By REGINALD KANYANE
17 February 2026- The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education and the Select Committee on Education, Science and Creative Industries today held a joint meeting to receive a briefing on the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) outcomes, as well as the Second Chance Matric Programme aimed at candidates who did not meet the criteria in their initial examinations.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Joy Maimela said that given the overall performance of an 88% pass rate, the committees once again commend the learners who sat for the examinations, as well as the Department of Basic Education (DBE), educators and the broader school community that supported the class of 2025 to reach these heights. Maimela noted that the sector has demonstrated maturity and a full recovery from the COVID-19 period, when the pass rate dropped to 76%.
“This was indeed a very worrying factor. However, the current pass rate is something we must applaud, and this sustained improvement is commendable.
“However, committees cannot shy away from examining critiques about the quality of the outcomes produced. We must continue interrogating not only access and pass rates, but also the quality of the performance,” she said.
Maimela further said during the meeting, the committees heard that the number of learners achieving admission to Bachelor studies increased from 337 158 in 2024 to 345 857 in 2025, representing an increase of 8 699 learners. She added that the DBE indicated the need for deeper engagement with the Department of Higher Education and Training and higher education institutions regarding the capacity to accommodate these learners.
“The DBE further reported a significant decrease in the performance of learners who are social grant recipients, from 86.06% in 2024 to 77.70% in 2025. The department indicated that it will make representations to the Department of Social Development to extend the child support grant beyond the age of 18 for learners who are still in school.
“Umalusi raised concerns about repeated non-compliance by the DBE in administering the examinations. These include inconsistencies in the execution of roles and responsibilities prescribed for invigilators, evidence of complicity by some invigilators during writing sessions, cases of candidates found in possession of unauthorised materials in examination rooms, and instances of group copying detected during the marking phase,” said Maimela.
She said Umalusi also highlighted inconsistencies in the execution of roles and responsibilities by contracted security personnel at marking centres, as well as the persistent annual occurrence of examination irregularities, including group copying. Maimela said regarding the latest group copying incident in the 2025 NSC examinations, the committees heard that Umalusi’s investigation confirmed that the leak was contained to approximately 40 candidates out of a total cohort of around 600 000 candidates who wrote the examinations in the three affected subjects: Physical Sciences (204 957 candidates), Mathematics (254 413) and English Home Language (135 090).
“The DBE said that its investigation has been finalised and that a report will be submitted to the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, by 24 February 2026.
“The department is still awaiting the forensic audit report. It assured the committees that the alleged suspect has been suspended and that disciplinary proceedings are imminent. Umalusi further assured the committees that, should additional learners be identified through ongoing investigations, the law permits the cancellation of certificates even after they have been issued,” she said.
Maimela said the committees are aware that some educators and principals discourage learners from taking pure Mathematics in an effort to protect school pass rates.
“This practice must be condemned, as it makes progression to tertiary institutions very difficult for learners. We request a written report from the DBE on concerns raised by Umalusi regarding repeated non-compliance in the administration of examinations,” she said.
The Guardian 