In four days’ time, more than 730,000 matriculants are set to receive their final exam results. But thanks to the department of basic education, there is little clarity on where matrics will be able to access their marks if they are not near their schools on Friday. 

The confusion started early last week when the department surprised the media, teachers, matriculants and their families by announcing that the results of the most important results of pupils’ school careers would not be published online or in newspapers. This, the department argued, was because of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia). “To comply with the provisions of the Popia, the usual practice of publishing the National Senior Certificate (NSC) results on public platforms (media platforms) will not occur for 2021,” the department said in a notice to media houses (https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/just-in-matric-exam-results-wont-be-published-on-public-platforms-in-media-education-dept-20220111). “As was also the practice in previous years, all learners will be required to obtain their statement of results from the schools they attended. In this way every learner’s personal information with regards to the outcome of their National Senior Certificate exam will be protected.”..