The 2021 Matric class can expect to receive their results at the end of January next year. The Department of Basic Education said in Pretoria that the national announcement of the matric results is expected to be made on January 20.

Director of Public Examinations and Assessment at the Department, Priscilla Ogunbanjo, says all provinces have shown an increase in the number of full-time and part-time learners who registered for the exams.

Special arrangements will be made for learners who test positive for COVID-19 or show symptoms, as exam locations will have isolation rooms or designated centres for them to write their papers.

Ogunbanjo says the last paper will be written on December 7.

“At the end of December, we expected to have captured all the marks because we are going to be finishing marking at the 22 of December. And we will go onto our pre-standardisation processes by the 6th of January and we’re expecting the Minister will be announcing the results by the 20th of January and provinces will release thereafter on the 21st.”

Minister Angie Motshekga gives an update on the developments in the basic education sector:

Pit toilets in schools

Meanwhile, the department says it is making progress in eradicating pit toilets at schools. Motshekga says the initial report that more than 3 000 schools still depend on pit latrines, was shown to be incorrect, after a verification process.

She says at some of the schools, there were toilet facilities but the water supply to the schools had been cut.

Motshekga says the verification process now shows 2 825 schools are still using pit toilets.

“From the 2 825, 1 185 schools have already received new sanitation. We have in the system also a thousand which are at different stages of implementation. We even had a meeting this morning with the deputy minister. We’re left with less than a thousand.”