decision by the Information Regulator to apply for leave to appeal against a judgment by a full bench of the Pretoria high court in December, which ruled that matric results may be published on public platforms, as they had been since 2022, using candidates’ examination numbers. In 2024 the regulator issued an enforcement notice prohibiting the department from publishing the 2024 matric results in newspapers.
It said the department should instead make the results available using methods compliant with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), such as pupils obtaining their results from their schools or via a secure SMS platform from the department of basic education (DBE). The department did not comply with the notice, prompting the regulator to approach the court urgently for enforcement proceedings early last year. Judge Ronel Tolmay struck the regulator’s enforcement application off the roll for lack of urgency on January 8 last year.
The December court ruling followed an appeal by the minister of basic education to have the enforcement notice issued by the regulator in 2024 set aside. The high court set aside the enforcement notice on December 18. The regulator said its application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal suspends the execution of the high court’s orders pending the outcome of the appeal process.
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However, the department said on Wednesday the results would be made available to accredited newspapers in the same format used in recent years – namely, examination numbers and results only, with no names, surnames or ID numbers. “In line with our commitment to the rule of law, the department is legally obliged to publish the results as granted by the court order on January 18 2022,” it said. The department said it would oppose the application for leave to appeal by the regulator. “This opposition is pursued in the best interests of learners, their families, and the education sector.” The 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results will be made available for publication on January 13.
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