By Johnathan Paoli
The Department of Basic Education has confirmed that the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results will be published in accredited newspapers on Tuesday, maintaining the format that has been used in recent years.
The results will be listed using candidates’ examination numbers and their subject outcomes only, without names, surnames, or identity numbers, a measure the department says is essential to protect learners’ personal information while ensuring broad public access.
The department’s acting Director of Communication and Research, Terence Khala, said the department is legally obliged to continue publishing the results in this format, citing a standing court order granted on 18 January 2022.
According to Khala, the order expressly permits and requires the publication of matric results in a pseudonymised manner, and it remains in force.
“In line with our commitment to the rule of law, the Department of Basic Education is of the view that it is legally obliged to publish the results in this pseudonymised format,” he said.
The confirmation comes amid an ongoing legal dispute with the Information Regulator, which has said that publication in newspapers may breach the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and that alternative access methods should be prioritised.
The dispute escalated in late 2024 when the regulator issued an enforcement notice and later imposed a R5 million administrative fine through an infringement notice on 23 December 2024.
In December 2025, a full bench of the Pretoria High Court set aside the regulator’s enforcement and infringement notices, clearing the way for results to continue being published using exam numbers.
The DBE says it will oppose the regulator’s application for leave to appeal.
The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, is scheduled to announce the overall outcome of the examinations on Monday.
The department said the continued publication of NSC results in newspapers remains an important and accessible method of obtaining results timeously.
This is especially significant in communities with limited or unreliable internet access, where newspapers continue to play a critical role in information dissemination.
INSIDE EDUCATION
