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Pupil writing an exam
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says contingency measures are in place to address any unforeseen circumstances during the matric examinations.
More than 900 000 candidates are expected to sit for the exams starting on Tuesday.
Gwarube says provinces have also prepared alternative venues to ensure the examinations proceed smoothly in the event of any disruptions.
“One of the things that the provinces are doing is to make sure that there are alternative venues in the event that there are other natural disasters or there is civil unrest or whatever the cause may be. And so, we’ve got those contingency measures in place, including planning for load shedding, including for water outages. We’ve got those contingency plans in place. But of course, we are hoping for an incident-free exam period.”
Last year, hundreds of matric learners were unable to sit for the exams in the Eastern Cape due to heavy rains, which caused flooding in some areas within the province.
#NSC | The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has confirmed its full state of readiness to administer the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examinations.
Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, announced that a total of 903,561 candidates are registered to write… pic.twitter.com/Kk1Lx6UAaj
— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) October 20, 2025
Matric 2025 | DBE Minister says all 9 provinces are ready for exams:
Limpopo
The Education Department in Limpopo is optimistic that it will improve its matric pass rate from 85% last year to more than 90% this year.
Learners in the province will start with English Paper One on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Grade 12 learners at Kgakgoa Secondary School in Moletjie say that while it’s been a tough year, they are ready to score top marks.
“We are ready, like everything that we have adjusted and everything that we have prepared. We are ready for the exam because of the motivation that the principal has given us. Teachers are motivating us to work hard. My academic journey was not great because, as you know, being a Grade 12 is hard work. It is a very big job. My schedule with regard to studying is that I make sure that I study from Monday to Saturday. I make sure that everyday I take my books, study and work hard, making sure I study every subject.”
Incident-free
In the Northern Cape, it’s all systems go ahead of the start of matric exams, and various mechanisms have been put in place to ensure examinations are incident-free. Over 16 000 matric learners will be sitting for their final high school examinations – an increase of learners in 2024.
The province says it’s confident that the Class of 2025 will surpass last year’s pass rate of 84,2%.
19-year-old Kimberley learner, Rethabile Mentjies, is among the 16 000 candidates set to write their final exams in the Northern Cape. Mentjies says she has mixed feelings about the upcoming challenge but feels ready to take it on.
The St Boniface High School learner adds that she hopes her hard work will pay off.
Security for matric learners
More than 77 000 candidates will sit down for the National Senior Certificate exams in the Western Cape. This is over 3 000 more than last year.
Over the last 6 months, there has been a spate of mass murders and an escalation of gang-related shootings.
The provincial department of Education says it has put in place measures to protect matriculants on school premises.
Langa High School is one of 500 exam centers in the province. The school principal says there is protection for the learners in her care.
Principal of Langa High School Philisa Ntshwanti says, “A week ago, law enforcement came in, and they informed us, there were about 12 officers who were saying they are responsible for school safety in our schools. That is on top of the police station, which is about 500 meters from the school. So we’re not overly consigned for especially our learners when they there within the premises of the school.”
Inside the premises, there are safety measures.
Ntshwanti adds, “With the assistance of a neighborhood watch, when you were coming in, you had seen the gentleman who was wearing a reflector jacket, who is one of the Langa safety patrol gentlemen who is assisting, when we have a flare of violence…”
The provincial department says it is partnering with various stakeholders.
