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Gwarube declares department ready for 2026 matric exams

Published

A record 962 832 candidates registered for the October/November National Senior Certificate examinations. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced the readiness in Pretoria on Sunday. Of the candidates, 815 051 are full-time, the largest full-time group to sit the exams.

The number of full-time candidates rose by 48 508 from last year. A further 147 781 candidates write part-time. The department set up approximately 7 100 examination centres and 189 marking centres, and recruited 51 104 educators to mark scripts.

Umalusi approved the question papers and instruments. The Learner Support Programme reached 159 180 learners at 1 262 centres in 75 education districts. The Second Chance Matric Programme offers after-hours and weekend classes at 41 centres, sent learning materials to 84 centres and held 15 provincial learner workshops.

Gwarube said the Class of 2026 had its schooling disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. She asked communities not to disrupt the exams over service delivery, political or socio-economic complaints. She said: "The NSC candidates cannot resolve societal problems; it is Ministers, as elected representatives, who must account."

Key facts

Who
Siviwe Gwarube (Basic Education Minister); Department of Basic Education (government department declaring readiness for the NSC exams); Umalusi (body that approved the examination question papers and instruments)
What
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced in Pretoria that the department and the Class of 2026 are ready for the October/November NSC examinations. A record 962 832 candidates are registered, 815 051 of them full-time, the largest full-time cohort to sit the NSC to date.
When
11 October 2026
Where
Pretoria, South Africa
Status
Reported

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