By Bhekizenzo Zonele and Thapelo Molefe
Learning gaps caused by Covid-19 disruptions remain a concern for the 2026 matric class, as second-term pass rates in Mathematics and Physical Sciences declined compared with last year.
Department of Basic Education (DBE) deputy director for Further Education and Training, Bulara Samson Monyaki, said the class of 2026 experienced significant schooling disruptions when learners were in Grades 6 and 7 during 2020 and 2021.
He was presenting to the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education on the state of readiness for the 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams.
Lockdowns, the suspension of contact teaching and rotational timetables affected learning during a period when learners were expected to strengthen their literacy and numeracy skills.
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“The cohort’s most severe interruption occurred during the intermediate to senior phase transition, a period foundational to numeracy and literacy consolidation,” Monyaki said.
He said the effects of lost contact time remained evident when learners reached Grade 8 in 2022, despite the return to full-time schooling and the introduction of curriculum recovery plans.
The department also identified teacher attrition in some provinces and socioeconomic inequalities as continuing concerns affecting learning and performance in Grades 10 to 12.
The department’s figures show that the second-term Mathematics pass rate fell from 73.3% in 2025 to 68.25% in 2026.
Physical Sciences also recorded a decline, with the pass rate dropping from 75.9% to 73.12% over the same period.
Subject enrolment figures show that 258,337 candidates registered to write Mathematics in 2026, 882 fewer than in 2025. Physical Sciences had 208,260 candidates, a decrease of 577 from the previous year.
DBE Director-General Mathanzima Mweli acknowledged ongoing academic challenges and spoke on the support programmes the department administered.
“You will never reach a point where a learner is adequately prepared for the next grade; there will always be some gaps or so,” Mweli said.
The department has introduced additional support to help learners improve their performance in critical subjects, including targeted teacher training, Saturday tutoring, revision programmes and extra classes.
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The department said support was directed at struggling and progressed learners, as well as underperforming schools, through additional tuition and learning materials.
The department is also preparing for a significant increase in the number of progressed candidates.
A total of 76,317 progressed learners registered for the 2026 exams, compared with 41,119 in 2025. The presentation identifies this as the highest number recorded since 2022.
The class of 2026 is the largest full-time cohort to sit the NSC exams to date, with 815,051 full-time candidates. A further 147,781 part-time candidates have registered, bringing the total number of candidates to 962,832.
DBE Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule attributed these growing numbers to government support programmes, such as scholar transport and school nutrition programmes.
“The system is improving every year and the number of learners who are carried through from grade one to grade twelve is increasing,” Mhaule said.
To address the learning gaps, the DBE ran a monitoring and support programme across 75 districts between 26 January and 30 July. The programme reached 159,180 learners at 1,262 centres.
The department said the programme started and ended early enough to benefit learners, while schools and districts also introduced additional classes and revision activities.
“The Department of Education embraces the philosophy of ‘First Day, First Period and First Lesson’,” Monyaki said, referring to the importance of delivering stationery and textbooks before schools reopen.
According to the department, all nine provinces delivered stationery before the start of the school year and provided additional textbooks where needed. Calculators and mathematical instruments were also supplied.
Learners received revision guides, previous examination papers and online learning materials. They also wrote mock exams to familiarise themselves with the format and duration of the final papers.
The department reported that 98.4% of learners surveyed said they benefited from winter support classes. Spring classes ran from 23 September to 6 October.
The department also highlighted examination security following the leak of seven question papers and marking guidelines at the DBE in 2025.
The presentation lists the incident alongside concerns about breaches of trust by some officials and educators, impersonation and group copying.
In response, the department said it had implemented recommendations from the National Investigative Task Team, held hearings for learners implicated in irregularities and continued disciplinary hearings against officials.
It said it was deploying a “zero-compromise” strategy for 2026, with the goal to “eradicate failures, protect learner effort and restore public trust”.
Provincial education departments have completed audits of examination centres, which have been classified according to risk.
High-risk centres may be taken over administratively or assigned resident monitors, while invigilator training has been completed, with additional training continuing in October.
Despite the academic challenges, the department said preparations for the exams had progressed, with all question papers set and approved by Umalusi.
The 2026 cohort will also be the ninth to offer new subjects in the final exams, including South African Sign Language at Home Language level.
In its conclusion to the committee, the department said it was “collectively confident that our learners will achieve their full potential, resulting in an improved quality of passes”.
