Umalusi has declared the 2026 National Senior Certificate examination system ready, with 964,201 DBE candidates expected to write at 7,057 examination centres across the country.
Speaking at an Umalusi media briefing on Thursday, CEO Dr Mafu Rakometsi said the organisation is satisfied that assessment bodies are prepared to administer a credible examination following its readiness assessments.
The briefing comes as the country prepares for the 2026 NSC examinations following the examination paper breach reported in 2025.
Rakometsi said lessons from last year’s incident have resulted in tighter controls over officials involved in the examination process.
Officials who have children or close relatives writing matric are expected to declare these potential conflicts of interest and may be removed from processes where they could access examination material. Umalusi said officials involved in examinations must be regularly vetted.
Additional security measures include stricter controls over computers used to prepare examination papers, ensuring papers are removed and securely stored after work is completed, restricting email access during the preparation process and continuous camera surveillance.
“The system is as weak as its weakest link,” Rakometsi said.
He said teachers and school officials have a responsibility to protect the integrity of examinations.
“As a teacher, you have to jealously guard the standards.”
Umalusi said its oversight will continue after candidates have written their examinations. The organisation will monitor the marking process, including samples of marked scripts, and verify marking to assess accuracy and consistency.
The examination results will also undergo a standardisation process before they are approved for release.
The Executive Committee of Umalusi Council is expected to announce its decision on the release of the 2026 results at a media briefing on 8 January 2027.
Successful candidates will receive certificates of achievement within three months of the results being approved, subject to the timely submission of certification data by the relevant assessment bodies.
Umalusi also outlined changes to its quality-assurance responsibilities for the National Certificate (Vocational) (NC(V)) Level 2 and Level 3 examinations administered by the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Following a ministerial directive published in Government Gazette 53015, the NC(V) Level 2 and Level 3 examinations were internalised from 2026. Umalusi therefore no longer quality-assures these examinations or issues the associated certificates.
The CEO also said qualifications under the former National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED) Report 190/191 N2 and N3 programmes have been phased out under a ministerial directive, with the final examinations for these qualifications conducted in December 2025.
Umalusi said it has also focused on Internal Continuous Assessment and institutional assessment portfolios within the Department of Higher Education and Training. Rakometsi said these portfolios must be officially issued and completed honestly by the students concerned. Where evidence shows that assessment work has been compromised, Umalusi can withhold results until the work has been verified.
“We cannot release those results.”
The 2026 examination period will coincide with the 4 November local government elections, creating a potential risk of disruption at some examination centres.
Some schools will also be used as voting stations, while political rallies, protests and other election-related activities could affect learners’ ability to prepare for or write examinations.
Umalusi urged political parties, communities, parents, teachers and school officials to minimise disruption around examination centres.
“Political rallies and particular activities must be far away from schools, where possible,” Rakometsi said.
Umalusi also raised concerns about the safety of learners travelling to schools and examination centres, saying protecting children should be a responsibility shared by the wider community.
“When I see a child walking to school, I must be concerned as a parent, whether that’s my child or not my child,” Rakometsi said.
“Parents, teachers, all the members of the community, they just ensure that our children are in schools safely, and that they have access to the examination centres safely.”
Rakometsi said all registered learners who have been preparing for examinations should be given an opportunity to write.
“All children who have been studying throughout the year have to be allowed access to the examination.”
Umalusi said the concerns identified during its readiness assessments are not systemic enough to threaten the overall credibility of the examinations, but assessment bodies are expected to implement corrective measures.
