The Department of Basic Education has defended its decision to move away from the practice of releasing matric results in the first week of January. It says this allows quality assurance body Umalusi time to ensure that the final results are of the required quality and are credible.
The class of 2023 matric results will be announced by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga on Thursday. This is while the last examination paper was written on the 6th of December last year. The Department says it takes time because it wants to ensure that the end product is credible.
“Over the years the work that the department does before the results are released has increased. There’s more analysis that takes place but also the verification that takes place to make sure that no candidate is negatively compromised,” says Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
However, the release date is a cause for concern for some parents and opposition parties.
“Parents have every single right to complain about the late release of matric results. These results are supposed to be released in the first week of January to allow parents and learners to prepare for children’s future,” says DA MP Baxolile Nodada.
“The ACDP shares the concern of parents that yes, the late release of results impacts students negatively and increases anxiety, especially for those who need the results to know if they qualify for the programme that they have registered for at universities or colleges,” says ACDP MP Marie Sukers.
Some support the decision of the Department.
“Is to allow learners more time to prepare for examinations they write a bit later but also it is to give Umalusi, which is the body that quality assures the results, time to do a perfect job in quality assuring,” says ANC MP Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba.
Umalusi has approved the release of the results.
Dept of Basic Education defends matric results release date:
